A herd of cows walking across a tarmac surface on a farm.
See and do

Farm and farmhouse

See where Lanarkshire’s Reid family lived and worked for ten generations. 

Take a countryside walk or ride on the Farm Explorer tractor-trailer to get to our working farm from the museum building. Come and say hello to the animals, from Highland cattle to Clydesdale horses. 

Visit the Georgian farmhouse and see rooms as they would have been in the 1950s. Explore the bothy, outbuildings and kitchen garden. 

Three cows in a stall eating hay through a railing.

The farm

Our working farm is home to Ayrshire, Aberdeen Angus and Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and Clydesdale horses. With each season there is something new to see, from newborn animals to harvesting. 

See how the experts milk the real Ayrshire cows in the farm’s milking byre, then visit our model cow to try it yourself.

Please wash your hands often when visiting the farm. Please do not pet or feed the animals, including our farm cats.

A kitchen countertop next to a window. Baking utensils sit on the countertop next to a fruit bowl.

The farmhouse

Opening times: 10:00-16:45 daily

The farmhouse at Wester Kittochside Farm belonged to the Reid family for more than 400 years and was left to the National Trust for Scotland by the tenth laird James Coats Reid and his wife, Margaret. Wander through the rooms, which have been preserved to show farm life in the 1950s. 

Highlights

  • Looking down on four Tamworth piglets in a pig sty.
  • A herd of cows walking across a tarmac surface on a farm.
  • A farmer milking cows in a stable.
  • A vintage living room display.
  • The interior of a vintage dining room, with ornate wooden furniture and framed portraits on the walls.

Accessibility and facilities

Getting to the farm

Distance between museum building and farm steading is approximately half a mile. A walk from the museum to the farm takes about ten minutes on paths overlooking the fields and hedgerows. 

Farm Explorer tractor-trailer

The tractor-trailer departs every half hour.  The trailer ride is along a bumpy farm track and takes around 10 minutes. Tickets are available at the museum ticket desk on a first-come first-served basis. There is limited ticket availability each day.

Getting around the farm

Footwear

Footwear and clothing appropriate for outdoors and inclement weather is recommended for visiting the farm.

Accessible routes

Steep slopes and uneven terrain between the farmhouse garden and kitchen garden can be avoided by following the accessible route marked on the site map.

Farmhouse

Entrance

The entrance to the farmhouse has step-free access. 

Getting to other floors

Due to the historic nature of the farmhouse, the different floors of the house can only be accessed by stairs. 

Facilities

There is a toilet block on the farm that contains both standard and accessible toilets. 

Visit our accessibility page for full access information for the National Museum of Rural Life. 

Further content for Farm and farmhouse