Our stay at Featherdown, Lake District Farm -

After a very long few months staring at our own four walls and walking the same paths around our village, when restrictions began to lift and hospitality re-opened, we jumped at the chance to get back out on our adventures. Having visited Featherdown previously in Northumberland, we were keen to try a different location and decided that with the Lake District having such sentimental connections to our family, Lake District Farm would be the perfect place to kick start our travels for the year and celebrate Megan’s 8th birthday.

Just an hours drive from home, Lake District Farm is located in the charming village of Hesket Newmarket and is owned by the Stobart family who have farmed here for over twenty years. The farm is a 300 acre traditional sheep and cattle farm that is worked in a sustainable manner as part of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and, with three animal mad children, I just knew how much they would love exploring the farm, running wild and making the most of a much needed change of scenery.

We arrived at Featherdown Lake District Farm on the Friday and were greeted by Christine, the farmers wife, who showed us where to park our car and directed us to our tent. At Featherdown cars are not permitted by the tents so you have to transport your luggage via wheelbarrow which is such a novelty for the children. When we arrived at our tent Christine had already got our fire going on the wood burning stove so it was lovely and warm, despite being uncharacteristically cold outside for May, and felt very welcoming.

During our last stay at Featherdown in 2019 the tents had just arrived on the farm and were very “shiny and new” in many respects. This time our tent was more established and as a result it felt far more rustic as a result. I actually think the fact it was a little more weathered made it all the more charming and I loved the quirkiness of the mismatched furniture and the different colours and textures of the wood.

Like our previous stay with Featherdown our tent had a large living, dining and kitchen area as you walked into the tent with lots of natural light from the windows and large opening doors. Despite staying with Featherdown before, the children still let out an audible gasp of amazement as they entered the tent and I think no matter how many times you’ve stayed before, that feeling never really goes away.

To the left is the seating area which consists of a sofa and a large chest which not only worked as a cool box using frozen hot water bottles inside, but also doubled up as an extra seating area at night when we were sat around the fire. To the right is the dining table with six chairs and two handing candle arbours for when it grew dark.

In the middle is the kitchen area, centred around the wood burning stove which was used for both heating and cooking during our stay. The kitchen is fully equipped with pots and pans, cutlery and crockery as well as a sink with cold running water. Our tent did not have hot water but we were able to boil the kettle on the stove or collect hot water from the washroom close by.

During our stay last time, the wood burning stove was our Nemesis and we really struggled to get it going. This time we were a little more clued up and, after a couple of practice runs, we found a technique which worked for us and had the fire roaring each morning in no time. Usually the weather would have been lovely at this time of year and so I think we were very unlucky to experience such low temperatures!

To the back of tent through a curtain are two bedrooms, the first being a smaller room with bunk beds and a small amount of storage. I always think this room looks so cosy and inviting and the girls instantly asked to sleep in there together on the first night, desperate to crawl into the top bunk together and snuggle up in their own little hideaway.

In the second bedroom is a large double bed with hanging space and ample storage so you can unpack and make yourself at home during your stay. I love that Featherdown provides both bedding and towels during your stay which not only frees up more space in the car but adds that luxury feel too. Each room has hanging space for a lantern at night too as it does get very dark when the sun goes down!

But the most exciting part of the tent for the kids by far, and the thing which always gives me Santa Clause the Movie feels, is the “cupboard bed” – a double bed hidden in a wooden cubby hole with opening doors and, even better, a large storage space beneath. Despite it being over two years since our last visit the children have spoke about the “cupboard bed” almost every single day since so they were delighted to discover that each tent had the same.

This is definitely the warmest, cosiest spot in the whole of the tent and, when you close the doors at night, it completely cuts out the draught and gives the best nights sleep. Harry begged me to sleep in there with him on the first night and I was delighted, we all know how much I hate being cold. On the second night all three of the children slept in there together and I was desperate to squeeze in the middle!

Even in the evening before bed or during the day whilst we played at the tent, the kids would sit in the cupboard and close the doors and I’d hear them whispering away and plotting together, or using their imaginations and playing games together, and it was so lovely to hear.

Whilst our tent at Lakeside Farm did have a toilet, it didn’t have a shower (although there are some tents available with en suites) and as a result we had to go to the shower block which was perfectly situated just a stones throw from our tent. Downstairs in an old out building were hot showers and a large sink area and upstairs, ordinarily, would be the Honesty Shop where you can buy supplies for during your stay. We were told due to Covid this wasn’t open but you could still access the room to use the fridge, freezer, collect frozen hot water bottles for the cool box and plug in any devices you need charging. It’s worth noting that the shower facilities are shared by guests staying in the caravan field on the farm too so they are not exclusively used for those staying with Featherdown.

Obviously Featherdown does not have electricity in any of their tents, nor do they have WiFi, and whilst it’s lovely in lots of ways to switch off and completely embrace the experience for all that it is, having no electricity does take some getting used to! That said, there is nothing quite as magical as returning home to your tent each evening, lighting the candles and sitting around a roaring fire together just chatting about your day. It’s a great way to reconnect and force yourself to just live in the moment.

To the outside of our tent we had a canopy, two deckchairs and a BBQ which, unfortunately due to the weather, we didn’t use this time. Our view couldn’t have been better though with our tent looking directly out to the bluebells and a picturesque stream running below where the children had a great time splashing around in their wellies. I imagine had the weather been better they would have loved paddling in there and cooling down and during the Summer months I think it would be utterly idyllic.

In the centre of the tents is a large football pitch where the children can play together, make new friends and just enjoy spending time outdoors. We’d forgot to bring our football with us and didn’t see one available but they enjoyed racing up and down and burning off some energy each day and it was a lovely space to enjoy.

To the far end of the field was the pizza oven where ordinarily you could buy fresh pizzas cooked outdoors in the evenings. Again this was not running during our stay, perhaps due to Covid, and yet I’m sure they would have been delicious. You can’t beat a wood fired pizza!

Next to this was a series of picnic benches and a wooden swing which the children took turns on and were delighted by. I would say that the farm could hugely benefit by adding to this play area a little, even with just an additional swing, but at seven, eight and nine, our three never cease to be excited by the little things and I think the looks on their faces speak volumes.

There are lots of lovely walks in the area to explore, we actually walked ten miles on our first night though the most beautiful countryside paths, and treated ourselves to fish and chips from a nearby town. Back in the tent the children had just one thing in mind – toasting marshmallows! I think toasting marshmallows on an open fire, be that inside or outside, is always so exciting and I often get a lump in my throat looking back at these moments and how lucky we are to be making such lovely memories.

I’ll be honest, although Featherdown encourages you to switch off, we did crack out the iPad in the evening for the children to watch a pre-downloaded film and I make no apologies for that. Whilst the children snuggled on the couch in their onesies and watched a film together, I read by candlelight and enjoyed every single minute of that silence, so sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes – screens or no screens!

The next morning we were greeted by Christine with a huge breakfast hamper (available at an additional cost) filled with fresh eggs from the farm, bacon, sausage, cereal, condiments, tea, coffee and fruit. And after all that fresh air we were utterly ravenous!

She had also offered to bake us fresh bread for the morning which was still warm when we collected it and was devoured in minutes with thick real butter which I am assured tasted utterly delicious.

With the fire up and running we had the kettle boiling and the sausages sizzling in no time and, although cooking on a wood burning stove takes some getting used to, it tasted all the more delicious as a result. There’s something very primitive about cooking on fire and it sounds silly but it’s a great feeling to serve up a breakfast you’ve cooked in that way!

After breakfast the children were keen to explore the farm and we had been told by the hosts we could wander freely throughout the farm, even going into the chicken coups to collect eggs which was a real treat for the children. During our previous stay with Featherdown in Northumberland we had been bowled over by our guided tour of the farm, riding in the farmers jeep across the fields, hand feeding the lambs and learning more about the farming industry as a whole. At Lake District Farm this tour wasn’t offered and although it was a little disappointing, the children were none the wiser and were happy chasing chickens and falling in love with every single lamb.

If I were to ask the children what their favourite part of the stay at Featherdown Lake District Farm had been I guarantee they would say collecting the eggs. The look on their faces when they lifted the hatch to discover freshly laid eggs was well and truly priceless!

With the chicken coup being located within sight of our tent the children were able to run up and down several time a day to check on the eggs and, as you can imagine, they did just that. It was lovely to allow them that little bit of freedom too, although I am guilty of being quite over-protective of our children, I know it does them good to gain their independence in settings such as this.

There are two large barns off the farm yard with one dedicated entirely to the cows. According to the Featherdown website the farmer is passionate about his livestock, particularly his Highland cattle and he can often be found at agricultural shows where he is a regular trophy winner. It would have been lovely to hear a little more about this from the hosts but as you can imagine, our children were just happy to stand and stroke them for hours at a time and ask whether we could take them all home!

As a family who eat meat, staying on farms poses a lot of questions from the children and whilst it’s not always an easy lesson to learn, I think it’s important for children to see exactly where their meat comes from and allow them to make informed decisions about their choices as they grow. As is the case for the majority of farming these days, Lake District Farm promotes a sustainable approach to farming and I think that’s really important.

In the second barn we discovered the lambs and the squeals of delight from the children could be heard for miles around I’m sure! The lambs were a little timid at first but after a lot of coaxing the children soon had them eating out of the palms of their hands, quite literally.

In the same barn we discovered a pig and her baby piglets which the children thought was lovely. The piglets slept a lot over the weekend and yet the children would insist on checking on them every few minutes to see if they had woke up!

Although we enjoyed exploring the Lake District during our stay, I’m sure the children would have quite happily spent the entire weekend in that barn stroking the lambs. In better weather I think we could quite easily have stayed on site and just enjoyed lots of lovely walks and allowed the children to run around and entertain themselves. I imagine in the Summer months there is a much more communal feel to the farm and I can picture the children playing together whilst the adults get the BBQ on and enjoy a glass of wine in the sunshine.

The following morning we woke to celebrate a very special day – Megan’s 8th Birthday! It was so lovely to experience a birthday here at Featherdown, we have never celebrated any of the children’s birthday whilst away on holiday before so it was a real first for us too. Hiding the presents in the car had been a real challenge and yet she was so surprised to discover them all there ready and waiting.

As the fire roared away, with the patter of rain on the tent windows, she enjoyed every single minute of her birthday morning and I have no doubt that in years to come she will look back and remember her birthday at Featherdown with such fond memories.

Even more special, we heard a little knock at the door and Christine presented Megan with a home made birthday cake and card from all of the family at Lake District Farm. With a thick, double layered chocolate cake with a tasty Nutella filling, alongside candles which was so lovely and thoughtful, Megan couldn’t wait to tuck in and we were so touched that the hosts had gone to such an effort to make her day so special. Plus I am told by Gaz and the children, the cake was absolutely incredible!!

We had such a lovely weekend at Featherdown Lake District Farm and will be sharing more of what we got up to in the local area this coming week. The children are already asking when we can go back and I’m already looking forward to the next time we can switch off, breathe in the great outdoors, and enjoy more of the simple things in life. Weekends like this are a great reminder of what’s important in life and I think, this year more than ever, we can all agree the answer to that is each other.