Hackney City Farm
A proper working farm tucked into the East End, free to walk round, with pigs, goats, chickens and a cafe, ten minutes from the towers of the City.
FREE
The lowdown
Hackney City Farm has been running since the 1980s on a scrap of land between Hackney Road and the canal, and walking in costs nothing. It is a genuine small farm, not a petting-zoo gimmick, with pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens, ducks and a vegetable garden, all squeezed into the inner city.
For kids it is magic and for adults it is a small daily miracle, animals snuffling and clucking with the East End towers behind them. You can wander the pens, watch the feeds and poke round the gardens for free, and a donation box by the gate keeps the place going.
There is a well-loved cafe in the old farm buildings if you want lunch, plus pottery and craft sessions, but you do not need to spend a thing to enjoy an hour here. It is one of the friendliest free mornings in east London.
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