Cheshire Farm Stay: holiday accommodation in rural Cheshire

As the days get longer, visitors wend their way down country lanes to enjoy a traditional farmhouse bed and breakfast, a stay in a self-catering cottage, or a night under the stars in a glamping pod or shepherd’s hut. They find time spent on a Cheshire farm is the perfect way to breathe in the fresh air and exhale the stresses of urban living.

The start of lambing season is a particular popular time with guests who want to see the newborns being reared in the sheds and gambolling in the fields. Sally-Ann Chesters of Millmoor Farm, near Malpas is well prepared. She puts her tups in with 400 ewes at a time to ensure the lambs are born to coincide with the spring half-term and Easter breaks.

In the gardens at Yew Tree Farm. Image: Yew Tree Farm ‘Sheep are a big favourite at lambing time as guests love to feed and hold the baby lambs. There is a vicar and his wife who visit regularly, and he finds it so calming in the lambing sheds, where he prays and enjoys watching us work with the sheep,’ says Sally-Ann.

In contrast, she occasionally comes across guests in more unusual places, recalling how she rescued one young man on a stag do who she found handcuffed to the pig pen – a memorable one-off event.

Some guests are such regular visitors they have become firm friends.

‘We have the same set of guests who book every February. They are all from Essex but they first met here on the farm, and now they return together each year.’

A friendly Yew Tree Farm resident. Image: Yew Tree Farm Sally-Ann concedes that for all the warm welcome she gives their guests, the real stars of the show are the goats, donkeys, hens, dogs, and cows.

‘The children love going around with 'Farmer Dave' and our son Lloyd, helping to feed all the calves each morning and afternoon, checking on the sheep in the fields, feeding the hens, goats, pigs, donkeys and bonding with our five working collie dogs. We educate our guests on where the best meat is sourced in the UK and they can see the high standards of care on our farm close up. There is no better way to explain where food comes from than staying on a working farm.’

Farm stays are also popular with families with children with autism, providing a quieter environment than a hotel and the youngsters connect with the animals.

‘A girl with autism came to stay each year from when she was nine until 15, and she helped Dave lamb the ewes. We then heard she had got a place at an agricultural college, which is lovely,’ says Sally-Ann.

Sally-Ann Chesters with donkeys Dudley and Eddie who delight children staying at Millmoor Farm. Image: Kirsty Thompson Millmoor Farm has six cottages for hire, ranging from sleeping two people to seven and accommodating 28 in total at any one time.

‘Two of the cottages have log burners, which guests love. We offer breakfast packs to buy and provide a homemade traybake or cakes for their arrival,’ says Sally-Ann, adding that when her cottages are full, the farmstead is like a village and she misses the visitors during the quieter times of the year.

Farm life and hospitality life run together, each aiding the other. It is of course a busy life and not without its challenges, but Sally-Ann finds support through the Cheshire Farm Stay group. They meet each month to catch up and discuss the nitty-gritty of running their businesses, run an engaging Facebook page, and attend events such as the Nantwich Show to promote themselves. Sally-Ann is currently the chairperson and has been a member for nearly 30 years.

Rachel Whittingham of Yew Tree Farm, Tattenhall, winner of a Marketing Cheshire Award. Image: Kirsty Thompson ‘The support and community of Cheshire Farm Stay is fantastic. I started a bed and breakfast business on our farm when I was 27 in 1995 and newly married. After only a few weeks, I was approached by another farmer’s wife to join Shropshire Farm Stay.

I had no idea about the organisation but was so glad to meet like-minded people that I didn’t hesitate. After several years, I switched over to Cheshire Farm Stay as that is where I live, although on the edge of Shropshire. I have met some of my best friends through CFS and also had some of my most lucrative bookings through referrals. We bounce ideas off each other all the time.’

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Just before Christmas, Cheshire Farm Stay teamed up with Malpas Young Farmers to run a fashion show at The Barbour Institute in Tattenhall, to raise money for Breast Cancer UK.

‘This shows our community spirit and brings us together to have a bit of fun and raise some money as well. We collaborated with the young farmers to bring a younger audience in and raise our profile.’

Group members also advise each other on issues such as accessible accommodation for disabled visitors, from widening doors for wheelchair use, eliminating steps, and creating pathways.

Catherine Rayner of Hill House Farm, Tarporley, outside one of the lodges which she has designed to be accessible for people with limited mobility. Image: Kirsty Thompson Another Cheshire Farm Stay member, Catherine Rayner of Hill House Farm, Tarporley, has tried to ensure her accommodation is as inclusive as possible. She offers two single-storey lodges, each with three en suite bedrooms, and the master bedrooms have en suite wet rooms and other aids for people with limited mobility.

She says: ‘We know accessible accommodation improves the overall experience for all guests, creating a more comfortable and enjoyable stay.

‘Accessible features attract not only those with disabilities but also their friends and families. We regularly have multiple generational families staying with us, so grandparents can join their families on their trip, creating lasting memories.’

Bedroom in The Corn Store at Millmoor Farm. Image: Kirsty Thompson Millmoor Farm, Malpas SY14 8ED

Email: bookings@millmoorfarm.co.uk

Tel: 01948 820304

Website: millmoorfarm.co.uk

Bright and country airy Country Lodge at Hill House Farm. Image: Kirsty Thompson Hill House Farm, Tarporley CW6 9AU

Email: info@hillhousefarm-cheshire.co.uk

Tel: 01829 732238

hillhousefarm-cheshire.co.uk

From north to south, east to west, Cheshire farms are offering a chance to get away from it all. Here four hosts explain why a stay on a farm is so special

The striking Grade 1 Jacobean farmhouse at Moss Hall Farm, Audlem. Image: Moss Hall Farm Moss Hall Farm, Audlem CW3 0HA

This Grade 1 listed Jacobean manor house is a real step back in time. Tudor Rose is a one-bedroom first-floor apartment with views across acres of farmland where visitors enjoy spotting buzzards, Canadian geese, squirrels, swallows, and rabbits, and by night, badgers, owls and bats. Host Julie Turner says: ‘Guests also love to watch the baby lambs playing in their gangs, running and jumping high as if on springs.’

Although she lives in a home steeped in history, Julie says agricultural life is always changing with the times. ‘Having guests is an opportunity for farmers to talk about what they do to improve habitat and biodiversity. We planted 1,500 trees last winter, which provide wildlife corridors connecting fields to existing hedgerows, shelter and habitat. We also planted a wildflower meadow which will provide many insects and bees with food and shelter,' she says.

Tel: 07806 703872

Email: turnermosshall@gmail.com

Web: visitcheshire.com/accommodation/moss-hall-p322021

Yew Tree Farm, North Rode CW12 2PF

At Yew Tree Farm, guests from all over the world enjoy a hearty breakfast of locally produced food such as cured bacon, Macclesfield sausages, oatcakes with Cheshire cheese, eggs from hens, homemade jams and prize-winning marmalade.

The farm’s goats are also partial to a piece of toast with Graphite, a British alpine goat, always up to be taken on a post-breakfast walk with a lead across the fields. There are walks in the woods and down to the lake which is full of wildfowl.

Host Sheila Kidd says: ‘We have guests who have been coming every year for 30 years and have booked again for next year.’

One group of visitors from Hong Kong came specifically to see the Highland cows and spent several hours photographing them.

Tel: 01260 223569

Email: yewtreebb@hotmail.com

Web: yewtreebb.co.uk

Brook House Farm, Minshull Vernon Middlewich CW10 0LU

Every year a cottage on Brook House Farm is full of Christmas cheer as the same family gathers for a festive get-together. They love it because of its peaceful, picturesque setting and because their granddaughter, who uses a wheelchair, can get around the accommodation with ease and has space to play in the secure garden. The 18th-century cottage sleeps eight, and while renovated for comfort, retains the original beams, oak doors and floors.

Another guest who visits twice a year feels so much part of the family she knits jumpers for the daughters of host Harriet Davies. She and her husband stay in The Dairy, which is a ground-floor barn conversion. Harriet says: ‘It is so kind of her, she has just emailed saying she has had a car accident and is not very mobile, so she wants to knit some more jumpers to keep her busy.’

Harriet has been involved in Cheshire Farm Stay since she was a girl, attending meetings with her mother. After her mother died, she went along with her father, taking her two young daughters with her, meaning three generations were taking part in the meetings.

Tel: 01270 522202

Email: brookhousefarmcottage@gmail.com

Web: cheshire-farm-cottage.co.uk

Goose Green Farm, Mottram St Andrew, Macclesfield SK10 4RA

Dillys Hatch has been serving breakfast for her guests for more than 40 years but never tires of meeting people and hosting visitors on her farm. Her Edwardian farmhouse is only seven miles from Manchester Airport so is welcomed by travellers looking for a place to stay before or after a flight. Crucially, it is not on the flight path so sleep is not disrupted.

‘The difference between us and a Premier Inn for a short stay is the hospitality. We go the extra mile and I am open all year round,’ says Dillys. Goose Green Farm specialises in pedigree Bazadaise cattle, along with the recent introduction of British Blue Cattle for crossbreeding. It also has four coarse fishing lakes, and day passes are available for guests. She has regular guests who say they love the log fires, details such as the homemade tea cosies at tea time and watching birds feed from the bird-table as they have breakfast.

‘Guests say they feel at home and that’s why they come back again and again,’ says Dillys.

Dillys is one of the founding members of the Cheshire Farm Stay group and says it is invaluable for swapping ideas and information and for passing on guests if their place is full.

Tel: 01625 828814

Email: info@goosegreenfarm.com

Web: goosegreenfarm.com

The Cottage, Yew Tree Farm. Image: Kirsty Thompson Yew Tree Farm, Tattenhall CH3 9NE

Rachel Whittingham, owner of two holiday cottages and a five-pitch caravan site, won a Marketing Cheshire Tourism Award 2022-23 for the standard of her accommodation and her ability to attract visitors to Cheshire, particularly through her Instagram account, which gives an entertaining glimpse into the life on the farm. Rachel says she has many guests from America and Australia who stay at the farm as a base to explore their Cheshire ancestry. Families with children with autism or learning difficulties find the farm is a perfect holiday setting. Dillys says: ‘The children benefit greatly by interacting with the animals and the peace and quiet of the landscape.'

''The Cheshire Farm Stay group, brings women from across the county together. ‘We are the real Cheshire housewives.’

Tel: 01829 770311

Email: info@yewtreefarmholidays.com

Web: yewtreefarmholidays.com

Instagram: yewtreefarmholidays

Cheshire Farm Stay Facebook: facebook.com/cheshirefarmstay

More places to stay: farmstay.co.uk/placestovisit/northwest/cheshire