The Big Sheep is an amusement farm park located in

Abbotsham Abbotsham (pronounced Abbotsam) is a village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. In 2001 its population was 434 increasing at the 2011 census to 489. Amenities Abbotsham no longer has a Post Office and General Store but remains ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. The site was originally Barton Farm, a busy sheep farm owned by six generations of the same family. Due to challenges in the farming community, owner Rick Turner decided to bring in more profits by turning the farm into an attraction in 1988. The site started with an animal park and restaurant. After its initial focus on agriculture yielded disappointing returns, the park began to add entertainment attractions as well."The Big Sheep Celebrates 25 Years"
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North Devon Journal The ''North Devon Journal'' is a weekly newspaper published in Barnstaple, North Devon. History The newspaper was established in 1824 by Lex Scott, a local bookseller. It cost 7''d''. until 1836, when the price was reduced to 4''d''. For a shor ...

'', 1 August 2013 . The park gained attention for its daily sheep races. The park suffered substantial losses in the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. In 2012 the park drew attention when Turner claimed that "needlessly pessimistic" weather forecasts by the Met Office were driving tourists away from local attractions. It also gained more exposure in March 2016 when it launched its new roller coaster but erected signs to state "no screaming" after complaints were made by local residents during the planning process.

Attractions

The Big Sheep features an indoor playground, animal shows, brewery, gin distillery, animal barn, Battlefield Live laser tag, outdoor playground, shops and 2 restaurants. There are also currently 8 rides including a roller coaster, farm safari ride, train ride, twister ride, piggy pull along, swan pedalos, tractor school, carousel and pony rides. During the first few months of the roller coaster's operation in 2016, it was named "The Big One". It is now named "Rampage". The roller coaster was made by

Zierer Zierer Karussell- und Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG (Short name: Zierer ) is a German company located close to Deggendorf. Zierer manufactures Tivoli and Force line of roller coasters, as well as panoramic wheels, wave swingers, flying ca ...

and was formerly located at Metroland, the defunct indoor amusement park of the MetroCentre shopping centre in Gateshead. Throughout the year the park also hosts many live events.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Sheep Amusement parks in England Buildings and structures in Devon Tourist attractions in Devon 1988 establishments in England