Jane's Midlife Journey

For a fun day out and some lovely fresh produce, Sopley Farm is a great place to visit. The farm offers the opportunity to Pick Your Own produce. It also has a farm shop and bakery. You can then take your goodies home with you, or eat them at a picnic bench overlooking the flower beds.

How to get to Sopley Farm

The farm is situated between Christchurch and the New Forest. It is 8 miles north east of Bournemouth, mostly along the A338, before exiting near Hurn onto the Avon Causeway.

By Bus

By public transport, it’s quite fiddly. The 8 mile journey would take around 2 hours, involve at least one change, and require walking the last mile down a narrow country lane.

Parking

There is plenty of free parking on site.

Opening Times

Opening times are seasonal. Check the website for exact times, which are something like this:

• In January/February, the farm is completely closed.
• In March, the bakery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am until 4 pm.
• In April/May, the bakery is open daily from 10 am until 4 pm.
• In June/July/August/September/October, the bakery, farm shop and PYO are open daily from 9 am until 5 pm.
• In November/December, the bakery, farm shop and PYO are open daily from 10 am until 4 pm.

Prices

The farm is free to enter. Pick Your Own produce is mostly priced per kilo (some items, such as flowers, garlic and sweetcorn are priced per item). So, you can pick as little or as much as you like. Just pick up containers from the farm shop and you’re good to go.

Pick Your Own Fruit & Vegetables

There is a range of up to 20 different Pick Your Own produce on offer, according to the season. A current list of availability is published online and in the shop. Just collect your punnets from the shop and off you go…

I picked strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and tayberries. I’d never even heard of tayberries before, but I made an apple and tayberry crumble, which was delicious.

Flowers

There are also some flower beds where you can pick your own flowers including gladioli and sunflowers. Or, just enjoy the sight of the beautiful blooms as you pass through en route to the fruit & veg.

Farm Shop

If you don’t want to pick your own, fruit & veg and flowers, as well as other local produce, can be purchased in the Farm Shop.

Bakery

There is an on-site Bakery selling freshly made cakes, bread and other goodies. I can recommend the sausage roll, which are very tasty. But my absolute favourite is the cheese & Marmite swirl bread.

Picnic Area

There is a Picnic Area with covered and outdoor seating for those who want to eat their bakery purchases straight away. We had a tasty picnic of mini focaccias and strawberries.

Camping

You can even camp here if you like, in the old orchard. A pitch costs £15 a night (£20 for electric hook up). Note: Camping is for adults only. If glamping is more your thing, there is some other accommodation available, such as Camping Pods, a Log Cabin and a Shepherd’s Hut by the lake (all £60 per night).

Lake

Adjacent to the farm is a lake, which can be hired for events. Members only fishing is also available.

Sopley Farm for Children

Orla loves visiting Sopley Farm. It combines her love of food, play and the countryside into one fun day out.

Fruit Picking

Strawberry picking is ideal for toddlers, as the strawberries are grown on the ground, hence at toddler height. Orla really enjoyed strawberry picking, although she didn’t really get to grips with the no eating before you pay policy. Note: If you plan to bring young children here to strawberry pick, the strawberry patch is at the point furthest from the entrance, so it’s quite a long walk.

Pumpkins

In autumn, the farm offers PYO pumpkins, so you can bring your little ones to select their own pumpkin for Halloween carving.

Play Area

There is a small play area with regular toys, plus some old tractor tyres to climb on.

In addition, there are a couple of old tractors to play on. And Orla’s favourite – a hay bale spider.

• Updated: July 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.