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Visit Feather Down Manor Farm for the perfect post-lockdown pick-me-up trip
WITHIN minutes of us arriving at the farm for our glamping break, our de-luxe lodge was besieged by chickens.
The first rule of camping on a farm is to ALWAYS shut up your tent, or lodge, when not in or near it.
If not, fowl play may ensue, as feathered fiends peck and poop at will. But maybe they were exacting revenge after being chased by a naked four-year-old.
Our little Hunter, a first-time glamper, had been distracted by the flock of five just as he was putting on his swimmers for a hot-tub dip. But luckily, after the poultry poodunnit, for the rest of the week the chickens and kids got on just fine.
My wife and our children Hunter and Mia, two, were staying at 500-acre Feather Down Manor Farm in Alton, Hants, in a six-person canvas-topped cabin called Watery Lane which came with rustic Jacuzzi, outdoor shower, barbecue and open fire.
By the end of our stay, like a gang of Bear Grylls wannabees, we had mastered the art of keeping three fires going at once. Stocking the hot tub, indoor stove and barbecue after a few holiday beers is tougher than you’d think.
Inside, the wood-floored lodge, with canvas sides and top, was more than big enough for the four of us, with a sofa next to the central stove and a grand old wooden table and chairs on the other side.
The kitchen had everything we needed and the toilet — yes, our own, proper loo, that is why this is glam camping — was at the back of the canopy near the bedrooms. Oh, and there’s even an en-suite shower.
With bunk beds, a double bed and a secret cupboard bed to choose from, there are options for both big and little campers.
Dad was relegated to the cupboard bed for most of our stay, after a restless night on the bottom bunk, as the other three hunkered down in the double bed.
The three-in-a-bed game helped with keeping warm, though, as the temperature at night fell to nearly freezing. That also meant a 4.30am wake-up to kickstart the fire, after first stumbling about trying to find matches to light candles and paraffin lamps.
But if you really can’t live without electricity, you can charge your phone inside the outbuildings for 50p a pop.
Meanwhile, Manor Farm owners Anna and Will Brock invited us to meet some of the 600 lambs that they have welcomed this spring.
Most of the farm’s sheep graze the water meadows of the South Downs National Park[/caption]
Most of the farm’s sheep graze the water meadows of the South Downs National Park but any newborns, mums or orphans that need extra attention were looked after in the barn next to our lodge.
So if you head to Manor Farm in the spring, expect the soundtrack to feature a lot of bleating lambs.
Anna and Will’s farm has been in the Brock family since 1895 and he is now the fourth generation of his family to get stuck in. The couple launched their glamping business in 2006 and have not looked back.
Manor Farm is a fully working farm and in normal, non-pandemic times guests are taken out on quad bikes by the team to show them what goes on.
Before we arrived, Anna even sent a video showing us what to expect and where to go to collect our wood.
The log store is right next to the Honesty Shop — perfect for everything you either forgot or couldn’t be bothered to bring.
The cabin comes with rustic Jacuzzi, outdoor shower, barbecue and open fire[/caption]
Anna, who used to run her own catering company, also supplies cooked ready meals, or one-pot wonders to slow- cook over an open fire.
We bought charcoal and barbecued most nights, after cooking breakfast inside every morning.
You could easily spend your time chilling out at your lodge but we used our HQ as a base from which to explore the beaches an hour’s drive away at West Wittering and Bournemouth, as well as the New Forest.
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On Anna’s recommendation, we found the excellent Alice Holt Forest, just five minutes’ drive away. It is great for bikers and walkers.
If you’re short of ideas for walks, the best pubs to visit or what to do on rainy days, then Anna is your expert for all that.
Just bring plenty to wrap up in on those cold nights. Oh, and keep your lodge shut when out and about, lest it become a chicken run.
