Explore the Best of West SomersetStep outside and adventure awaits:

• Exmoor National Park: Stunning winter walks, wildlife spotting, and dramatic sunsets.
  
• Dunster: Explore a medieval village with a Christmas market, historic castle, and quaint tea rooms.
  
• Minehead: Coastal charm with festive lights, shops, and local pubs.
  
• Porlock & Lynmouth: Scenic villages ideal for romantic drives or peaceful walks along the coastline.
  
• Brendon Hills & Quantock Hills: Perfect for hiking, cycling, or just enjoying breathtaking winter landscapes.
  

Looking for the perfect half-term getaway for the all the family? Middle Stone Farm Glamping in rural Somerset offers a cozy countryside escape packed with treats and activities to keep everyone happy.

Book a stay and enjoy a complimentary home made apple crumble from our apple trees, a yummy comforting welcome for grown ups and children alike!  Plus, we’re offering complimentary hot tub pre heats on arrival days over Half Term, so you can get straight in as soon as you've unpacked!  The hot tubs do take a while to heat at this time of year, so we will do the hard work for you, and they'll stay warm for the following day.  
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Families can discover the magic of nearby Dunster Castle, there is a School of Magic Trail around the grounds, it's already started and runs through until the 2nd November.  There's so much to see and do at Dunster you can easily fill a whole day there, plus there are lots of sweet independent cafes and gift shops in the village to discover.  

Beautiful Hestercombe House outside Taunton has a whole host of fantastically frightful activities to keep mini witches and wizards magically occupied over Half Term, children go free!   Find out more via their website and socials, they have a good cafe and shop too!  

Families can discover the magic of nearby Dunster Castle, there is a School of Magic Trail around the grounds, it's already started and runs through until the 2nd November.  There's so much to see and do at Dunster you can easily fill a whole day there, plus there are lots of sweet independent cafes and gift shops in the village to discover.  

Beautiful Hestercombe House outside Taunton has a whole host of fantastically frightful activities to keep mini witches and wizards magically occupied over Half Term, children go free!   Find out more via their website and socials, they have a good cafe and shop too!  ​

​Discover Porlock and Porlock Weir: Where Exmoor Meets the Sea
Tucked between the wild moorlands of Exmoor and the ever-changing shoreline of the Bristol Channel, Porlock and its charming coastal neighbour Porlock Weir offer a unique blend of countryside calm and salty sea air. Whether you're wandering down wooded combes, beachcombing along the stony shore, or enjoying a cream tea in a flower-filled courtyard, this corner of Somerset invites you to slow down and soak up the scenery.

Porlock Village: Steeped in Story and Charm
Porlock is a thriving village with ancient roots and a friendly, laid-back vibe. There's a timelessness to it—narrow lanes, thatched cottages, and traditional shops, and yet it's also very much alive, with welcoming pubs, independent cafés, and a strong creative community. The village sits in a natural amphitheatre, surrounded by rolling hills and dense woodland, making it a perfect base for walkers, nature-lovers, and those seeking peace without isolation.

Porlock Weir: The Tidal Gateway
Just a mile or so from the village lies Porlock Weir, a tiny, historic harbour that feels like another world. The pebbled beach stretches out into a dramatic, exposed bay, backed by salt marshes and ancient woodland. It's a place shaped by the elements: sun-bleached boats, seaweed-strewn slipways, and weathered cottages huddled against the wind.
Wander the harbour wall at low tide, explore artisan galleries and a cosy pub, or simply sit with a drink watching the tide rise and fall. The South West Coast Path passes right through here, and the sunsets can be spectacular.

A Nature-Lover’s Paradise
Porlock is on the edge of Exmoor National Park, which means the landscape is protected and unspoilt. You’ll find red deer on the hills, ponies grazing the open moor, and rare butterflies in the nearby Horner Wood nature reserve. The marshes around Porlock Bay are a haven for birdlife

The Porlock Weir Hotel is a good place for lunch, wood fired pizzas, sea food, or just a drink with a gorgeous view over the harbour across the sea.  Alternatively there's The Harbour Gallery & Cafe - good home cooked cakes, high quality craft and paintings.  

Porlock Marshes: A Landscape in Transition
Just beyond the sea wall at Porlock Weir lies one of Somerset’s most quietly dramatic landscapes - Porlock Marshes, a rare and evolving coastal habitat shaped by tide, time, and change.

In 1996, a storm breached the shingle ridge that had long protected the land behind from the sea. Rather than rebuild it, nature was allowed to take its course. What emerged was a fascinating example of coastal realignment, saltwater flooded the once-freshwater meadows, creating a new and dynamic salt marsh teeming with life.
Today, the marshes are a mosaic of salt pools, mudflats, reedbeds, and skeletal tree stumps, the ghostly remains of a once-thriving forest now standing in brackish water. It’s eerie, beautiful, and constantly changing with the weather and tide. A photographer’s dream and a wildlife haven.

A Haven for Wildlife
Porlock Marshes are part of a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and attract birdwatchers year-round. Look out for little egrets, curlews, shelducks, and birds of prey hovering overhead. In summer, wildflowers and sea lavender bloom across the flats; in winter, the marshes take on a bleached, silvery stillness.

​Perfect for Explorers
A circular walk from Porlock or Porlock Weir takes you through this remarkable place. The route winds along boardwalks and footpaths, giving you close-up views of the flooded woodland and saltwater pools, with the dramatic backdrop of Exmoor’s hills rising inland.

There’s something elemental about slipping into a river or natural pool under open skies - no chlorine, no crowds, just the hush of trees and the tug of cool water.  Exmoor is one of the UK’s most beautiful and unspoilt places to try wild swimming, with moorland rivers, secret waterfalls, and wooded combes waiting to be explored.  If you’re staying at Middle Stone Farm, you’re perfectly placed to discover some of the area’s best hidden spots.

Here are a few of our favourite wild swimming locations nearby:
Tarr Steps, River Barle (approximately 25 minutes away)
A classic Exmoor location - ancient clapper bridge, shady woodlands, and the gently flowing River Barle. The pools downstream of Tarr Steps are shallow and pebbly, perfect for paddling or a refreshing dip on a warm day.  It’s also a lovely place for a picnic, riverside walk or stop in at the Tarr Inn for lunch or a cream tea.  
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For those who enjoy a walk before their swim, the dramatic gorge at Watersmeet is worth the trip. The East Lyn River rushes through a deep wooded valley, creating clear pools and small waterfalls along the way. It’s a magical spot – especially in early morning or golden light – and there are wilder, quieter places if you follow the paths away from the main footbridge.

​Near Withypool, this picturesque medieval bridge spans the River Barle as it winds across open moorland. There are gentle banks for easing into the water and deeper spots upstream for a proper swim. The views across the moor are wide and soul-soothing.

Tucked within the ancient woodland of Horner, this shallow stream offers cool, ferny pools and peaceful shade. While it’s not deep enough for full-on swimming, it’s a lovely place for children to play, or to simply soak your feet and take in the birdsong and wildness.  

A Few Tips for Wild Swimming on Exmoor:

• Always check water depth before diving or jumping.
• Wear water shoes – riverbeds can be slippery or stony.
• Avoid swimming after heavy rain when rivers may be faster and colder.
• Be respectful of nature:  leave no trace, and avoid disturbing wildlife.
• And don’t forget a towel!
  

Back at Middle Stone Farm, you can warm up around the firepit or under the stars in your wood-fired hot tub – the perfect end to a day of wild adventure.

Make Your Summer Count: Slow Down & Soak It Up at Middle Stone Farm:  Summer doesn’t have to mean crowds, queues, or airport chaos. Tucked into the rolling hills of Somerset, Middle Stone Farm is your invitation to press pause and reconnect.  Here, summer is slow mornings with coffee on the deck. Barefoot kids running free in the glamping meadows. A warm breeze rolling in across the fields.   The sizzle of a barbecue under a glowing sky, and the comfort of a comfy bed just a few steps away.

​This isn’t camping. This is glamping, at its most beautiful and well thought out.

Everything You Need—Nothing You Don’t: Whether you're booking a family safari tent, or our timber cabin every detail at Middle Stone Farm is designed to make your life easier. Each space comes with:

• Proper beds
• Private bathrooms (with hot showers, always!)
• Kitchens stocked with essentials
• Wood-burning stoves for cooking on and those cooler evenings
• Spacious decks perfect for a glass of wine at sunset

And if you're the type to travel light, we've got farm shop hampers, breakfast baskets, and local produce available to pre-order,  just arrive and relax.

Fun on the Farm: You don’t need to leave the farm to have a full day.
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• Feed the alpacas and meet the sheep, chickens and farm dogs
• Let the kids roam free (there’s climbing frames, table tennis, swings, and plenty of open space)
• Grab a fire pit and toast marshmallows under the stars

It’s a safe, friendly, unplugged kind of magic that children remember for years and adults quietly crave.

Explore West Somerset & Exmoor: If you’re up for a little adventure, we’re brilliantly placed between coast and moor. Within 30–40 minutes you can:

• Paddle and admire fossils in the rock pools at Kilve Beach
• Wander the wilds of Exmoor National Park
• Ride the vintage steam train from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead
• Visit quaint towns like Dulverton, Watchet, and Dunster
• Or walk the lesser-known paths close to the farm
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We’ll happily share our favourite local pubs, secret swims, and top spots for a cream tea (jam first, of course).

Book a Glamping Holiday: Whether you're planning a last minute weekend or longer summer break, we still have availability through July and August.  This is a place for family memories, quiet reconnection and easy joy!  

No Screens!
No Schedules
Just Sky, Space and the Smell of Woodsmoke at Dusk!
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There’s something special about June. The days are long, the hedgerows are bursting with life, and summer still feels fresh and full of promise. If you’ve been craving a break from the noise of daily life, June is the perfect time to pack your bags and head for the countryside—and what better way to experience it than glamping?
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Here’s why June is our favourite time to stay under canvas (with a touch of luxury, of course):

1. The Weather Is (Usually) Just Right  Not too hot, not too cold—June tends to strike the perfect balance. Daytime temperatures are warm enough for woodland walks and beach days, while evenings are cool enough to enjoy a firepit or snuggle under a blanket with a glass of something local. You can still light the wood burner in the evenings without melting!

2. Nature Is in Full Swing  Wildflowers blanket the meadows, bees and butterflies are busy, and the sound of birdsong fills the air from dawn till dusk. In the early summer light, everything feels more alive—and glamping places you right in the middle of it all. You might wake up to the bleating of lambs or fall asleep to the distant hoot of an owl.

3. Long Evenings, Slow Living  The sun doesn’t set until after 9pm, giving you those long golden evenings that make summer feel like it’s stretching out ahead of you. Cook dinner outdoors, soak in a wood-fired hot tub as the stars begin to appear, or just sit and watch the sky slowly change colour. In June, there’s no rush.

4. It’s Quieter Than Peak Season  While July and August are buzzing with school holiday energy, June still holds onto a sense of calm. It’s the perfect time for couples, solo travellers, or families with younger children to enjoy peaceful surroundings without the summer crowds. Think fewer cars on the roads, quieter trails, and more space to breathe.

5. It’s a Fresh Start  There’s something about June that feels like a beginning—of summer, of new adventures, of reconnection. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, marking an anniversary, or just in need of a reset, a glamping getaway in June feels like the perfect way to press pause and realign.

Ready for a Summer Reset?  June won't last forever, so why not embrace the moment, escape the city and reconnect with nature in comfort and style?  Whether you're watching the sun rise over the hills with a cup of coffee or sharing stories around a fire, glamping in June might just become your new favourite ritual.  

Guests return year after year, not just for the comfort and the views, but for the atmosphere. There’s something deeply grounding about Middle Stone Farm. It’s a place where modern life feels a little more manageable, where memories are made over campfire dinners and starlit baths.
If you’re looking for a truly restorative break—with all the joys of camping and none of the hassle—Middle Stone Farm glamping might just be your new favourite escape.

If you're looking for very comfortable, but traditional glamping, we might just be able to help.  There are so many different glamping options available these days, I expect it is difficult to choose.  Our site is modelled on the original Feather Down Farm which was developed over 20 years ago.  We've added a few mod cons for a bit of extra comfort - hot water on demand, spacious showers, flushing loos, larger wood burners, LED lights and sockets for charging phones.  But we don't have TVs or central heating - as we wanted to keep the original glamping feel.

Not all glamping accommodations are on authentic farms, but we are a working farm, and we're also rewilding, so you'll feel very at one with nature if you choose to stay with us.  

Exmoor National Park is the least visited National Park in the Country I believe, it's never busy up here, and we're well away from any tourist traps or busy roads.  You're more likely to get held up by a tractor, or some escapee sheep, than you are to find a queue of holiday traffic.
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We've had a bit of a slow start this year due to Storm Darragh which  took our safari tent roofs off.  They're now fixed and we're ready to open to guests in late May - just in time for May Half Term, traditionally a very popular date in the glamping calendar.

The tractor's been served and is ready for farm tours, we have lovely confident fat lambs for anyone who'd like a cuddle and the alpacas are looking forward to interacting with guests too.

If you're thinking about a group glamping trip, either an adult glamping group - hen do or significant birthday, or a group of families wanting to holiday together, we have lots of dates still available where you can take a whole field to yourselves.  The open sided barn is available for guests who are wanting to all eat under the same roof.  

We continue to rewild and do our bit for the environment.  We're partially off grid, with solar panels, wood fuelled bio mass boiler, we're on a private water supply and there are lots of areas of the farm which we leave alone to rewild. For any guests who are interested in learning more about this, do please let us know, we love sharing our plans and we can offer advice for anyone thinking about following a similar route. 

We have a few dates still available over Half Term, and we have one lodge left for the next Bank Holiday. The weather has been so gorgeous this spring (dare I say we could do with a little bit of rain in the night too).  Half Term is a lovely time to stay with children who tend to gather around the play areas and we enjoy seeing them browsing the toy shelf in our shop!  Our booking calendar has lots of short stays as well as longer options.  If you're thinking of visiting us in July or August, there are still some two night options available, although it's always better value to stay a bit longer - plus you might not want to get out of your hammock or hot tub!

Wishing all our guests, past and future a very Happy 2025 - we hope the new year will bring joy and peace to all.  

We have lots of availability in our cabin at the moment, priced at £200 for two nights for couples, we're also offering free hot tub heating this winter, outside the school hols, so if you book a stay at the moment and add on the hot tub, we'll have it steaming hot (40 degrees) for your arrival, so all you have to do is tell us what time you're arriving and it will be ready for you to step in!    The cabin is warm and cosy, heating by an efficient wood burning stove - with fire wood provided, you'll be snug in there whatever the weather.  If there are more of you, there's a bunk room, suitable for two young children in the cabin too.  Adults have a king bed and a rural view over fields and woodland.  

The cabin is in a different location to the safari tents, the garden is enclosed and fenced so there's plenty of privacy, it's not over looked - you may well only see the odd rabbit, fox or sheep during your stay, unless you need us for something!   

Time passes fast here, as there's always something going on, on the farm.  Lambs will start appearing in March when our farm tours become busier with curious children asking us all kind of questions!  Middle Stone Farm is in rural West Somerset, most of our neighbours are all farmers, you'll hear the sounds of the farming community around you, mooing, tractors, birds, horses, baaing, more tractors, the odd pheasant.....  all this sort of thing is on the website.

We're half an hour west of Taunton, easy to get to via the M5 or the A303, but we're not close to any major roads, so you won't hear any road sound when you're here.  

Wiveliscombe is about 15 minutes drive from us, with a couple of pubs, children's playground with skate park and independent pubs.  The West Somerset coast is just 25 minutes away, free to park at Blue Anchor Bay, or Dunster Beach.  Dunster Castle is a similar distance - a great National Trust open all year round, with lots of do and see for all ages!  

The beach below is Kilve beach in Somerset - it's really quite unusual, with its curious rock formations, rock pools, large fossils and views over the Bristol channel towards Wales.  

We expect lambs to start start appearing in late March, the spring is such a lovely time of year.  All of West Somerset seems to be lambing in fact!  We lamb for about a month, lamb cuddles will be included on farm tours.  

We have our own unique brand of sheep - a mixture of a Jacob, a Norfolk, and Exmoor and our lovely ram Rene is a Bleu du Maine.  He really does produce gorgeous lambs!  

This is a good time to make a booking if you're a group, when we have whole fields of lodges available. If you're an adult group, we host adult groups outside the school holidays.  We have a open fronted barn space which we can lend groups so you can all eat together too.

Glamping in the autumn offers the perfect blend of outdoor adventures, with cozy comfort that's hard to match with autumn's vibrant colors—reds, oranges, and yellows—making for stunning natural views. Glamping puts you right in the heart of nature, offering breathtaking landscapes without the hassle of traditional camping.

The cooler temperatures are perfect for bundling up in blankets around a campfire or inside around the wood burning stove.  Enjoy hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows or s'mores in the misty autumn air.  West Somerset has plenty to explore with amazing walks in Exmoor National Park, explore the ancient family friendly Dunster Castle and beautiful village with its many independent shops and cafes.  The coast is nearby for walks, or fossil hunting, and the nearby town of Taunton has lots of food options, cinema, bowling and a good free museum.  
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Middle Stone Farm's  Swedish hot tubs offer the perfect blend of rustic charm, luxury and relaxation.  There are solar lights offering just enough light to find your way in, if you're hot tubbing in the dark - low right allowing you to still enjoy the stars - Exmoor is a designated Dark Sky Reserve. 

The hot tubs bring health benefits combining the therapeutic effects of warm water, with the natural eco friendly appeal of the wood fired heating system.  Relaxing in a hot tub relaxes muscles and mental tension, making them a great way to unwind and reduce stress.  The natural setting of the hot tub also enhances this effects with the calming sounds of nature.  We understand they're also great for improving your sleep quality.  
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We have last minute availability this summer in a choice of accommodations - safari tents, holiday cottage or quirky cabin.  We also have dates where whole fields are available, perfect for a group of families to stay together with the privacy of taking a whole field.  If you're staying in Buzzard, Hawk and Kestrel we have a barn space where you can all eat together.   If you're in the other field, Bossington is huge and perfect for group dining.  

Four of our lodges are dog friendly - these are Buzzard, Hawk, Kestrel and Porlock, we have a paddock where you can let your dogs off their leads.  All the local West Somerset pubs and beaches are dog friendly too!  There aren't restrictions on the beaches around here, plus Exmoor is gorgeous for walking.  

Short Stays Available through August
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We're trying to be a lot more flexible this year and have short stays available from 2 night stays - perfect if you're passing us on the way to or from Cornwall.  

The Deckhouse Cabin sleeps four, in a king room and a mini bunk room (suitable for children under 12), it's in a separate location to the safari tents, perfect for guests wanting privacy.  There's an enclosed garden with apple trees and the views are onto open farmland with grazing animals.  There's a hot tub, hammock and solar fairy lighting - it's open all year round with couple discounts starting again in September. 

We run regular farm tours whenever we have guests staying, guests will find farm tour dates in their check in emails.  The piglets are getting quite large now, so we're admiring them from the fence line. Greedy the hungry ewe always provides guest entertainment as does our pet goose, our small flock of chickens and alpaca with their beautiful long eyelashes!
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Days Out, there's plenty to do within a half an hour radius of the farm.  Dunster Castle is a family favourite, a great National Trust, you can easily spend a whole day there.  Blue Anchor Beach and Dunster Beach are right next door, if you have the energy for a beach walk afterwards.  The Quantock Hills are beautiful with incredible views over the Channel, as is North Hill above Minehead.  

Wiveliscombe is about 12 minutes away, with an outdoor pool, two pubs, small Saturday farmer's market and independent shops. There's also a skate park near the swimming pool. 

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