Farm stays are a popular niche of the holiday rental sector in the UK these days – who knew how well it’d take off! They’ve proven to be a successful diversification option for farmers as well as an attractive prospect for holidaymakers. Working farm stays particularly pique the interest of UK family holidays.
Not been on one yet? Where have you been all this time?! Let us guide you on the joys of working farm stay holidays…
Working farm stays rock because…
- Farms work all year round, which means there’s also something to see, and possibly even to help do on a working farm stay whenever you visit.
- With so much going on, there’s enough to fascinate a broad range of ages – from cute animals to gigantic tractors and fruit – there’s something for everyone.
- Off peak and shoulder season breaks on a working farm still ensure there’s plenty to see – families with pre-schoolers flock to off peak staycations when there’s less demand and prices are more affordable – imagine the glee on a 2-year-olds face at being one of the first to feed newborn lambs!
- Basically we all love animals and the opportunity to spot one from our holiday cottage window, pat or feed one on the farm has got us right into rural retreats on home turf.
- We even understand that the pong seeping from the muck spreader serves a purpose in growing the tasty veg or nurturing the dairy herd, for us to enjoy a little later.
- Who doesn’t have (hasn’t met) a toddler that loves Tractor Ted and is obsessed with farm life!
- Countryside breaks get us back to nature and to enjoy quality time with our loved ones.
- It’s proper savvy to understand where our fruit, veg, dairy and meat comes from, and how it is produced.
- Combining tourism with farming helps support our hardworking farmers economically.
When to book a working farm stay
Thoughts turn to working farm stays when the lambing season begins and the freshest bairns in the flock frolic through the fields. Yet cottage holidays on working farms are popular year round. From acres of peaceful countryside to roam, to collecting fresh eggs from the chickens each morning, or the farmer taking the kids to feed the animals each day, there is so much on offer during a working farm stay holiday.
For the tractor mad kid in your family, there’s bound to be an opportunity to spot a plough, seed drill or baler, depending on whether you’re there in March, June or August. And you won’t be far from the freshest of farm-reared ingredients. What’s not to like.
Who stays on a farm?
Some farms have just one cottage for two guests and your romantic retreat is peppered with whiffs of country air and fresh from the farm product. Other farms have converted a barn for a larger party to enjoy offering multiple bedrooms, spacious communal areas and the perfect place for entertaining a large group.
And then there are some farms with multiple holiday cottages that if booked together can cater for large groups, for friends, large or extended families to share wonderful holidays together in the same place. There’s plenty to choose from around Great Britain.
How to book working farm stays
Dolwen Farm Shop is one of our working farm stays in Wales. As its name suggests, there is both a working farm and a farm shop on site and there’s a pub-restaurant where you can devour some of the local produce without any effort on your part!
Beudy Bach Barn enjoys a fabulous location on the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park and is quite literally a stone’s throw from the cattle barns.
Llanmorlais Farm Cottage in the North Gower celebrates the best of Pembrokeshire holidays with a beautiful countryside sprawl on your doorstep and the beaches a short drive away.
Trembleath Parlour was once a milking parlour and now you can enjoy this beautiful part of north Cornwall and its farming heritage from a restful retreat amidst all the action.
The Manor near Wadebridge presents a barn conversion perfect for a family holiday in Cornwall and is perfectly placed to fall in love with rural Kernow.
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