Farm tourism - your views appreciated.

VSS

Well-Known Member
Despite living in a popular "holiday" area I've never gone down the tourism route, although lots of local farms have campsites etc. Always felt it wasn't really the thing for me - the thought of regimented rows of caravans and hordes of screaming people fill me with dread!
However, a couple of recent trends - namely "glamping" and Wild Camping - have brought the whole business more in line with my field of interest.

Having done a bit of research I've invested in a massive "safari style" bell-tent.
Something similar to this:
http://static.wixstatic.com/media/a...pg_srz_p_338_425_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz

Eventually I hope to site this in it's own designated area in a secluded valley on the farm (meadow and woodland with a small stream running through), but in the meantime, just to get the ball rolling, will probably put it up in the corner of one of our hay fields. It'll be tastefully kitted out with double bed (with linen etc) and two singles beds and simple furniture, rugs etc, there will be simple cooking facility in the form of a gas barbeque with side burner, crockery, pots & pans etc, fire pit for that all-important campfire, standpipe for drinking water, short walk down to the farm for basic shower and toilet facilities. Also the site gives immediate access to the local footpath network, reasonably close to beaches, etc etc.
For larger groups (e.g., families with more than 2 kids) we could allow own small tent to be put up alongside.

Looking around online, prices for this sort of thing range from about £30 / night for up to 4 people (empty tent, provide your own kit) to £85+ / night for up to 4 people (all mod-cons, which rather defeats the object IMO). I was thinking of going in at about the £40 mark.

So, my questions are, firstly, has anyone been on one of these type of holidays? If so, would be interested to hear about it - cost, what was provided, and what made it a good (or bad) experience.
Secondly, for anyone who's not been on this type of holiday, would you consider it, and if so what facilities would you expect, and at what kind of price.

Any feedback welcome!
 
A guy I know has two shepherds huts open fire outside long drop toilet and cold shower all outdoor with tarp Canopys you would be amazed what folk pay to come rough it he supplies rabbits pigeons Ect and I mean mega £££
good luck to you I say
norma
 
A friend and his wife have started similar on their farm, search for hale farm campsite as their website will give you an idea of costs and what they provide etc. They've also just got a shepherds hut this week which looks amazing and luxurious with a log burner, kitchen and double bed. They have a working farm and limit the number of pitches and have composting toilets etc so it's basic but more natural I suppose. I could have a word with him and see if they'd be happy to chat to you if you're interested?
 
Hi - I run a magazine which covers lots of this sort of camping - we've been to and reviewed dozens of these sites and they're very popular. Some of the prices charged seem to me to be very high - £800 per week - but they are still busy and they are essentially hotel rooms made of canvas. I have been to two sites with a single yurt, which sleep up to 12, but not a site with just the one family tent. Our experience suggests that people often go away in groups on trips like this, so if I were to add anything it would be to suggest another one or two tents to allow block bookings.
Your pricing seems very fair - key things people want to know are availability of wood, food for barbeques, milk and if the shower is warm.
The location sounds great.
All the best with it.
 
I think it's an excellent idea! With all the crap going on currently in the world such as the Tunisian nightmare, there are people looking for alternatives to holidays abroad. Low cost and variety would definitely attract people. There are loads of things which you could offer which you probably take for granted! Being a Welsh Hill shepherd for the day would interest people! You could also have sea kayaks, wind surfers etc that they could use. Small fishing boat perhaps? Couple of ponies? Mountain bikes? A good variety of activities at a low cost.
Insurance might be a requirement though if you offer too much?
Sounds great though - good luck!
 
Don't forget to ask the local planning authority for permission to do it for more than 28 days, or be prepared to move it to another field. Field to Farm
 
Make sure you are insured properly is the thing i would advise no fun getting sued if little johnny breaks a leg or suchlike
 
our caravan storage place has Teepee,s at £500 a week,Tim do it m8 its a steady earner for them.people like to stay "off piste" in the unusual and tell everyone who,s not interested about it afterwards.
 
Thanks for the input chaps - it all helps!
Now sorted with toilet, shower and hot & cold running water in a suitable outbuilding - just needs a lick of paint now...

nun_hunter I checked out Hale Farm. It appears I already have a connection with them via the livestock side of what they do, so I may well drop them a line - they'll know who I am. Thanks anyway for the offer of an intro.
oager that's a fair point re the group bookings. I had just assumed the "exclusivity" of a single pitch site would be a good selling point, but clearly more research needed here. We're thinking maybe of putting in a camping pod (like the shepherds hut but without the wheels!) at some point in the future, so that might help address the issue, except that it would be on a different part of the farm. Wood - I would provide an initial supply, then point folk in the direction of suitable woodland to gather more (I own a few acres of trees). Milk - unfortunately legislation prevents me from selling it, even though we produce it for our own consumption. Could supply sausages, burgers etc from our own meat though. Would that be a good selling point do you think? Also, it would be handy to know what magazine you work for. (PM me if you prefer).
Monkey Spanker I can see the attraction of providing lots of extra activities, but maybe this would be too much of a move back towards "conventional" tourism, which I'm trying to avoid. However, I had thought of providing a couple of beachcaster rods available for hire by the day, and a small selection of fishing tackle for sale. Allowing people to get involved in farming activities is an obvious draw, but a H&S nightmare! How do other folk manage it I wonder?
JTO I heard recently that the local planners had extended the limit to 62 days for this kind of activity, but not sure how reliable my source was! I'll check it out - thanks.
Landkeeper thanks - I just rang my insurers. It appears that my current farm policy provides cover for up to 10 camping pitches (tents / tourers) so that's ok.
Tozzybum I don't think I'd have the nerve to charge that sort of price, but you're right - there's a definite demand for it.

This all looks very encouraging...
 
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Would it be rude to ask what you paid for the bell tent, and how big, what it includes etc ? Only asking as we make specialist covers and the odd "accommodation" and I like to keep track of things.
 
Would it be rude to ask what you paid for the bell tent, and how big, what it includes etc ? Only asking as we make specialist covers and the odd "accommodation" and I like to keep track of things.

The tent is 4m in diameter, so pretty big. Most similar sites use either 4 or 5m. I went for the 4m because, being also slightly lower (2.5m) it would be less affected by wind. I'll extend the covered area by the use of a canopy. Prices seem to range from a couple of hundred up to about a grand. Ours was at the lower end of the price spectrum, but in fact was the only one that had all 5* reviews. A mate of mine just paid £500 for a 5m bell tent, and I think ours is better made despite being cheaper. I think the main cost will be in the fitting out - probably another grand on furniture & facilities.
 
The very best of luck to you - it sounds like a really interesting venture.

We have a farm near us - Farmer Gow's - who offer Glamping via either The Oxford Yurt (Farmer Gows - Camping) or Oxford Oak Camping (Oxford Oak Camping). If you look at the The Oxford Yurt you will see some photos of how they deck out their large tents and yurts. Note that they also offer the venue for hen parties, stag parties, etc.

I've not done this type of holiday, but there's a crowd of us in our village who do a camping weekend each year - basically around 30 of us go to a friend's farm about 5 or 6 miles away, set up our tents and have a weekend of eating and drinking! The main things we look for are sanitation (posh loos, not "dig your own"), a camp fire with plenty of wood and space big enough for all of us to sit round, a marquee where we can store all the food on tables and sit inside in case it rains, and a flat area of grass that we can convert into a pitch for football, Smite and other sundry games.

If I was going to pay for a venue then I'd want it to have good access for cars (regular cars, not 4x4's), a ready supply of potable water (either mains or via a bowser), no neighbours and ideally a stream where the dogs and children could play. That reminds me, no livestock nearby as if we can't take the dogs we're not interested!
 
I think its has excellent potential and is worth exploring, I always wild camp, have done for years but spots are few and far between now, certainly in the west country, a fair few more in the remote parts but with small kids myself, it has to inc a selection of offerings from woods, & walks, a rocky seashore for crabbing and a source of water,etc. fire is essential to add to the ambiance and for cooking, but unless you are strict or sell wood they will chop it down as I see this as I visit the same places each year.
I have used a selection of tents in canvas over the years such as bell tents and similar inc the Nordic tentipi which is now the latest 'glamping style'
a canopy porch and 3m min size for a short stay, bigger for all the other cr*p you need when doing the week+, also good idea to offer this in the winter!! they love it, you just add a small stove and a few romantic candles, note that when you get to 5m all the canvas and tipis, yurts etc get bulky heavy and not solo erection....this in my opinion is a good area to look at ie pre erected for the larger family or friends size with water and matching canvas loos, or 3m & fire pit for the younger more self reliant who wish to try roughing it.
To give you an idea, the site i just returned from is a sloped field, 200m from shore, terracing for pitches cut in years ago, total of about 5 premium view privacy etc, and another 5 open spots, all very natural no loo, water in tap, honesty box, cost £7 per night now but was half that, all proceeds go to Air Ambulance. Never see the owner unless you go and say hello. Having seen, met and spoken to those that have done & wish to do this again they spend 600+ a week easy.. I wish I had a good spot, If you have the location i reckon you could create a small income, if not maybe local interests will be enough.
 
My neighbours have a working farm with pigs etc. Last year they turned some of the land for campers.
This weekend they are having 35 wild campers, doing a hog roast pig, digging a whole fire wood only and spit roasting a pig the traditional way.
 
Thanks for the input chaps - it all helps!
Now sorted with toilet, shower and hot & cold running water in a suitable outbuilding - just needs a lick of paint now...

nun_hunter I checked out Hale Farm. It appears I already have a connection with them via the livestock side of what they do, so I may well drop them a line - they'll know who I am. Thanks anyway for the offer of an intro.
oager that's a fair point re the group bookings. I had just assumed the "exclusivity" of a single pitch site would be a good selling point, but clearly more research needed here. We're thinking maybe of putting in a camping pod (like the shepherds hut but without the wheels!) at some point in the future, so that might help address the issue, except that it would be on a different part of the farm. Wood - I would provide an initial supply, then point folk in the direction of suitable woodland to gather more (I own a few acres of trees). Milk - unfortunately legislation prevents me from selling it, even though we produce it for our own consumption. Could supply sausages, burgers etc from our own meat though. Would that be a good selling point do you think? Also, it would be handy to know what magazine you work for. (PM me if you prefer).
Monkey Spanker I can see the attraction of providing lots of extra activities, but maybe this would be too much of a move back towards "conventional" tourism, which I'm trying to avoid. However, I had thought of providing a couple of beachcaster rods available for hire by the day, and a small selection of fishing tackle for sale. Allowing people to get involved in farming activities is an obvious draw, but a H&S nightmare! How do other folk manage it I wonder?
JTO I heard recently that the local planners had extended the limit to 62 days for this kind of activity, but not sure how reliable my source was! I'll check it out - thanks.
Landkeeper thanks - I just rang my insurers. It appears that my current farm policy provides cover for up to 10 camping pitches (tents / tourers) so that's ok.
Tozzybum I don't think I'd have the nerve to charge that sort of price, but you're right - there's a definite demand for it.

This all looks very encouraging...

Small world eh?
 
The tent is 4m in diameter, so pretty big. Most similar sites use either 4 or 5m. I went for the 4m because, being also slightly lower (2.5m) it would be less affected by wind. I'll extend the covered area by the use of a canopy. Prices seem to range from a couple of hundred up to about a grand. Ours was at the lower end of the price spectrum, but in fact was the only one that had all 5* reviews. A mate of mine just paid £500 for a 5m bell tent, and I think ours is better made despite being cheaper. I think the main cost will be in the fitting out - probably another grand on furniture & facilities.

Thank you :thumb: Although we can't compete with the mass produced items (we specialise in one off's) it's good to know what's happening price wise.
 
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