FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
These are questions guests often ask us and are responses to guest feedback, do please have a read and get in touch if you have any questions.
What is the earliest time can we check in?
Your accommodation will be ready for you from 4pm. (Please don't arrive earlier as we won't be ready and the gates will be closed). We'll send you a detailed email with all the arrival information, parking instructions etc a couple of days before you arrive, if you've not received it please check your spam filter or get in touch. If you're staying in a safari tent, please try and arrive in daylight as the fields are unlit.
What time do we need to check out?
Check out is by 9.30am please. Please make sure you have left by this time as our cleaners will be waiting and have other jobs to go to after their work here. We require guests to do a few things for us before departure; like bagging used bed linen, putting out your rubbish and leaving the accommodation nicely, you'll see this sort of info in the T&C when you make your booking.
Do you require a damages deposit?
Yes, we require a £150 refundable damages deposit per accommodation, this is held against your card 1-3 days before your arrive, it' works in the same way hotels take cards - ie it's not drawn, it's just 'held', then released back to your card after you depart. Our T&C explains how it works!
Do you provide bed linen and towels?
We've made a few changes whilst we try and keep our prices the same as 2022 and we consider the energy we use and our carbon footprint. We hope you'll bring your own towels but if you prefer to hire our simple towels they are £2 each. From September 2023 we are also asking guests to bring their own duvet covers and pillow cases too. We provide the duvets and pillows and we provide cotton fitted sheets on the mattresses. If however you prefer to use our duvets and pillow cases you'll see an option to add them on to your booking on our reservation form. If you've selected this option, the beds will be made up ready for you when you arrive. Couple linen hire is £10 when we make up one room for you, for families or groups hire is £50 per accommodation. More about bedding here
Can we bring our dog or other pets?
We have four dog friendly safari lodges called Buzzard, Hawk, Kestrel and Porlock, up to 2 well behaved dogs may stay in each of these lodges. If you're bringing a dog to one of these lodges please make sure you booked them in with us on your reservation form, or let us know well before your stay. Please don't just turn up with a dog or two! We charge £25 per dog for the duration of your stay. Please make sure you have read our dog rules. We don't allow any other kind of pets. We have an enclosed paddock near these lodges where dogs can safely run off their leads!
Can we organise a supermarket delivery?
No sorry, we don't allow supermarket deliveries to the safari tents or cabin at any time. We do however have our own shop here on the farm which is well stocked with all kinds of things and there are other shops nearby in Wiveliscombe. We hope you'll use our shop otherwise it's not really viable for us to have it. If you are staying in The Stable Cottage in the low season (between November and March) you are welcome to have a supermarket delivery to the cottage, please let us know in advance if you're planning a delivery so we can let you know where it can safely unload.
Is there a pub we can walk to?
Sadly not, you'll find a list of pubs we recommend here. Or if you prefer not to drive you can order home cooked food from us ready to put in your oven and eat when you want to, and we have quality beers and wines for sale in our shop too.
Can we arrive early or drop off our bags?
No, sorry, whilst we're cleaning and have vehicles in the fields delivering firewood and emptying bins etc there's no access to the farm. If you're in the area early please look at our page of things to do locally. Wiveliscombe is a small town 10 minutes from us with a couple of pubs, children's play ground & swimming pool, a few independent shops. The coast is 25 minutes away so the beach is an option too.
How many cars can we bring?
There is space for 2 cars per safari lodge. The cottage and cabin both have space for 1 car. We can sometimes accommodate more cars if we're not busy, please get in touch if this applies to you.
What about security?
We have CCTV cameras in parking areas, the cameras do not look onto guest accommodation (or hot tubs!)
Do you have EV charging?
Yes! We have two EV chargers which are available to guests, please contact us if you are already booked in and wish to use them and we can confirm costs and how they work. Don't forget to pack your charging cable!
Will the hot tub be hot when we arrive and if not can you heat it for us?
The hot tub will be cold when you arrive, you need to heat it yourself using the wood we provide, we will send you video instructions before you arrive and we're always around if you need a hand or advice. If you are staying in the Deckhouse Cabin or Stable Cottage outside our busy seasons or when our tents are closed we can usually heat your hot tub for you. We recommend you ask us to do this if it's cold weather (November to March) as the water heating can take a long time on a cold night. We charge £29 to do this but you need to ask us in advance of your stay to make sure we have staff available for this service.
Is the water on the farm drinkable?
Yes it is. The water comes from a spring on our farm, it is tested by the Council annually and certified for drinking. Please don't bring lots of plastic bottles of water, we try and avoid single use plastics.
Do you have guest washing machines?
No we don't. Instead we offer a service wash which is £15 for a load, washed and dried but not ironed! (There is a laundry in Wiveliscombe which costs £2 a load.)
How many people does each unit sleep?
We do not allow extra guests to turn up during your stay, nor do we allow blow up beds or sleeping in the car park!
Can we have visitors?
We would rather you meet up with friends outside the farm, we are careful about how many people stay here, to make sure it's not overcrowded and everyone has space and privacy during their holiday. We don't have masses of parking either. If you wish to have some visitors, please speak to Catherine in advance of your stay.
Do you allow pitched tents, camper vans or caravans?
No, sorry we don't have facilities for pitching tents, nor bringing vans, we are not insured for this.
Is wood included in the price?
We provide a generous amount of free firewood and kindling which should be enough for your stay. If you want more wood, or you want to burn logs on the firepits we sell a large net of kindling for £5 in our shop. A large sack of logs is £10. Most guests find the supply we have given them is more than enough so you shouldn't need to buy anymore.
What do I need to pack?
If you click on your accommodation above there is a list of what we include, and lists of what to pack specifically per accommodation.
What activities are there for children? In the glamping fields we we have two sets of swings, two climbing frames, an upcycled car tyre climbing frame and a crawl through tunnel, there are photos here. We have usually have a few ride on tractor style toys as well although if we have another very hot summer, they do get sun damaged and if that happens we'll bring them in as the plastic can get brittle. We do ask parents to accompany their children in the play areas to make sure they play safely and our play equipment doesn't get damaged. There's a table tennis table in a covered space with sofas, this area is quite well used and we find children also quite enjoy playing 'smash the ping pong ball' or 'throw the bats into the long grass so no one can find them' so please either bring your own bats and balls or you can buy sets in our shop for a few pounds.
Do you have any rules?
Yes! Please read our Terms & Conditions carefully before you book, we have quite a few rules, so do please read them before making your booking. Even if you've stayed before, we do make updates to this page.
What about noise rules?
We're a quiet glamping site and mainly host families and couples. We have strict rules about noise, we ask for quiet after 10pm. You'll see all of this in the T&C above. You will hear animal noises here - we're in deep countryside surrounded by farms with lots of animals so you can hear animal noises at all times of the day, if the fox comes past in the night, chickens and the village dogs will let us all know!
Are there electrical sockets in the safari tents?
Yes, we have a couple of low voltage sockets in the safari tents so you can charge a mobile, laptop or an electric toothbrush, essentially low voltage items are fine. Electric items which require a high wattage are nof fine though: eg: hairdryers, radiators, kettles, fans, or hair tongs, there is not enough electricity in the tents for high voltage items, they will trip the electrics if you try to use them, there is only a low supply available. The fridge/freezers are electric and there are LED lights in the accommodation as well. We also have a little induction plug in hob if you want to boil something quickly without firing up the wood burner. Please note only the kettle and 1 pan will work on the induction hob, our pans are mostly for the wood stove cooker.
Do you have WiFi, what about 4G on my phone?
Only The Stable Cottage has WiFi, our glamping does not have WiFi. However we have a good 4G mobile signal around the farm so you should be able to stay connected via your phone. We are on EE and we find this is the best network here as the mast is nearby! Fibre broadband is being installed soon, once we're connected we hope to have WiFi for all our glamping and will update this page when we do!
Do you have equipment for babies and toddlers?
Yes, you can hire a travel cot, high chair and baby bath from us for £7 per stay please select it as an extra when you book. The travel cot has a cot sheet and cellular blanket with it but please bring your own gro bag or top blankets. In each accommodation you will find a box of toys, plastic cutlery and plates, a non slip shower mat, toddler stool and potty. If your child is little, please be aware there could be small items in the toy basket so please check to prevent choking if your child is very young.
Do you have candles, can I bring candles? No, we're sorry but we no longer provide candles as there are new fire regulations (2023) for holiday accommodation, and naked flames are now prohibited, this is for your safety. Please don't burn any candles during your stay here, we have LED lighting.
How do I hear about your special offers or last minute availability?
If we're full and have a last minute cancellation we'll post it up on Facebook and Instagram so do follow us if you like.
Where are the nearest food shops?
We have our own farm shop in the glamping field! It's open from 1st April to 1st November and sells all kinds of things and lots of food. See our Shop page above for photos and example prices. There are independent shops in nearby Wiveliscombe including a small Saturday farmer's market, Wivey Larder - a good health food shop, Thorne's Butcher, an old fashioned hardware shop and the Co-Op supermarket. There are all the usual big supermarkets in Taunton and Minehead, or there's Waitrose in Wellington. We do not allow supermarket deliveries to the farm.
Can we get the newspaper delivered?
Yes, please get in touch with us if you'd like a newspaper delivered in the morning and we can arrange that for you. The delivery people charge 50p on top of the price of the newspaper.
Do you have fridges?
Yes, there are proper electric fridges in all our accommodation, so you don't need to worry about keeping things cool.
What are the parking arrangements?
The Stable Cottage and Deckhouse each have a parking space for 1 car near the respective accommodation. We have a separate car park for the safari tents with a designed space allowing up to 2 cars per tent. We do not allow cars into the glamping fields, you will have a short walk from your car to your tent through the flat field and we supply wheelbarrows for your luggage.
What about bringing our bicycles?
Children are welcome to ride bikes in the two glamping fields from May to mid September when the two glamping fields should be dry. All our accommodation has bike racks. If children cycle on our drive please be really careful due to delivery vans and guest cars coming and going. For cycle tracks we recommend The Tiverton Canal about 30 mins drive from us, there's a good short tarmac cycle path at the back of Blue Anchor Beach (not very long but fine for children) or head west for the famous Tarka Trail. It is hilly immediately outside the farm so unless you're very keen you might not want to cycle on our doorstep!
Are there insects on the farm?
Yes, it's really rural here, we're a working farm and so are all our neighbours. We put metal fly chains on all the accommodation doors. If you use them as we describe in our accommodation files, then you should be able to keep most of the flies out. If we're lucky enough to have a hot dry summer flies aren't an issue, it's when we have lots of rain and muggy days they can be around, we don't use poison on our fields, nor do our Organic neighbours, so insects are part of the biodiversity.
Where are our reviews?
You'll find honest, unedited reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and Facebook, these review pages are a good place to look to get a feel for what we are offering here. We work really hard to provide a good guest experience, the only thing we can't control is the weather or wildlife!
Do you have irons in your accommodation?
No, as most of our guests are coming for holidays, not for work purposes, we don't include irons in our glamping. If you are staying in the cottage and need one, please let us know before your stay and we can leave you an iron and mini board in a safe place away from small children.
These are questions guests often ask us and are responses to guest feedback, do please have a read and get in touch if you have any questions.
What is the earliest time can we check in?
Your accommodation will be ready for you from 4pm. (Please don't arrive earlier as we won't be ready and the gates will be closed). We'll send you a detailed email with all the arrival information, parking instructions etc a couple of days before you arrive, if you've not received it please check your spam filter or get in touch. If you're staying in a safari tent, please try and arrive in daylight as the fields are unlit.
What time do we need to check out?
Check out is by 9.30am please. Please make sure you have left by this time as our cleaners will be waiting and have other jobs to go to after their work here. We require guests to do a few things for us before departure; like bagging used bed linen, putting out your rubbish and leaving the accommodation nicely, you'll see this sort of info in the T&C when you make your booking.
Do you require a damages deposit?
Yes, we require a £150 refundable damages deposit per accommodation, this is held against your card 1-3 days before your arrive, it' works in the same way hotels take cards - ie it's not drawn, it's just 'held', then released back to your card after you depart. Our T&C explains how it works!
Do you provide bed linen and towels?
We've made a few changes whilst we try and keep our prices the same as 2022 and we consider the energy we use and our carbon footprint. We hope you'll bring your own towels but if you prefer to hire our simple towels they are £2 each. From September 2023 we are also asking guests to bring their own duvet covers and pillow cases too. We provide the duvets and pillows and we provide cotton fitted sheets on the mattresses. If however you prefer to use our duvets and pillow cases you'll see an option to add them on to your booking on our reservation form. If you've selected this option, the beds will be made up ready for you when you arrive. Couple linen hire is £10 when we make up one room for you, for families or groups hire is £50 per accommodation. More about bedding here
Can we bring our dog or other pets?
We have four dog friendly safari lodges called Buzzard, Hawk, Kestrel and Porlock, up to 2 well behaved dogs may stay in each of these lodges. If you're bringing a dog to one of these lodges please make sure you booked them in with us on your reservation form, or let us know well before your stay. Please don't just turn up with a dog or two! We charge £25 per dog for the duration of your stay. Please make sure you have read our dog rules. We don't allow any other kind of pets. We have an enclosed paddock near these lodges where dogs can safely run off their leads!
Can we organise a supermarket delivery?
No sorry, we don't allow supermarket deliveries to the safari tents or cabin at any time. We do however have our own shop here on the farm which is well stocked with all kinds of things and there are other shops nearby in Wiveliscombe. We hope you'll use our shop otherwise it's not really viable for us to have it. If you are staying in The Stable Cottage in the low season (between November and March) you are welcome to have a supermarket delivery to the cottage, please let us know in advance if you're planning a delivery so we can let you know where it can safely unload.
Is there a pub we can walk to?
Sadly not, you'll find a list of pubs we recommend here. Or if you prefer not to drive you can order home cooked food from us ready to put in your oven and eat when you want to, and we have quality beers and wines for sale in our shop too.
Can we arrive early or drop off our bags?
No, sorry, whilst we're cleaning and have vehicles in the fields delivering firewood and emptying bins etc there's no access to the farm. If you're in the area early please look at our page of things to do locally. Wiveliscombe is a small town 10 minutes from us with a couple of pubs, children's play ground & swimming pool, a few independent shops. The coast is 25 minutes away so the beach is an option too.
How many cars can we bring?
There is space for 2 cars per safari lodge. The cottage and cabin both have space for 1 car. We can sometimes accommodate more cars if we're not busy, please get in touch if this applies to you.
What about security?
We have CCTV cameras in parking areas, the cameras do not look onto guest accommodation (or hot tubs!)
Do you have EV charging?
Yes! We have two EV chargers which are available to guests, please contact us if you are already booked in and wish to use them and we can confirm costs and how they work. Don't forget to pack your charging cable!
Will the hot tub be hot when we arrive and if not can you heat it for us?
The hot tub will be cold when you arrive, you need to heat it yourself using the wood we provide, we will send you video instructions before you arrive and we're always around if you need a hand or advice. If you are staying in the Deckhouse Cabin or Stable Cottage outside our busy seasons or when our tents are closed we can usually heat your hot tub for you. We recommend you ask us to do this if it's cold weather (November to March) as the water heating can take a long time on a cold night. We charge £29 to do this but you need to ask us in advance of your stay to make sure we have staff available for this service.
Is the water on the farm drinkable?
Yes it is. The water comes from a spring on our farm, it is tested by the Council annually and certified for drinking. Please don't bring lots of plastic bottles of water, we try and avoid single use plastics.
Do you have guest washing machines?
No we don't. Instead we offer a service wash which is £15 for a load, washed and dried but not ironed! (There is a laundry in Wiveliscombe which costs £2 a load.)
How many people does each unit sleep?
- Each safari lodge sleeps up to 6 guests
- The Stable Cottage sleeps 2 adults and 2 children under the age of 12
- The Deckhouse sleeps 2 adults and 2 children under the age of 12.
We do not allow extra guests to turn up during your stay, nor do we allow blow up beds or sleeping in the car park!
Can we have visitors?
We would rather you meet up with friends outside the farm, we are careful about how many people stay here, to make sure it's not overcrowded and everyone has space and privacy during their holiday. We don't have masses of parking either. If you wish to have some visitors, please speak to Catherine in advance of your stay.
Do you allow pitched tents, camper vans or caravans?
No, sorry we don't have facilities for pitching tents, nor bringing vans, we are not insured for this.
Is wood included in the price?
We provide a generous amount of free firewood and kindling which should be enough for your stay. If you want more wood, or you want to burn logs on the firepits we sell a large net of kindling for £5 in our shop. A large sack of logs is £10. Most guests find the supply we have given them is more than enough so you shouldn't need to buy anymore.
What do I need to pack?
If you click on your accommodation above there is a list of what we include, and lists of what to pack specifically per accommodation.
What activities are there for children? In the glamping fields we we have two sets of swings, two climbing frames, an upcycled car tyre climbing frame and a crawl through tunnel, there are photos here. We have usually have a few ride on tractor style toys as well although if we have another very hot summer, they do get sun damaged and if that happens we'll bring them in as the plastic can get brittle. We do ask parents to accompany their children in the play areas to make sure they play safely and our play equipment doesn't get damaged. There's a table tennis table in a covered space with sofas, this area is quite well used and we find children also quite enjoy playing 'smash the ping pong ball' or 'throw the bats into the long grass so no one can find them' so please either bring your own bats and balls or you can buy sets in our shop for a few pounds.
Do you have any rules?
Yes! Please read our Terms & Conditions carefully before you book, we have quite a few rules, so do please read them before making your booking. Even if you've stayed before, we do make updates to this page.
What about noise rules?
We're a quiet glamping site and mainly host families and couples. We have strict rules about noise, we ask for quiet after 10pm. You'll see all of this in the T&C above. You will hear animal noises here - we're in deep countryside surrounded by farms with lots of animals so you can hear animal noises at all times of the day, if the fox comes past in the night, chickens and the village dogs will let us all know!
Are there electrical sockets in the safari tents?
Yes, we have a couple of low voltage sockets in the safari tents so you can charge a mobile, laptop or an electric toothbrush, essentially low voltage items are fine. Electric items which require a high wattage are nof fine though: eg: hairdryers, radiators, kettles, fans, or hair tongs, there is not enough electricity in the tents for high voltage items, they will trip the electrics if you try to use them, there is only a low supply available. The fridge/freezers are electric and there are LED lights in the accommodation as well. We also have a little induction plug in hob if you want to boil something quickly without firing up the wood burner. Please note only the kettle and 1 pan will work on the induction hob, our pans are mostly for the wood stove cooker.
Do you have WiFi, what about 4G on my phone?
Only The Stable Cottage has WiFi, our glamping does not have WiFi. However we have a good 4G mobile signal around the farm so you should be able to stay connected via your phone. We are on EE and we find this is the best network here as the mast is nearby! Fibre broadband is being installed soon, once we're connected we hope to have WiFi for all our glamping and will update this page when we do!
Do you have equipment for babies and toddlers?
Yes, you can hire a travel cot, high chair and baby bath from us for £7 per stay please select it as an extra when you book. The travel cot has a cot sheet and cellular blanket with it but please bring your own gro bag or top blankets. In each accommodation you will find a box of toys, plastic cutlery and plates, a non slip shower mat, toddler stool and potty. If your child is little, please be aware there could be small items in the toy basket so please check to prevent choking if your child is very young.
Do you have candles, can I bring candles? No, we're sorry but we no longer provide candles as there are new fire regulations (2023) for holiday accommodation, and naked flames are now prohibited, this is for your safety. Please don't burn any candles during your stay here, we have LED lighting.
How do I hear about your special offers or last minute availability?
If we're full and have a last minute cancellation we'll post it up on Facebook and Instagram so do follow us if you like.
Where are the nearest food shops?
We have our own farm shop in the glamping field! It's open from 1st April to 1st November and sells all kinds of things and lots of food. See our Shop page above for photos and example prices. There are independent shops in nearby Wiveliscombe including a small Saturday farmer's market, Wivey Larder - a good health food shop, Thorne's Butcher, an old fashioned hardware shop and the Co-Op supermarket. There are all the usual big supermarkets in Taunton and Minehead, or there's Waitrose in Wellington. We do not allow supermarket deliveries to the farm.
Can we get the newspaper delivered?
Yes, please get in touch with us if you'd like a newspaper delivered in the morning and we can arrange that for you. The delivery people charge 50p on top of the price of the newspaper.
Do you have fridges?
Yes, there are proper electric fridges in all our accommodation, so you don't need to worry about keeping things cool.
What are the parking arrangements?
The Stable Cottage and Deckhouse each have a parking space for 1 car near the respective accommodation. We have a separate car park for the safari tents with a designed space allowing up to 2 cars per tent. We do not allow cars into the glamping fields, you will have a short walk from your car to your tent through the flat field and we supply wheelbarrows for your luggage.
What about bringing our bicycles?
Children are welcome to ride bikes in the two glamping fields from May to mid September when the two glamping fields should be dry. All our accommodation has bike racks. If children cycle on our drive please be really careful due to delivery vans and guest cars coming and going. For cycle tracks we recommend The Tiverton Canal about 30 mins drive from us, there's a good short tarmac cycle path at the back of Blue Anchor Beach (not very long but fine for children) or head west for the famous Tarka Trail. It is hilly immediately outside the farm so unless you're very keen you might not want to cycle on our doorstep!
Are there insects on the farm?
Yes, it's really rural here, we're a working farm and so are all our neighbours. We put metal fly chains on all the accommodation doors. If you use them as we describe in our accommodation files, then you should be able to keep most of the flies out. If we're lucky enough to have a hot dry summer flies aren't an issue, it's when we have lots of rain and muggy days they can be around, we don't use poison on our fields, nor do our Organic neighbours, so insects are part of the biodiversity.
Where are our reviews?
You'll find honest, unedited reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and Facebook, these review pages are a good place to look to get a feel for what we are offering here. We work really hard to provide a good guest experience, the only thing we can't control is the weather or wildlife!
Do you have irons in your accommodation?
No, as most of our guests are coming for holidays, not for work purposes, we don't include irons in our glamping. If you are staying in the cottage and need one, please let us know before your stay and we can leave you an iron and mini board in a safe place away from small children.
