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We’re proud to be the first Feather Down Farm in Shropshire, the county the poet A.E. Housman described as ‘the quietest place under the sun’. Here we hope to give you a real insight into what it takes to produce milk from 130 Friesians and Holsteins.
 
We invite guests to have a go at milking – by helping us to place the units on the cows’ udders. Our guests can’t believe Steve’s knowledge of the herd – he knows every cow by its number and doesn’t need to look at their freeze brands (the numbers on their bottoms). Younger guests love to test him on the Farm Tour! They also love seeing calves being born, and in 2012 our pig Flo will also be having babies.
 
Bishop’s Wood, at the end of the road, is a 999-acre Church Commission woodland that is completely accessible to the public – see if you can find the Giant’s Chair or the wind chimes here. In the local village of Cheswardine you can sample the ales from Market Drayton’s Joules Brewery and good pub grub at the cosy Fox and Hounds, while the Red Lion is home to the Lion’s Tail Brewery – sample a pint of their Lion Bru! The village is a pleasant 40-minute walk across the fields, or just three miles by road.
 
Should you decide to stir yourself from the soporific slumber induced by our surroundings, then the charms of Shrewsbury, the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge, and great biking on the Shropshire Way all beckon within half an hour. If you and your children are Narnia fans, then a visit to Hawkstone Historic Park, the setting for the films, is a must. With follies and caves to explore, this great day out is just 20 minutes’ drive from us. But we’ll understand if you just want to stay put in a place where peace meets quiet.

Steve and Tracey Pendlebury