Farm stays under canvas

Fantastic, our hosts Kevan and Joy are great, they are so attentive, nothing was too much trouble and they made us feel so welcome and special. The farm is a little slice of heaven, sitting in the hot tub next to the lake amongst the deer was perfect. I can’t recommend this place highly enough and can’t wait to return.

This was our fourth Feather Down Farm holiday. We are a family of two adults, three children (ages 10, 7 and 4). We had a great time although a bit different to our previous experiences on farms. What we loved: Andrew’s farm tour and speaking with him in the evenings about managing the farm – absolutely fascinating; Denise’s welcome and her truly fabulous cooking and baking (definitely order the lamb dinner – the best lamb we have ever eaten); the fishing lesson with Dennis – catching fish was an absolute highlight of the holiday for our children; the shower block – definitely the best we have experienced at Feather Down. What didn’t work so well for us: 1) The site on which the tents are located felt very small and enclosed. Our children need a good space to run around when they are outside and we like to be able to see them, especially the youngest. In other farms we have visited, the tents have been in the middle of a big field which has meant we could relax and leave the children to it. However, here we had to take them into another field or to the beach to let off steam and so we had to be with them most of the time. 2) The children had almost no interaction with any animals which was very disappointing. There were sheep and cows on the farm but not for children to engage with or pet. There was a lovely horse but he only once came to us when we tried to encourage him over. Collecting eggs was in fact the only activity for the children that involved farm animals which was a huge shame.

We had a great stay at Pant Y March. The place is absolutely stunning and the owners, Geraint and Llinos, were very welcoming and just really nice people. If they minded sharing their beautiful land with a bunch of, in our case novice, campers they did a very good job of hiding it! The tent was very well equipped and beds extremely comfortable. We would defy anyone to not become obsessed with lighting and maintaining the fire in the wood burning stove- it becomes the centre of your world especially in April when it was needed for warmth as well as making cups of tea, cooking etc. Everything we'd read and been told about bringing whatever you can to keep warm at night was very true and best acted on- extra blankets, socks, hot water bottles, hats, fleeces. Not the most attractive of night time looks but essential! Hot tub does take a VERY long time to heat up (3 to 5 hours) but it was lovely when you're in! In the summer we'd imagine it would be hard to get your children out of it. Our boys enjoyed every moment- the novelty of sleeping in the cupboard bed, seeing the sheep and lambs, stroking the donkeys and even the effort of collecting the firewood (chopped by Geraint) to feed the hungry stove. And yes they really did forget about television and computer games while we were there. Our only slight hitch was having our dog with us which proved to be less than ideal during the actual lambing season- we had to keep her on a lead at all times, even within the tent in the evening. Geraint and Llinos were very accommodating about her but possibly guests should be advised to leave their dog at home during lambing season for everyone's peace of mind. Overall a really good stay in a fabulous location.

Staying at Featherdown Manor Farm was by far one of the best family holidays we have ever had. We stayed in September with our 16 month old son and it was perfect. He loved the farm, especially collecting the eggs in the morning. It was beginning to get cold but the tent was lovely and warm during the day and the night. The wood burning stove meant the tent was cosy at all times. We had a fire guard which meant it was safe for him to walk about. It was pretty special showering outside and we were really surprised how hot it got! I would definitely recommend hiring a tent with a hot tub, it was amazing and meant we came home the most relaxed we've been in ages! The farm tour was great and Anna and Will couldn't of made us feel more at home. We're already looking at dates for next year.

We had an excellent holiday at College Farm. It was our first experience of a Featherdown Farm Holiday and we were not disappointed. Marcus and Lucy made us feel very welcome and nothing was too much trouble. Our 3 and 5 year old were delighted with the facilities available for them. It was the first holiday we have taken where we could let them roam freely in a safe environment. (We had tent one so we could keep an eye on where they were, whether it be the slide, swings, sand pit, lambs, chickens or hay bales.) The set up of the tent is ideal for a first camping experience for a young family, and given that the weather was inclement, we were delighted with the living space. The boys shared the bunk beds and loved helping Daddy cook on the fire. We hired a chicken coop for right outside our tent. Our youngest loved going out in his PJs to see if they had laid each morning and he was happy watching their antics when our eldest wanted to play some more in the hay bales with his new friends. We hope to back soon!

We had the most wonderful holiday at the Fermette des trois tilleuls and Clémentine, Alexandre and their family were fantastic hosts, making us feel so welcome on their lovely farm. They have thought of everything: walks with their alpacas, spare wellies and games for the kids to borrow, a group BBQ with meat from their farm and an amazing ‘honesty shop’ packed with local delicacies! It was our first experience of Featherdown Farm outside the UK and we loved it- can’t wait to return next summer!