North Hampshire B&B farm, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
My husband, Mark, planted a Cedar tree in the pasture when we became engaged - then it was 4 feet, now it is over 22 feet high and is one of our favourite features of the farm. Mark has been busy replanting native trees around the farm - especially Oak and Horse Chestnut (the farm is popular at conker time!).
We like to encourage garden birds and never forget to feed them. Our favourite is the rare Spotted Woodpecker. We have lots of Finches, the occasional Nuthatch, House Martins returning each summer, Cuckoos in spring and our very own Barn Owl. This area has plenty of Red Kites. Our neighbour is encouraging English Partridges. What a dawn chorus!
The other local visitors include Muntjac Deer and Roe Deer, plus lots of Hares. At some point we'd like to have our own bee-hives and supply our own local honey.
Nothing goes to waste here. Anything the family doesn't eat goes to the chickens, cats and horses. We are active recyclers and encourage all of our guests to think the same way. We also source our own wood supplies to burn on our open fires in the winter months.
We are self-sufficient in water. Our own water supply is pumped from 200 feet below us, naturally filtered by the chalk and chlorinated for our household consumption. We also collect as much rainwater as we can.
We have ideas to be more self-sufficient in energy. We are looking at installing solar panels and we'd like to create a heat transfer facility from the milking parlour to supply the indoor swimming pool.
Bread comes from our favourite local bakers in Whitchurch and Overton. Sausages and bacon come from a local butcher in Overton.
Community
Many of our guests rely on our personal recommendations in order to make the most of North Wessex. There are some good pubs in the area for evening meals - the Red Lion at Overton, The Vine at Hannington and the White Hart at Whitchurch all share our principle of sourcing locally whenever we can.
There is an organic vegetable shop just up the road where we often buy our breakfast mushrooms and tomatoes. A good friend of ours specialises in Pottery and Cakes. And the neighbours have Alpacas.
This area is especially good for walking and riding. We have our own horses - Jesper and Fantasy - and are out riding most days. We have done most of the local bridleways and can speak about and recommend walks and rides from years of personal experience. The farmhouse is well stocked with local maps.
I am very active with our local church. The farm hosted a MacMillan coffee morning recently. We seem to have become the social centre for Cole Henley. We had a Garden Party for the Royal Wedding in 2011 and hope to organise something for the Jubilee in 2012. We have hosted the Harvest Festival twice in recent years - an important fund-raising event attracting 100 or so people each time.
This is a family business and we believe in a fair deal for local people who work with us. People like our B&B Housekeeper and Relief Milker have each been with us over 10 years and, if asked, know a host of local stories. The family is used to having B&B visitors around us. Tourists are really welcome in ths area. Whitchurch is actively promoting itself to visitors and Downton Abbey has really helped to put us on the map.
Landscape
Everytime my daughter and I do what we call the "milk bales" ride on Jesper and Fantasy, we head north on the bridleways and quiet country lanes to eventually reach one of our secret and favourite hill-top spots. I often say to her "isn't this view amazing" - the green and rolling countryside, the glimpse of Angledown Copse and Wormley Copse set against the skyline, the trees, hedgerows and changing seasons, and the deer jumping across the fields. A truly unspoilt and beautiful part of the North Hampshire Downs looking west towards Litchfield and the heart of North Wessex and east towards Hannington and Watership Down.
This ride crosses the Portway Roman Road - a pre-historic trade route once linking London and Dorchester. This can still be traced on the map today especially towards Andover and Hannington. Close to the farm we have a Tumulus and Long Barrow.
We have a lot of regular and friendly faces who come back to enjoy our B&B and our historic and cultural landscape. Our whole family love to talk about and share 'our land' with our guests.
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