8 minute read
AGRITOURISM ON THE WAY
From pumpkin picking to alpaca walking, freshly laid eggs to milking the cows, it’s time to clean the mud from your wellies and experience the very best of countryside living.
The Great West Way is home to all sorts of interesting, unique and unusual accommodation, but have you ever stayed on a farm? With miles upon miles of lush, green countryside, our route boasts some of the finest examples of rural working farms and farm experiences you can enjoy, many of which offer quirky accommodation too.
Get back to nature and the outdoors with a stay on one of The Great West Way’s farms, featuring friendly cows and sheep as your next-door neighbours, fresh homegrown produce to taste, and tours and experiences to get involved in on your stay. It’s a great option if you’re looking for something different on your Great West Way journey.
The Farm Camp
Home to four large self-catered bell tents (sleeping up to four) The Farm Camp offers a taste of the simple life. This is a place you can unwind and and enjoy an unforgettable glamping experience. Open from late March until early October, they welcome groups looking to enjoy a more natural break away.
The facilities at camp include two hot showers, private compost loos, a grass clearing for games and a communal shelter. Half a mile down the lane guests can also use the indoor heated pool, games room and laundry room should you need some modern luxury. There are also power sockets and Wi-Fi which you may require as the camp is off-grid.
On the farm, you can also try your hand at the ancient art of sheep herding, take a tour of the local organic vineyard or book one of a number of activities to make your group stay even more memorable.
There is a nearby farm shop, village co-operative and village pub. They are also just five miles from the beautiful city of Bath and two miles from the pretty town of Bradford on Avon.
Enjoying the outdoors at The Farm Camp.
Bozedown Farm
For the ultimate alpaca experience UK Alpaca Breeder, Bozedown Farm is the place to go. Join them on an alpaca walk through the beautiful South Oxfordshire countryside – where the Chiltern Hills meet the River Thames.
You can enjoy leading an alpaca around their alpaca farm as you learn more about these attractive, enigmatic creatures that originate from the High Andes of Peru, but are quite at home in leafy England.
Bozedown Farm is home to Bozedown Alpacas – a family enterprise who have been breeding and selling alpacas since 1989. The truly exceptional Bozedown Pedigrees have been built upon a solid foundation of World Class Bloodstock, carefully selected by the family from Peru, Australia and USA.
Alpacas at Bozedown Farm
Bozedown genetics have produced a phenomenal number of Champion Huacayas and Suris ever since 1989 both for Bozedown Alpacas and their clients. With more than 700 Alpacas, including over 100 suris, they are able to offer exciting new bloodlines from a broad genetic base.
Throughout the year they host a number of Alpaca training courses, BAS Judge training courses, and other events too.
Church Farm Country Cottages
Stay on a working sheep farm, situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just two miles from Bradford on Avon. There are seven cottages you can stay in at the awardwinning Church Farm – each with exposed beams and vaulted ceilings and the delightful Old Granary barn conversion just a short walk along the country lane. Longleat and the World Heritage City of Bath are also just a short journey away.
Enjoy walking and cycling from your doorstep then reward yourself afterwards in the luxurious heated indoor pool. Children will love the Games Room with table tennis, table football, a pool table and Wi-Fi Internet Access.
Pop into Hartley Farm Shop and Café, or the village pub and village shop – and look forward to a welcome cream tea with homemade scones, jam, organic clotted cream and locally produced biscuits with tea and coffee on arrival.
Guests can also get involved with a ‘Farm Workshop’ from bushcraft, weighing lambs to sheep herding and 'Farmcraft' sessions to include farm tours, sheep herding, and even farm olympics!
Buttle Farm
Located in Compton Bassett Buttle Farm is home to Robert and Sara, who live in the farmhouse, a converted Victorian brick and slate barn which was once winter housing for the dairy cows that used to live there. Across the yard is the Chalk Barn holiday cottage – also a converted barn and probably the oldest building on the site, constructed largely from chalk blocks – the local building material. In the gardens there are ‘wild’ areas which are never cut, and as such produce a wide variety of so-called weeds and wildflowers, attracting many bees and butterflies as well as providing habitat and corridor for the wildlife that share the farm. This encourages the owls, red kite, buzzards and kestrels that can be regularly seen soaring over the fields.
Buttle Farm is also home to a flock of guinea fowl who roam free range around the barns and into the fields, eating bugs and seeds along the way, as well as delivering fabulously yellow, rich eggs for use in the kitchen. They may not be the smartest birds but they certainly are one of the more entertaining varieties and make a point of greeting visitors to the farm.
Mill Farm Glamping
Situated in the village of Poulshot just three miles from Devizes, Mill Farm have recently launched Belle Vue Farm Shire – three unique and luxurious super-chic canvas lodge retreats, in a newly planted woodland landscape with wild flower meadows, overlooking the beautiful Wiltshire countryside - each with its own private courtyard and hot tub. Joe and Izzy Dyke are the third generation of Dykes to tend this very special corner of the British countryside inviting guests to experience the joys of their family-run, organic farm. You will meet the ducks, dairy cattle and donkeys, and have fun on Farmer Joe's organic farm tour. Walk, ride, paddle, fish – or just soak up the sun and the tranquil scenery. It all adds up to a naturally inspirational experience: a unique break that you will treasure for a lifetime.
There is a small gaggle of organic geese, Wiltshire Horn sheep, donkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs as well as a range of activities available to pre-book during your stay to include: fitness classes, pizza evenings, archery, painting classes, laser shooting and pub taxis via gator or tractor and trailer.
Four poster bed at Mill Farm Glamping
Cliffe Farm Dairy
Set on the edge of Salisbury Plain, Cliffe Farm Dairy is a converted disused milking parlour set on an organic farm owned by the Holloway family. It is now a wonderfully spacious three-bedroom barn conversion ideally situated to explore the beautiful county of Wiltshire.
As a guest you can enjoy uninterrupted views of the stunning chalk escarpment of Salisbury Plain with just sheep and wildlife as your neighbours. The Holloway family have farmed in the village for over a century and with the opening of their holiday cottage they have been able to offer guests a glimpse of what their rural life is like living on a farm.
Sheephouse Manor
Sheephouse Manor is an ideal base for visiting all attractions along the Great West Way, their five cottages offer comfort and relaxation with everything you need.
Situated in rural Berkshire countryside, close to the scenic River Thames, yet two miles from Maidenhead town and station. Everything along the Great West Way is within 90 minutes by car or train.
The 16th Century Sheephouse Manor was originally a dairy farm, and now the five converted barns sit in two acres of pretty gardens. Four legged friends don't need to stay at home as they are pet friendly, and even have a dedicated dog run, plus a children’s play paddock amongst the chickens.
Totteridge Farm
Totteridge Farm Camping Pods offer a wonderful English countryside experience, for those who want to be close to nature without giving up home comforts.
Totteridge Farm Camping Pods
Step out of your timber lodge into the fresh calm of a rural Wiltshire morning, explore the towns, villages and trails of the Vale of Pewsey, or sit out under the stars around a wood fire with a glass of their farm-grown English wine… with the home comforts of a hot shower, crisp white cotton sheets, and even underfloor-heated in your own luxury pod.
Pod and camping areas offer fantastic views across the Vale of Pewsey, looking across to the majestic backdrop of Martinsell Hill, and the area is perfect for walking and cycling, as well as for trips further afield in Wiltshire and beyond.
