Eco-friendly Feather Down Farm Days

IT WAS not quite the road to perdition, but it certainly felt like it. In hindsight, it was perhaps not the wisest decision to begin our long-awaited weekend away amid the endless lines of traffic cones on the M62 and M6. On a Friday afternoon. At the end of half-term.

The sat-nav said the journey should only have taken one hour 45 minutes, but three and a half hours later we were still making slow, very slow, progress.

The Lazytown CD – on a constant loop on the car stereo – had at least drowned out the tantrums emanating from the back seat, but was grating worse than fingernails on a chalkboard, and by the time we spied the first signpost for our destination, it wasn’t only the kids in the back who were crying tears of frustration.

Suddenly, we spotted Dolphinholme House Farm nestling down in the valley and it felt like a switch had been flicked. As the car descended the hill, the dark clouds inside my head lifted, my shoulders relaxed and a warm glow washed over me.

It felt a bit like finding a long-lost friend, and in many ways it was, because we had been here before.

The farm, near Lancaster, on the edge of the beautiful Trough of Bowland, is a Feather Down Farm.

We last visited in 2007, when Millie, now six, was three and her brother, Joe, now two, was still a twinkle in the eye.

Back then, Feather Down Farms were pretty much a new phenomenon, imported from Holland after being devised by the man who also brought us Centre Parcs.

Now there are 24, stretching from Scotland to Cornwall.

All are working farms, located in some of the most beautiful farmland and nature reserves in Britain.

Dolphinholme is a family-run organic farm, which when we stayed in 2007 was in the process of switching from a cattle to goat farm.

That transformation is now complete, and there were a number of other changes at the farm – all for the better – which had been introduced since our last visit, but most things, thankfully, remained the same.

For starters, the hospitable Gorst family was still running the show, with the head of the family, John, clearly revelling in his role as farmer-cum-holiday rep. He was full of information about the farm and his goats, and had enough cheeky one-liners to have Jimmy Carr fearing for his title as the nation’s favourite quip-meister.

The accommodation was exactly the same, although the farm had found space for three more ‘tents’ to add to the handful already on site.

Tents is a misnomer, for they are more like chalets, furnished with shabby-chic décor, complete with wooden floors and an incredible amount of space.

Each ‘tent’ came with a vintage flushing toilet, but there is no electricity, so no television, computer or radio in sight. I couldn’t even get a signal on my mobile phone. Bliss.

Cooking was done on a wood-burning stove, with light provided by oil lamps and candles.

To keep food fresh, each tent has a massive cool chest, their temperatures kept in check by frozen water bottles replenished each day.

Pans and utensils are provided and every Feather Down Farm has an honesty shop, open 24 hours a day, where campers stock up on basic essentials and groceries, and all have shower blocks to keep campers happy and clean.

The shop at Dolphinholme was previously a caravan, but had now been replaced by a permanent structure, and the shower block had also been replaced by something much bigger and brighter.

Millie and Joe adored their Wendyhouse-style canopy bed, while Karen and I had our own bedroom with a comfortable double bed, duvet and sheets.

There was a further bedroom with two bunk beds for friends Jo and Phil, and there was plenty of space for all of us.

The set-up at Dolphinholme is simply brilliant. The tents are well spaced apart so as to provide privacy, but close enough to ensure campers and the children, in particular, could mix and socialise.

They were sited on the edge of woodland and a ten-acre field stretched out before you – it was like having the world’s biggest and greenest balcony right on your doorstep.

It was a magnificent safe haven for children; there was no traffic to worry about and the kids could run here, there and everywhere while always remaining in our sights.

As the early morning mist lifted, we would start the day by filling the stove with wood to get a cosy fire flickering, then clunking the kettle on to get the first pot of tea on the go.

Millie and Joe would head off to the chicken coop to collect the fresh eggs needed to accompany the thick slices of bacon for breakfast.

There was no rush to go anywhere, and nothing to do except take in the view. It felt strange to begin with, then liberating.

After a long and lazy breakfast – we usually finished just in time for lunch – Millie and Joe would race off with their new-found pals, Ruby and Lola, leaving us to do pretty much nothing except breathe in the crisp fresh air and relax.

When we felt the need to do something, we would go for a gentle walk and a paddle in the nearby stream. At night, we would devour the stew that had been slowly cooking on the stove, light the lamps, gaze into the darkness and enjoy the still night air.

The inevitable British summer rain can put a dampener on the most joyous occasion, but Dolphinholme even takes care of that.

Since our last visit, a barn has been transformed into a sheltered play area, with slide, straw bales to climb and a huge trampoline.

When the clouds did open, the play-barn proved a godsend. Millie and Joe were quite happy to be in there patting the goats and bouncing on the trampoline for much of the afternoon, leaving us adults to get on with doing nothing.

When the time came to leave, we really didn’t want to. It had only been a three-night break, but we were more relaxed than if we’d taken a two-week holiday at a luxury spa.

We’ll definitely be back, and we won’t leave it three years for our return visit this time. But we might just give the M62 a miss.

FACT FILE

Eco-friendly Feather Down Farm Days has expanded to 24 farms this year, including its first in Ireland; Ash Park Farm in Dungiven, Northern Ireland.

Open from April 2 to October 31 this year, a stay in a tented unit for up to six people (max five adults) at Feather Down Farm Days costs from £235 for a midweek stay (four nights) and from £275 for a weekend (three nights).

To book or for more information visit featherdown.co.uk or phone 01420 80804