High Weald self catering cottage, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Hawthbush Farm is a working 140 acre farm with environmental husbandry at the heart of all our activities. We believe in an organic farmed environment with its emphasis on soil health and biodiversity as well as animal welfare and have taken the entire holding into organic conversion with the Soil Association. Instead of bags of fertiliser you will see clover rich leys used to boost fertility! We are also working with Natural England and their Higher Level environmental stewardship scheme to protect and enhance our rare species rich grasslands, ancient coppiced woodland, hedgerows and ponds. We hay our meadows late in the year to encourage wildlife and to allow the diverse grassland species to set seed. We sow areas of wild bird seed mix to help feed wild birds through winter and have a number of skylark plots to encourage these delightful birds to return to us (they have been here the last two years). As well as farming the environment mindfully, we have carefully restored a number of very old and beautiful traditional farm buildings that had fallen into disrepair and were at risk of being put beyond use! We have over insulated the buildings to minimise heat loss and installed a carbon negative central biomass boiler to heat the entire farm, using logged wood from the farm where possible.
Community
Our guest guide highlights local businesses and attractions which share our values. We are pleased to support our two local pubs, the Gun and the Six Bells, both of which serve excellent locally sourced food as well as the much lauded local ale Harveys (brewery tours can be booked and come much recommended). Both are a short distance away. We also use and recommend the local organic farmshop at Chillies Farm on the beautiful Pevensey Levels as well as Middle Farm which has a fantastic range of Ciders as well as a farm tour to keep the kids happy. We source most of our goods and services from our excellent network of local trades and suppliers who live and work within 10 miles of the farm and will be pleased to share recommendations with you.
Landscape
Chiddingly is nestled on the edge of the High Weald area of Outstanding Beauty and there is a wealth of footpaths and cycle routes that weave through this ancient landscape, once the industrial heart of Britain. The Wealdway is under a mile away and the Cuckoo Trail passes close by. We have bikes available and look forward to helping you discover the area for yourself.
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