Self Catering

Based in two super red brick stable conversions with beams and wood pannelling.

Chess Cottage

Two comfortable double bedrooms, upstairs bathroom, electric shower over bath.

Downstairs open plan sitting, dining room with kitchen separated by original horse stable stall. Painted in environmentally friendly relaxing moss green paint (Holkham Linseed Lichen). Comfy sofas and furnished with designer fabrics from Watts of Westminster.

(Dishwasher, electric oven, coffee percolater, washing machine, separate full sized fridge and freezer, double sink. This is useful in case you holiday with friends and book both cottages.)

Apple Blossom Cottage

Self-catering cottage more suitable for those with some mobility problems. There are grab rails and a downstairs shower room and separate downstairs toilet. Upstairs there is a gorgeous four-poster bedroom, beautifully professionally stencilled by Linda Mills, Norfolk. A twin bedroom with patchwork quilts and trompe loeill painting overlooks the paddock with horses. An upstairs bathroom with shower and bath is well equipped as is the kitchen with fridge and small freezer box, washing machine, food mixer etc.

The side door of Apple Blossom opens out onto the rockery, particularly pretty in Springtime which you would have a photo of but it keeps getting lost in the ether trying to insert it into this website! If you would like to see it please email for details and will send it across!

Local produce can be popped into your fridge for your arrival. Organic Revolution Vegetable Box can be booked prior to your arrival so that moving in and relaxing becomes even easier. If you enjoy browsing for local produce then three miles from us is the Upper Holme Farm Shop, a much happier experience than an anonymous supermarket.

If you feel the need to be pampered breakfast can be provided for Self-catering guests too with advance notice for fresh produce shopping. Hampers can also be provided, a choice of Herefordshire Produce Suppliers can be sent to you. Monkland Mousetrap cheese and award winning Glyn-Slade Jones chutney sausages or Tudges sausages are a must! You can meet these producers easily at one of the many Herefordshire Market Towns Farmers Markets.

The Cottages

Share a lovely, enclosed herb garden, a real sun trap in the evenings` ideal for barbecues and relaxing and the paved front provides ample car-parking or bicycle parking plus a superb spot in the sun to watch frantic swallows in their evening dance routine and at this time of year you are serenaded by the toads. 

Chess Cottage, sitting room.

Guests have full use of the extensive garden, with adult sized slide and trampoline! Swinging seats and hidden seats enable you to read and bird watch in isolation whilst keeping an eye on the farming activities in the fields around you! At present speedy ploughing and planting is taking place.  The harvest looked as if it was going to be a disaster with just rain, rain rain and suddenly it all came together.  Summer guests were able to watch continuous combining - very exciting when you are small and pretty cool if you were born earlier.  Watch out for the family of woodpeckers who have adopted us, also this year the bullfinches are out in force - must be the home grown sunflower seeds! Tree sparrows have been spotted in the woodland adjacent to the Prill cider apple orchard.

Farm Trail

A carefully written farm trail is available should you wish to investigate the apple orchards and gaze a while at Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains further a field. This was fine tuned as part of the Herefordshire Nature Trust’s Growing Green Tourism initiative.

Farming

This is a working mixed enterprise farm. Jon enjoys taking guests around the orchards, talking about the ancient names of the fields the crops that are grown and his life as a third generation farmer - depending on farm committments. Our daughters enjoy playing with guests and often walk with Tilly our Welsh cob, around, pointing out local landmarks or simply guiding people around the farm. Drying facilities are easy to arrange if necessary – should the weather be inclement or you indulge in Black Mountain Activities!! We are quite used to stuffing wellies, in fact finding wellies and sorting out dripping waterproofs is one of our specialities.

We have always tried to protect our environment and hope to attract guests who are interested in wildlife and their surroundings. We are conscientiously creating ponds, planting trees, planting nectar rich plants, feeding and monitoring birds, saving energy, saving water and recycling whenever possible although we appreciate you are on holiday so our efforts appear to be laid back. We are currently looking at converting our heating as a way of recycling the orchard prunings - watch this space, or if you are an installer of biomass boilers come and stay and advise us!

Slow Food Herefordshire

We are members of the Slow Food Herefordshire Convivium

For further information about the Herefordshire Nature Trusts sites
Visit www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/hereford