At Sky Park Farm we have an eye on the past and our sights on the future. Inspired by the days, long ago, when Harting was famed for its deer parks, our family-owned farm is now devoted to deer. We breed deer. We farm deer. Our butcher offers prime cuts of venison and other meats. Our Visitor Centre celebrates the varied delights of deer. Our menus include dishes featuring lean, healthy venison. Although we’re devoted to deer, the Bar & Grill and our Butcher offer a wide range of meats and we cater for all dietary requirements.

Join us in our venture. Get close to our herds of majestic red, white and sika deer. Let your children loose in our Adventure Playground. Explore the Farm Trail and take a break by the river. See the local produce in our Farm Shop and Deli. Join us for a meal. Or simply stop by for a coffee and a cake. You’ll play a part in reviving the glorious heritage of Harting in the South Downs National Park.

Our family-owned farm is managed by a dedicated team of specialists. Our Estate Manager is a recognised authority on deer husbandry. Our Executive Head Chef is a culinary innovator. Our Front of House Manager and Farm Office Manager have proven track records. And our owners combine an enterprising spirit with a commitment to preserve the farm’s rare parkland landscape. Each team member brings different skills and talents, yet they share a common outlook. Individually and as a team, they’re devoted to deer.

As more people appreciate the importance of a healthy diet, strict animal welfare standards and sustainable meat production, more British farmers are turning to deer. Unlike meat from wild deer, farmed venison provides consistency in both size and quality.

Sky Park Farm is a pioneer in this movement, producing ultra-high quality venison with total traceability and a gentle carbon footprint. We’re introducing innovative methods of husbandry, such as the micro chipping of each animal with an ear-tag to automate record keeping.

As we expand our enterprise, we’re determined to reduce the amount of venison that has to be imported from far away countries, a practice that’s hardly sustainable or environmentally friendly. To this end, along with venison, we also rear male and female breeding animals for live sales to other carefully vetted UK deer farms and deer parks.

As the UK’s largest wild land mammal, the red deer is an icon with a history in Harting going back 800 years. And, of course, in the Scottish highlands…The Monarch of the Glen, The Stag at Bay … red deer crop up everywhere from framed prints to shortbread tins. 

Living up to its fame, a stag’s antlers, growing at the rate of up to 2.5 cm a day, can stretch up to a metre wide with up to 16 branches. The antlers, shed and regrown each year, are used as weapons to intimidate and see off other males during the autumnal breeding season known as ‘the rut’.

As farm animals, red deer are as tame as cattle and the most efficient converters of grass to meat. Compared to other species of deer, they also produce larger cuts of venison.

White Red deer are rare in the UK, with only a handful of sightings in the wild reported over the last few decades.

The white colour is explained by leucism, a unique condition that has resulted in their hair and skin losing its natural colour. White Red deer are not albino – in fact, the chances of a pure albino deer being born are about 1 in 20,000, according to John Bates, Wisconsin Northwoods naturalist and co-author of White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest. 

In certain cultures around the world, stories and myths have been told for centuries about white deer. Striking in appearance, the white stag or hart, often appeared in stories relating to the forests around King Arthur’s court, sending the knights on adventures against gods and fairies. One fable relates how King Arthur arrived at Sir Pellinore’s Well, a magical site, without his hunting party or his horse after pursuing a white deer. The white stag was also the heraldic symbol of England’s King Richard II and even makes an appearance in Harry Potter as Harry’s Patronus Charm!

To make the most of your visit, please see our frequently asked questions and keep up to date with what’s going on at Sky Park Farm on Facebook and Instagram.

Dogs: Unfortunately, for health and safety reasons, we are unable to allow dogs into the Farm Experience, Adventure Playground, main Restaurant, Farm Shop and Butcher. Well behaved dogs are welcome in the Orangery and in the Courtyards.

Assistance dogs are welcome throughout Sky Park Farm

For further information please view our Frequently Asked Questions below.

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