British Farm Stays grew from a lifelong connection with farming. Founder Anna comes from a farming family whose roots stretch back generations. Through her father’s side, the family can be traced back to the mid 1700s where they farmed at West Pennard, near Glastonbury, and earlier still to Sherborne in Dorset.
By the late 19th century, the family were dairy farmers. As London’s rapidly expanding population created huge demand for fresh milk, the family left Somerset for Rookwood Farm in West Sussex, chosen for its proximity to Warnham railway station on the Horsham to Dorking line, that allowed milk to be transported efficiently to the capital.
By the time Anna was born, her grandfather was farming at Sakeham in Shermanbury. Although a small dairy herd remained, the farm had diversified to focus mainly on arable crops, beef cattle, and turkeys for Christmas. As the youngest son, Anna’s father didn’t inherit the farm, but many relatives continued farming, meaning much of her childhood was spent in and around the countryside.
Some of her happiest memories include collecting still warm eggs, bottle-feeding lambs, riding in the combine harvester during harvest, shaping butter with traditional wooden butter pats, picking blackberries from hedgerows, and walking for miles across the South Downs with a pair of enthusiastic gun dogs leading the way.
Family gatherings at centuries-old farmhouses are just as memorable. The smell of a cake baking in the Aga, Christmas spent around a roaring inglenook fire, summer afternoons in the swimming pool surrounded by apple trees, creaking floorboards and remembering to duck beneath ancient oak beams, and colourful stories shared round the dining table all capture life on a family farm.
It is these memories that inspired British Farm Stays, with the aim to help more people experience the warmth, character, and hospitality of Britain’s working farms, and to discover the people, places, and traditions that make a farm stay so different from any other holiday.
British Farm Stays is designed to help you find your ideal rural retreat. With powerful search tools, detailed property descriptions, easy-to-read room layouts, and clearly highlighted key features, it’s simple to browse and book from hundreds of unique farm stays across the British Isles. You’ll also find a collection of helpful guides to help you make the most of your farm holiday, including recommended places to visit, activities to enjoy, wildlife to look out for, and insights into everyday life on a farm.
Choosing a farm stay holiday is a fantastic way to support the rural economy. Your visit helps sustain local farms and businesses by spending on accommodation, food, attractions, entertainment, and transport.
No, we’re not a booking agency. We partner with leading UK holiday letting agencies to showcase their properties and provide you with tools to search through their listings. When you find a property you like, your booking will be completed through the letting agency’s own website, and any follow-up communication about your stay will be handled directly by them.
