Mike Laycock splashed through disinfectant to visit an animal farm

They are cuddly and cute, and I knew my daughter would love seeing them. But I had thought there was no chance this year of visiting the chicks, sheep, horses, cattle, pigs and geese of Cruckley Animal Farm.

Even when I picked up a leaflet advertising its delights, I thought at first it was an old leaflet from last year BFM (Before Foot and Mouth).

But no, the working family farm at Foston-on-the Wolds, near Driffield, is open and has been since the early summer, subject to a series of conditions.

Firstly, you have to walk through those ubiquitous disinfectant mats as you enter and leave the farm.

When I went there with my family recently, the mats were positively soaked through with pints of the stinky stuff.

I could still smell it on the soles of my trainers several days later.

Then there was a notice warning that you must not come on the farm if you had been on any other farm in the past three days, or if you had been in an infected area within the past seven.

And you also couldn't walk amongst the cloven-hooved animals such as the sheep and cattle, which are also kept some feet away from visitors by extra fencing. Basically you could look but you couldn't touch.

Some of the animals were well worth looking at. They are very rare - the farm is approved by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust - and have unusual and distinctive features - from the extraordinarily long horns of the shaggy Highland Cattle to the long, curly fleeces of the Greyfaced Dartmoor sheep. The little piglets romping and fighting also proved highly amusing.

But there's nothing like a chance to stroke and cuddle an animal for a seven-year-old, and my daughter enjoyed stroking a Shetland pony which had a permanently sad expression.

However, the highlight for her was undoubtedly the hatchery, where we were able to pick up and stroke tiny, fluffy baby chicks, goslings and ducklings.

Some seemed only a few days old, and my daughter was desperate to take one home with her. Don't worry, Cruckley, we talked her out of it and checked there wasn't one concealed in her coat pocket when we left!

The one and a half miles of walkway through 40 acres of farmland remained open to visitors, as did the waterfowl lake and the snack-bar and shop. And as we departed, we agreed Cruckley had still been well worth a visit, despite the restrictions.

Fact file:

Cruckley Animal Farm, Foston-on-the-Wolds, Driffield.

Opening times: Daily from 10.30am to 5.30pm until end of September.

Admission: adults £3, pensioners £2.50, children £1.75 (but under threes free)

Getting there: Take A166 to Driffield, and then B1249 towards Skipsea. Farm is then signposted.

While foot and mouth continues, check farm remains open by calling 01262 488337.