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.
The Farm Explorer tractor-trailer from the museum building to the farm will not be running 27 Jul – 5 Aug. This is due to essential repair works on the farm track.
Check our 'Getting to the farm' information for alternative routes to the farm from the museum building.
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 cat.
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
Some of the cows on the working farm at the National Museum of Rural Life.
A large farmhouse and garden with white and purple flowers.
Experience the rooms of the Reid family, preserved to show rural life from the 1950s.
Visit the sheep and lambs on the farm at the National Museum of Rural Life.
Accessibility and facilities
Getting to the farm
Outdoor paths
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.
Parking
There are a limited number of parking spaces at the farm. If you require a disabled parking space at the farm please speak to staff in the Museum building when you arrive.
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.