Welcome to the New Year

UK Glamping Holiday on a Working Somerset Farm

Happy New Year, we hope 2023 will bring good things to everyone and it'll be a more settled year! 

If you're thinking about a UK holiday this year, we have lots of availability and we're working hard through the winter months on improvements, tree planting and generally tidying up the farm ready for when we're busy.  The glamping cabin and holiday cottage stay open all year round, so if you'd like to stay before the school holidays, you'll find available dates on our booking calendar.  Early January's rain has been very tedious, we hope for some more colder crisp days with clear winter skies soon, we have good clear skies here, Exmoor is an International Dark Sky Reserve so we're well places for star spotting.  

Our six large family friendly safari tents open for the glamping season on 3rd April, the spring is a busy time on the farm with new born lambs, no doubt more pigs and our goats and alpaca will be delighted to see guests again, they get a bit bored during the winter with just us to stare at!  

Glamping Holidays near Exmoor on the Devon - Somerset Border

Exmoor is right on our doorstep, and really beautiful.  Unlike other National Parks Exmoor is fairly quiet, it's never crowded even in the height of August, and if we have another hot summer, this is a lovely place to go for a walk along the river, or in one of the beautiful areas of forestry.  Our favourite places are Bossington Beach, Horner Woods or Selworthy, Wimbleball Lake Porlock Weir Tarr Steps (if you walk away from the bridge it's less busy), Dunkery Beacon - all of these places are less than 45 minutes drive from us.  

Wimbleball Lake has water sports, clip and climb and a cafe on the water's edge.  In last year's drought the water levels were very slow, so not quite so good for watersports, but we've had so much rain this January the levels are increasing again and we look forward to being back on the water on our kayaks!  Wimbleball is 20 minutes from us, Clatworthy reservoir is nearer, no water sports but there is fishing and a gorgeous walk around the water's edge, there's a playground up there too which I hear is currently being renovated.  

Dog Friendly Glamping, Safari Tents with Hot Tubs on a Somerset Farm

Buzzard, Hawk and Kestrel Safari Tents are our dog friendly options, these three safari tents are all suitable for dogs, we allow up to two dogs in each of them.  The decks are fenced and gated with a metal loop you can attach your dog's lead to so it can be outside with you whilst you use the hot tub.  As we're a working farm and have lots of animals we don't allow dogs off the lead on the farm, we ask you to keep your dog with you at all times please.  We have a long tree lined driveway you can run your dog up, there's a good walk in the village and Exmoor National Park and the coast are nearby for lovely dog walks.  

All our safari tents, the cabin and the cottage have large wood fired hot tubs.  These are an optional extra and can be booked on our reservation form.  They're heated by wood, not electricity and are the perfect way to relax after a day out exploring.  If we have another hot summer you can also get in them cold!  

Lambs on The Farm,  Glamping Farmstay

We begin lambing in March, no idea how many we'll have as we don't get the ewes scanned, we leave the surprise to Mother Nature!  I expect it will be around 40 and we usually have a few lambs on a bottle in a paddock near the farmhouse, they are very sweet and guests can have a cuddle on our farm tours.  We find the ewes who have three lambs will reject one, usually the smallest as she won't have enough milk for all three.  As long as they get some colostrum when they're born, they'll be fine on a bottle, although never quite as strong as the ones who feed from their mother.  We run farm tours twice a week, times are pinned on the shop door, wellies are essential, farm life is rather messy!  

Pigs on the Farm, Authentic Farm Stay Holidays in the South West! 

We've kept Mangalitsa pigs for the last couple of years, they're really gorgeous with their curly ginger coats and have the sweetest stripy piglets.  In 2021 things got a little out of hand, when they kept escaping under their fences and visiting pigs in other paddocks around the farm - resulting in at least 15 piglets in August, and more in the winter!  11 have recently left us, and hopefully more off to Somerset Charcuterie later this month as we're a bit pig heavy on the farm at the moment and will probably try a different breed in the spring.  

If you're coming to stay and want to try our meat, please do, it's terribly disappointing when guests by their meat from the supermarket.  Our pork isn't expensive and travels zero food miles to get to you, we use as little plastic packing as possible and our pigs are outside all year round eating a healthy diet.  We have various different cuts available, from delicious fat sausages, chops, rolled joints and more.  If you're coming to stay with a dog, we offer dog treats too.   Our shop is open from April through to the end of October Half Term.  If you're staying in the winter months when it's closed we can leave home cooked food, meat from the farm or breakfast hampers in the cottage or cabin ready for your arrival.  If there's something you fancy which isn't on our food list, just get in touch, during the winter when we're quiet we have time to produce something bespoke if you wish!