[00:45.96]Welcome to the Fiddy Working Heritage Farm.
[00:49.55]This open-air museum gives you the experience of agriculture and rural life in the English countryside at the end of the nineteenth century.
[00:59.00]So you'll see a typical farm of that period, and like me, all the staff are dressed in clothes of that time.
[01:07.22]I must give you some advice and safety tips before we go any further.
[01:12.47]As it's a working farm, please don't frighten or injure the animals.
[01:18.00]We have a lot here, and many of them are breeds that are now quite rare.
[01:22.86] And do stay at a safe distance from the tools: some of them have sharp points which can be pretty dangerous, so please don't touch them.
[01:33.42]We don't want any accidents, do we?
[01:35.93]The ground is very uneven, and you might slip if you're wearing sandals soI'm glad to see you're all wearing shoes - we always advise people to do that.
[01:48.52]Now, children of all ages are very welcome here, and usually even very young children love the ducks and lambs, so do bring them along next time you come.
[02:00.84]I don't think any of you have brought dogs with you, but in case you have.
[02:06.59]I'm afraid they'll have to stay in the car park, unless they're guide dogs.
[02:11.61]I'm sure you'll understand that they could cause a lot of problems on a farm.
[03:06.17]Now let me give you some idea of the layout of the farm.
[03:10.64]The building where you bought your tickets is the New Barn, immediately to your right, and we're now at the beginning of the main path to the farmland - and of course the car park is on your left.
[03:23.71]The scarecrow you can see in the car park in the corner, beside the main path, is a traditional figure for keeping the birds away from crops, but our scarecrow is a permanent sculpture.
[03:37.70]It's taller than a human being, so you can see it from quite a distance.
[03:44.60] If you look ahead of you, you'll see a maze.
[03:47.80]It's opposite the New Barn, beside the side path that branches off to the right just over there.
[03:55.49]The maze is made out of hedges which are too tall for young children to see over them, but it's quite small, so you can't get lost in it!
[04:06.85]Now.
[04:07.28]can you see the bridge crossing the fish pool further up the main path?
[04:12.10] If you want to go to the café, go towards the bridge and turn right just before it.
[04:19.17]Walk along the side path and the café's on the first bend you come to.
[04:25.40]The building was originally the schoolhouse, and it's well over a hundred years old.
[04:31.89]As you may know, we run skills workshops here, where you can learn traditional crafts like woodwork and basket-making.
[04:42.11]You can see examples of the work, and talk to someone about the courses, in the Black Barn.
[04:49.38] If you take the side path to the right, here, just by the New Barn, you'll come to the Black Barn just where the Path first bends.
[04:59.64]Now I mustn't forget to tell you about picnicking, as I can see some of you have brought your lunch with you.
[05:07.31]You can picnic in the field, though do clear up behind you, of course.
[05:12.82] Or if you'd prefer a covered picnic area, there's one near the farmyard: just after you cross the bridge, there's a covered picnic spot on the right.
[05:23.62]And the last thing to mention is Fiddy House itself.
[05:28.48]From here you can cross the bridge then walk along the footpath through the field to the left of the farmyard.
[05:36.35]That goes to the house, and it'll give you a lovely view of it.
[05:41.17]It's certainly worth a few photographs, but as it's a private home, I'm afraid you can't go inside.
[05:49.39]Right.
[05:50.09]Well, if you're all ready, we'll set off on our tour of the farm.
