Torridge
House Farm Cottages
Little Torrington, North
Devon. Telephone +44 (0)1805 622542.
VisitBritainThree and Four Star Quality Accommodation
| ready meals link coming soon! |
Join us on the farm;
help feed the animals! Holidays with hands on farm action for young
families! Nine cosy, comfortable cottages and luxury houses. Now in our 22nd
year. This page was last updated
on 1st December.
Here's some of the things that have been happening! November - Some of the rabbits are getting ready to have some Christmas babies. October has been gentle; lots of little animals to be cared for. The lambs have grown on very well and so have the piglets. There has been lots of mucking out to do............ September - 2 of our rabbits have had very pretty babies. We are still waiting for the baby guinea pigs to be born - and for the straw to be brought in. August. Amber is a grandma. Twiglet has had 8 piggies..... all pink
July. Meg has had 4 lovely kittens. We have 2 beautiful black kittens who will need new homes in a week or so!! We have brought in the hay! It is wonderful, good, sweet hay - what a difference to last year. There's a good 130 bales in the lamb shed now. The rest has been baled as haylage and there's still some more to pick up with the small baler. So all in all very pleasing indeed, and everybody helped and the job was quickly done. Looking around at all the fields there is an amazing sense - and the gentle and sometimes not so gentle rumbling of tractors and machinery - of the winter feed being brought in. The fields are clipped right down and everywhere has turned from green to a golden colour. An incredible sense of orchestrated industry, and very pretty too. Barry has hatched 4 chicks. They follow on from the hatching of "Mr Duck", a singleton duck who enjoys being with people and who now also has guinea pig and rabbit friends.
We now have a pc with wireless internet connection freely available in our library.
June. Bay Bunny is making a lovely nest............. her babies have arrived now, 5 and lots of colours including white! There have been a lot of "magic" (as in "out of the hat" magic) baby bunnies this year - most unusual. Ginger Guinea Pig who has waited a long time for a family has had a baby - and it looks just like her!
Mr & Mrs Orange-Rex are now the proud parents of 4 beautiful baby bunnies. 3 are white!! The other is orange.
Amber has done a brilliant job!! She is now the doting mother of 8 lovely piggies. From day 1 they have taken to sleeping under the heat lamp - which sounds obvious, but it always surprises us how long it usually takes new piggies to find the warmth of the lamp. When they are in their nest she spends the time, with her head on her paws, looking at them lovingly. The second good thing is that Amber feels very well. After her last 2 deliveries she has been quite poorly and we have had to tempt her back to health with all sorts of titbits - like banana smoothies and honey! So all in all it has been an especially joyful event. I've got some pictures but I pressed the wrong button on the camera and took some movie pictures instead of stills. Will try again shortly but need to charge the battery first - too much movie footage!!
May. Kitt has had 5 pretty kittens. She is a superb and very happy mum.
Update: All the kittens have been spoken for and will be leaving for their new
homes soon. The last two to go will leave on 26th July.
April. Lucky has just had 10 piggies!! Beautiful they are. All pink.
20.4.8 We are bottle feeding 14 lambs
3 times a
day.
6.4.8 The new baby bunnies are very pretty - greys, orange
striped, all
sorts of colours.
..... and from 07 diary. Great Excitement -
apart from piggies, lambs and all ....... and getting the hay and straw in ...
phew, such an amazing relief! ..... - The Quality In Tourism
Assessor called for the annual inspection and to look at the new cottages for
the first time. He was very kind and gave us and the cottages a big pat
on the back! The new cottages were rated "easily 4 Star".
Congratulations to everyone; the girls who make the cottages ready - "a
very high standard of housekeeping", the girls who do the laundry
"very good", the "very good" maintenance man - Barry!, the
painter and decorator, Debbie and - eh me - well it was complimented, Sandie
and the visitors who look after the animals - all very well received
indeed.
June 07. An Incredible Journey - an amazing story...... Meg, our black cat went missing the Monday of the big rain - 25th June, or possibly the day before. We were really worried as she had left behind her 4 week old kitten, and that was so unlike her; she's a doting mother. Cat Search, neighbours, local haunts, the vet provided no clue to her whereabouts. By chance and a very circuitous route information about a "found black cat" reached a neighbour. We couldn't imagine it would be Meg as this cat was found a good 6 miles away in a cottage tucked away alongside the River Torridge and the Tarka Trail. The information received was patchy with no telephone number, but it was enough for us to identify the family as people we know. Incredible as it was it was indeed Meg they had taken in!! After a day or so back here she took again to her kitten - provided he had his formula milk. Her energies are spent teaching him to hunt and play games. It is so wonderful..........
9th August 07 Kitten
update - Meg's kitten has gone to a lovely new home.
11th August 07 Meg update: - Meg had 4 kittens, born in a cottage (Emily,
Alice, Laura and Rosie won't be surprised to hear that is was in their
cottage!)
Bay Bunny Bunbay's 5 babies! (14th January) are growing up fast now. And Golden Girl 1st February,has had 5 beautiful bunnies who will all be golden or even lighter!!
Amber's beautiful piglets have grown up now; they were lovely. We have kept the caramel one with black spots. Amber is a clever girl!! Sandie was midwife - she's a clever girl as well. They played (the piglets not Sandie - well not often) in their little mud playfield. We must get the wall built up a bit so the next piggies can roll about in the muddy bits and turn over the soil for longer. This earthy patch is just ideal and is great for Amber's poorly foot, so it will good when she and the other girls can be in there more often.
Barry will be setting up the incubators towards the end of January. Last year he hatched ducklings, chicks and quails. The quails lay their own eggs in no time at all - they grow up quickly! There's no more eggs in the incubator for the moment, but there are lots of hens and ducks trotting around; the duck who was sitting for 7 weeks are been persuaded to leave her eggs and hope for a better batch next year! The pet mice have babies of all different sizes and colours. The baby rabbits have grown up now; the guinea pigs are waiting for a week or so before becoming pregnant, some of them will have to wait a little longer. Lucky's piglets are really special - she has been such a good mum, which has been a real surprise. Well done Captain ... - and Lucky.
From the diary earlier this year - "A magical evening. I AIed Amber and would love to think it was a success because it was one of those lovely evenings. Had AIed her on Friday as well but this was special - still and colourful and quite quiet. The sun was setting with a lovely golden orange colour - amber perhaps? We - pig and I - finished the works and were standing there quite still, taking the air. First of all some errant chickens squeezed in through the sty outlet to the field. They came straight over to Amber and stayed for a peck around her nose; pig and chickens very happy together; they left. In hopped the big grey rabbit also straight to Amber's nose; pig and rabbit very happy together. He stayed a while before hopping off. Next appears a little white mouse rolling along like clockwork; he was shy, scuttling off but all the same peeping out at us; he wouldn't come close, still lovely though. All the while the sky was sunset bright and clear with the moon bright in the sky.
.... And more lovely moments as when the robin who lives up by the hen
and eight watches very closely as I let them out; you can feel so close to him,
almost that he will sit on the food pot in my hand.
.........Robin hopped in with Amber this time - right up to her nose - to share
her dinner."
Captain the the
father of Lucky's piglets is a lovely chap, sweet natured and gentle.
She's not so sure about having her peace and quiet disturbed and about sharing
the food - even if there is twice as much of it. They seem to be a couple
now!!
The white hen has
gone back to join her friends in the chicken house at night, but her 8
youngsters - 7 white and 1 creamy brown - growing fast won't join the other
girls and boys! - They've had to move
on now - the new young chickens have taken their place in the ark!
"Finding a holiday that everyone can enjoy is very rare, but that is
exactly what you have it here. We have had a wonderful time"
"I never thought it could be so good"
"Comfort
zone!"
"We
have been lucky enough to have been to some beautiful places such as the
Maldives and Barbados, but we have both agreed that for the 'feel good' factor,
this was the best holiday we have ever had."
"When I got your details we said "if this is as child friendly as it says then it will be great". It is even more child friendly than we thought it would be. We will be back soon and will bring friends with us."
"This
is ten times better than we thought it would be." 
"Everything is just as you
say on your web page and brochure."
" This is our first visit to Torridge House . I only wish I had found it years ago."
" ....thanks again to you all for providing such an excellent haven."
Friends have a two bedroom cottage which sleeps 5 and a cot, which has just become available for May half term week and weeks up to then. Ring Ellen or Colin on 01 805 624 136
We are told by our visitors - and they have to be right! - that our cottages are very good value. The prices are pretty well all inclusive - as well as the usual - electricity, beds made up, towels, heating and so on, we also include all sorts of little things like the tablets for the washing machines and dishwashers, cleaning materials and so on.
Click Things to do in North Devon for holiday action ideas
Now available from our freezer - home cooked delicious ready meals and puddings. Priced at £4.50 a serving, these generous meals are cooked by a local chef. Ask us in advance and we will have your dinner ready for you to pop in the oven when you arrive.
Hello I'm Barbara. I hope you find our web page interesting. Below are details of the cottages and the farm. There are, at present, more photos of some of the cottages than there are of others. I am so slow on the computer. If there is anything special you would like to see please let me know.
All the cottages are quality VisitBritain Three Stars or Four Stars.
Linked to this page are the current availability details. Many of our visitors return again for the year ahead and many others find us from recommendations.
The pressure on dates is not so intense outside of the main school holidays.
Whatever time of year that you choose to visit, there is always animal interest, great scenery, comfortable warm accommodation, many first class attractions and places to visit and lots of places to eat out.
We hope very much that we will be able to welcome you to our cottages in the near future.
Please to note that a car is essential here for young families as walking with little ones on local roads without pavements is not practical.
We are on the edge of the tiny village of Little Torrington. Our gardens and our cottages are, by and large, mostly surrounded by fields and private woodland to which there is no public access. The grounds and gardens around the cottages are therefore very private. Little Torrington is a very small village of some houses, the church and village hall. It is 8 miles south of Bideford, 20 minutes from the beaches of Westward Ho! and Instow and some 30 minutes from Dartmoor. The historic town of Great Torrington is two miles away.
Tucked away in the Devon countryside, with unspoilt panoramic views of wooded valleys, rolling hills and distant farmsteads, is a small farm with lots of space for relaxing or playing, lots of animals to help feed, ten lovely truly child friendly self catering cottages and a great big welcome for everybody - from babies and toddlers to grandparents and all stops in between and aside!
We are child friendly not only because we provide full size cots, highchairs, stairgates, babysitting, plastic bowls, plates and cups, sandpit, push along and toddler toys, children's and general video tapes, children's duvet covers, washing machines and tumble driers, wellies, complete hand washing and drying facilities in the animal house, private grounds, baby pool area and so on, but also because our animal feeding routine is thoroughly geared to youngsters and their families and our guests are youngsters and their families.
Involvement with the animal care and feeding is a rewarding, stimulating and exciting time for youngsters (and grown ups!). Children grow in confidence, relishing the interaction and routine of the twice daily feeding times. The environment and the activity encourages communication and youngsters have extended their language skills as well as their confidence and social abilities. The glorious thing about children is they take their enjoyment with a complete lack of concern about what the weather throws at them! Puddles are for splashing in, mud is for squelching in, grassy banks are better for rolling down when they are wet! The cottages are warm and cosy with central heating and either log fires (or log burning stoves) or little real flame effect electric fires. Kitchens are newly fitted out with full electric cookers, microwaves and so on.
There are an amazing number of first class child friendly attractions, pubs, cycling and sandy beaches within easy reach.
THE COTTAGES
Set in delightful, peaceful farmland surroundings, our cottages and apartments are fully equipped for all your family holiday needs.
They are comfortable, relaxing and enjoyable with full central
heating and a careful attention to detail, yet are practically presented for
visitor's "peace of mind".
Duck's living room
Lin, Hay, Tithe, Barn, The Drawing Room, Stag, Hen and Duck all open directly on to the gardens.
Some of these pictures were taken with a wide angle lens. The kitchen is smaller than it looks here and the bedrooms are bigger.
These friendly and popular cottages are, like all the cottages, attractively furnished & well decorated. They have double glazed windows and doors and full central heating under visitors own control and real flame effect electric stoves.
They have views over the gardens and beyond to Exmoor.
Each has two bedrooms, one double with hand basin, one twin room.
The bathroom is downstairs, they
have over the bath showers.
They sleep four plus cot (either bedroom).
VisitBritain 3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2008/9
TITHE AND BARN COTTAGES
Inside Tithe
and inside Barn
wide angle lens views; the sitting room looks wider here than it
is.
These welcoming and
popular cottages are south facing with countryside and garden views. They have
double glazed windows and doors and full central heating under visitors own
control. Tithe cottage has a log burning stove and an additional electric
convector heater. Barn Cottage has a real flame effect electric stove.
Tithe has four bedrooms, a double and a twin downstairs with a shower room and the same upstairs but with a bathroom rather than a shower room.
There is an extra downstairs wc.
The large living room has a log burning stove.
Barn has a double bedroom and a second
bedroom with a single bed and bunk beds (2'6").
In both cottages the cot does not fit elegantly in the upstairs second bedroom (a bed has to be pushed along and out of the way).
Tithe sleeps eight & Barn five plus cot. VisitBritain 3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2008/9
COURTYARD COTTAGE
This large three bedroom cottage is much appreciated by visitors
as the oldest of our cottages. It has a large character living room with oak
beamed ceiling and open fireplace. This is a warm and cosy cottage with full
central heating. There are radiator thermostats to give visitors heat control.
Courtyard's heating is first in the heating run of a larger radiator system.
Electric fires are also in the cottage. Windows have curtains lined, mainly
with heavy thermal linings.
It is the west (village) end of Torridge House and has its own small high walled paved and landscaped courtyard.
From the cottage it is a short
step through a cobbled yard to the gardens, animals & swimming pool.
It has a double bedroom and two twin rooms, a downstairs shower room and an upstairs bathroom.
It sleeps 6 + cot. VisitBritain 3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2008/9
DRAWING ROOM APARTMENT
Entered from the gardens this sought after apartment has garden and country views.
The accommodation, originally the east wing of the rectory is now a spacious one bedroom home sleeping 4/6 plus cot. There is full central heating, electric fires and heavy lined curtains and shutters. The large drawing room bay windows are double glazed. The old house retains heat in it's metre thick walls!
The bedroom has a double and two single beds, the drawing room has a further double bed in four poster style as well as plenty of room for dining table & chairs and for easy chairs and settees.
Dining in either the drawing room or the kitchen. Kitchen with dishwasher.
The bathroom has a corner
bath and a walk-in electric shower.
VisitBritain 3 Stars. prices & availability 2009
STAG, HEN AND DUCK COTTAGES
2,3 and 4
bedroom highly acclaimed luxury barn conversions in prime position
Lots of space, lovely light, very warm, good heating, wonderful views.
·
Duck – Four bedrooms; 2 king size, one with
shower en-suite; 2 twin rooms, one downstairs.
Family bath and shower room upstairs.
Family shower room downstairs.
Farmhouse style open plan kitchen dining room with range cooker cosy
sitting room. Open plan upstairs
sitting area.
· Hen – Three bedrooms; 1 king size with shower en-suite and 2 twin
rooms, one of which can interconnect with the master bedroom, making bedrooms 1
and 3 best suited for “family”. Bedroom
1 & 3 have velux windows. Family bath
and shower room downstairs. Farmhouse
style open plan kitchen dining room with range cooker cosy sitting room with
log burner. Open plan upstairs sitting
area.
· Stag – Two bedrooms; 1 double aspect king size and 1 twin
room. Family shower room upstairs. Family bath and shower room downstairs. Large
living room/dining room with fireplace and focal point electric fire. Large kitchen/breakfast room.
· All 3 – dishwasher, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, digibox, dvd, video player, cd/radio, king-sized pocket sprung double beds, 2 tvs in Duck and Hen, lots of space, flexible controllable heating, high specification insulation, access to gardens front and back.
1 bath/shower room, 2 shower rooms in Duck - 1 en-suite. 1 bath/shower room and 1 en-suite shower rooms in Hen, 1 bath/shower room and 1 shower room in Stag. Generous upper landings in Stag, Upstairs open plan sitting areas with tv in Duck and Hen. CD/radio/dvd, video, digibox.
The
next 4 pictures are of Hen ................. 
prices 2008 - Stag - £399 - £798
Hen - £459 - £900
Duck - £558 - £1344
VisitBritain Four Stars - Prices & Availability 2008/9
Preparations are now being made to put Southwood on the market, it may be available to book at short notice. Please call, 01805 622 542 or email.
Lovely 5 bedroom house, beautiful countryside setting, comfortably private, a short ten minute walk or quick drive from us. Sleeps up to 11 plus cots. 4 bath/shower rooms - 2 en-suite. 2 sitting rooms, dining room, conservatory, sauna, large gardens. Ample parking. Ideal for those seeking a private holiday home or lots of space. Also perfect for 2 or 3 couples and their children. more information on Southwood
ALL COTTAGES
The cottages are VisitBritain "3-Star" and "4-Star". They
all have:
televisions, video
players, dvds and kitchens (equipment inc: cooker, microwave, fridge, iron, coffee
maker, toaster etc. , freezer or freezer space), beds made up ready for your
arrival, towels provided, cots, high chairs, nursery plates and cutlery, other
nursery requirements,
central heating, additional heating and private car parking space.
Visitors have shared use of the swimming pool, extensive library of books, games, maps and more; play room, games room, pc with wireless broadband access, football or tennis play area, gardens and garden furniture, barbecues, laundry and telephone.
Advance orders of groceries can be made through Tescos or Sainsburys on line. Deliveries of local produce from local shops. Excellent baby-sitting available
No Smoking indoors. One dog is accepted in Courtyard Cottage. No pets in the other cottages.
Lucky
enjoying a scratch! Lady - one of our
Rex rabbits. Some of the birds clucking around the garden
Hello from one of the lambs and Hello from piggies..........
The gardens and grounds are home to a variety of animals.
Everyone is very welcome to help and for most guests the animals are a very special highlight of their holiday.
There are the pigs, May and Amber, often with their piglets, who all enjoy feeding time.
There are baby rabbits and lambs, as well as ducks and hens, ducklings and chicks
Lambs are bottle fed from around Easter time to end of June and hand fed dry food July to end October.
At the morning feeding times we feed the animals, let out the birds, collect eggs and do whatever jobs are needed that we can manage - sometimes mucking out or hay moving.
In the evening we feed all the animals again and get the birds to bed.
Click here for photos - I have some more really super new photos but haven't got them on yet!! Soon.
Apart from twice daily animal
feeding (and lots and lots of excellent local attractions, beaches, walks,
cycle paths, pubs etc.) we also have here in the grounds:-
the heated swimming
pool, 36' x 18' including baby pool, open from the beginning of May to mid/end
of September as weather allows; it is within a walled area.
A grass tennis and/or football area, a games room with table tennis and pool, junior air hockey, table football etc., a play room with indoor sand pit and home area, a selection of push along toys etc., barbecues.
Skittles games can be arranged at the village hall. There is also a short mat bowling group who meet at the village hall.
There are all sorts of activities to suit both grown ups and children in the immediate area and a little further a field. The main attractions apart, there are fishing villages to explore - Appledore and Clovelly, hidden away valleys to walk down to the sea, countryside cycle and foot paths to follow. Market towns and bigger shopping centres. Wonderful coastal and estuary scenery. Special seaside towns and beaches and inspiring moorland scenery. Woodland walks and priceless peace and tranquility, an age old charm and quietness that tells of close association with the land and its creatures. For outdoor activities, Skern Lodge is nearby and is one of the UK's "premier" outdoor centres, running activity day courses eg Abseiling, Surfing, Archery, High Ropes, Assault Course, Canoeing. Also available in the area is Sea fishing, coarse fishing, river - game - fishing (these last 2 need the appropriate licences) and trout lake fishing. There are a number of Golf courses and horse riding for youngsters and adults.
BIRD SPOTTING!
A wide variety of birds are spotted in the
grounds by our visitors.
The birds seen include: buzzard, sparrow hawk, herring gull, black headed gull,
tawny owl, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, pied wagtail, starling,
magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, dunnock, wren, chiffchaff, goldcrest, robin,
blackbird, song thrush, willow tit, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, long- tailed
tit, treecreeper, house sparrow, chaffinch , green finch, yellow hammer,
swallow, housemartin, wood pigeon and collared dove.
I can now add to this list having seen at dusk recently a beautiful Hedwig Barn
Owl.
I have also got a list of butterflies including some unusual ones, but I have
left it by the photocopier.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Sandie (who Baby Sits) and I went down to Rosemoor - and more recently we were amazed at the winter colour there - it is fabulous, and just at the bottom of the hill.
Here is a list of some of
the so many excellent attractions around and about the area.
There are so many that you
would need weeks and weeks and plenty of stamina to do justice to them all!
The Gnome Reserve
The
Big Sheep,
Brocklands,
Rosemoor
RHS Gardens and other gardens,
1646
Civil War Experience,
(Torrington by the way, is where a lot of fiming of "Down To Earth"
with Pauline Quirk took place),
Brannans Pottery,
Milky Way,
Eden Project*,
Lost Gardens of Heligan*,
Lots of lovely gardens, like Docton Mill
Morwellham Quay*,
Hartland Abbey,
Watermouth Castle,
Exmoor Zoo,
Atlantic (Factory outlet)
Village
Tapely House
and many...many...more (* star marked attractions are 1 and halfish
hours away). More links can be found here
or here.
A family have just come back from a lovely visit to The Donkey
Sanctuary* in South Devon - "a must" they said,
a good number of National Trust properties within reach,
golf,
fishing and more and more.
LITTLE TORRINGTON AND TORRINGTON
are in the heart of "Tarka the Otter" country. The "Tarka Trail" Countryside cycle/walk route can be joined a mile from the cottages.
The historic Town of Great Torrington is 2 miles away. The whole area is of outstanding natural beauty.
Last August - Torrington Cavaliers charity bonfire - the burning of the half size HMS Victory on Torrington Commons. Over 18 months in the making, The Victory was a spectacular sight before and during the fire.
some
older photos
We believe our cottages are a great holiday setting. The
activities and facilities we offer and the gentle companionship of being able
to be with, but yet quite private from, other young families on holiday is an
exciting, unusual and comfortable combination. Families return regularly, and
new families find us through recommendation, advertisements in child orientated
publications and the web.
Out of season the cottages are ideal for couples and Southwood at Five Lane End across the village is very well suited to groups of friends as well as to large family groups.
I cherish a large collection of drawings and letters that visitors of all ages have given us over the years.
"Another fantastic holiday....." "A paradise for children" "Wonderful again ......" "Just perfect" "Our best holiday ever" "Picture book" ........ and more ..... and more
Contact
us by e-mail 
Our
old Boxer dog Tick has a new friend Rageh!
Or
Telephone: +44 (0)1805 622 542
Fax: +44 (0)1805 622 360
Hatherleigh market is
open for the sale of hens, ducks, geese, rabbits and so on, and local produce
and the usual stalls.
The pubs, villages, towns all around are all very, very welcoming. Many
offer good food. Some offer extremely good food.
So here we are at the end of 2007 - our 20th year!
2007 was another happy year and we are looking forward to Christmas and New Year as well as to 2008.
Lovely visitors, wonderful animals, all-in-all vibrant and gentle.
We look ahead to an exciting time in the coming year.
From earlier diaries
"Lucky had 11 babies!! A very proud mum she was too" - Actually that was year before last year! Last year's delivery - of three bonny piglets - not a lot, but less of a handful! Amber had 8 piggies a few days earlier. Wilma has had 4 piggies - well they don't stretch themselves these rare breed pigs! Lovely they are though. Came early.
From winter 04/5 "The kittens, Meg and Fern, are growing well. They are such a pair!! With no visitors at the moment , they are taking themselves off around the village, off to farms a good way away looking for cuddles and love. They could purr for Europe. Amazing they are; they get brought back by van, car, on foot. I see them in the village sitting outside other people's front doors looking very well fed! They pop into the village hall to chase the bowls at short mat bowling, charge after the shuttle cocks at badminton; they got thrown off helping park the cars arriving for the village hall Christmas dinner dance, they surprise returning drivers by sitting unnoticed in their car seats, they sit in the church porch ready to welcome the congregation. Mrs Taylor's cat has been visiting so she and I might be in laws soon! Must find out whether he is a Tom or just another imposter."
The new play room is lovely and Rosie is painting scenes on the wall. I had to go into Farmer Michael's field which is next to ours. Ours is a bit lower than his; they both have fantastic countryside views for miles around. In Michael's field you can also see parts of Rosemoor RHS gardens and Torrington nestling in the green hilly fields that enclose it. They are both lovely and we are able to enjoy Michael's views from the field gate as well as our own. But this morning the difference was exciting. The day was was exhilarating - the air sweet, the sky blue and the sunshine was cheerful but gentle. The beet crop was looking vigorous - it was all exciting!
Again from last year's diary ... "Last year's orphan lambs that we still have are quite big now! They are trotting about happily in their half of the field. I'm feeding them a dry supplement twice a day.
I still have too many pigs at the moment. They are lovely, but will have to move some of them on to new homes soon.
Egg production is steady now at about 5 a day; hen and bantam eggs, with the odd duck egg at the moment.
The rabbits are all very cosy in their big runs, except the brown rex with the white spots on her front escaped into the swimming pool enclosure (it is well covered at this time of year) and I have had to leave her there in case she has a family. So she is having a great time there and the lovely blue grey rex buck has free run of the whole rabbit room outside the pens and in addition to him, there are a good dozen guinea pigs running in and out of all the pens, making houses in the bags of hay. It is a real delight to stand there and watch then all. I only wish I am able to recreate this voyeuristic enjoyment, especially of the guinea pigs, for the children, but by definition, with the little ones running around, the guinea pigs wont! Must work on it.
From 2004, another wonderful year, our visitors, as always, have been extra special. We have all had a good time together looking after the animals. Many have booked to come back this year. Typical reports and comments are that they had a really good (or even better than that!) time, "a paradise for children", "just perfect", "picture book", "wonderful", "we'll be back again soon", "So much to do around", "the best holiday we have had with children", and how about this one "as good as Disneyworld" and much, much more. I was tickled with this comment from a youngster "I like it at Barbara's farm. You don't just go for the day, she lets you sleep there as well" It is very special to have such a reference. "
Some chaotically ordered diary excerpts below, from here there and everywhere!!
Colin and Ellen's little goat has just had twin kids! Picture coming soon. They are beautiful!
At
last I have got round to putting in some pictures which I had hoped to put on
months ago.
Earlier this year we concocted a wondrous aromatherapy fly repellent brew
and needed to make sure that the oil reached the lambs in the right
places. Many thanks to our helpers - a good job well done!
9th September: Another lovely litter of baby rabbits born today! More little ones for our meet and greet table. The little 2 week old rex rabbits are really delightful - 2 orange, 1 brown and 1 black. We have 3 yellow chicks as well. The ducklings have moved outside to join the big birds, as they were rather large for the table and wanted to "play" with the baby mice!
Here we are at 18th August. Lots has happened in the meantime. Lots of baby guinea pigs and baby rabbits, as well as more chicks and ducklings. We always have lots to do looking after all the animals! The kittens are very playful and running and skipping around all over the place.
12th July - we have 9 day-old ducklings who come onto our care and socialize table at feeding times. They join chicks, baby rabbits, baby guinea pigs and the friendly white mice. Can't think why the diary is blank for the last few weeks - have been as busy as ever!
28th June - have just returned from following the sheep track through the field. The lambs are still in there at night even though it will be cut for hay shortly. Their tracks make a wonderful trail through the grasses. The buttercups are nearly over now and foxgloves, yellow daisies, campion, cow parsley, clover, scarlet pimpernel and forget-me-not have taken their place. The place is chaotic with thistles and dock as well, but we will have that sorted!
27th June - I see that I haven't added to the diary here for a while! We have lots of new baby rabbits - silver greys, browns and blacks. Also new baby guinea pigs - chestnut, browns, whites and black. The latest ducklings are enjoying meeting us all to eat out of our hands and for a fun water splash. We have a special table that we can sit round to watch and touch the little ones. There are some new Lavender chicks in the incubator. Some of Amber's piggies - they are 6 weeks old now - come to meet us at feeding time. They bound up to us. skid to a halt, look bemused, turn tail and rush back to mum. We have to watch them though - they have discovered the nest boxes and are helping themselves. We wait for the lambs (quite big now) in the field at tea time. They too come rushing up for their bottles - they are learning to spread out one to each bottle. We do the same thing in reverse in the mornings - waiting for them to gallop up from the field to their day time grass.
From the diary: 9th May: 9pm. Amber has just had 9 piggies. They are suckling and she is grunting comfortably. She started in labour just as she finished her tea this evening - she tackled the piggy pudding lying down - stretching out to snuffle through it! It's got v cold tonight - clear sky - so we have boarded up the outside openings. Will get photos soon. 10th May - Mrs White Mouse has had 5 baby mice. Wednesday 11th May - Snowy Rabbit has had 6 baby bunnies - they all look like Daddy Rabbit
BOOKING DETAILS
Weeks in Courtyard Cottage, The Drawing
Room and The Nursery start on Fridays, the other cottages on
Saturdays.
Please phone to make a reservation and to get a booking form. A deposit of one
third is taken on booking. The balance is due 6 weeks before arrival.
AVAILABILITY (AND PRICES) Prices & Availability 2008
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