We’ve been lucky enough to have had a weekend off, exploring our local area with family who were staying. Where we can, we try to visit new places so we know whether to recommend them to our Farmhouse guests. And this weekend we have definitely been to two places we’ll absolutely be recommending! The first was Bicton Park Botanical Gardens – close to Budleigh Salterton about 40 minutes away. Even though it’s early in the season there was plenty to see – from the various glasshouses to daffodils and early-blooming camellias and magnolias – and a beautiful pinetum with enormous pine trees of different varieties. Bicton Park also has all sorts of features to capture your interest – fountains, a church and graveyard, a pagoda beside a great lake, and a little woodland railway, which was popular with visitors of all ages – even the dog seemed to enjoy it by the end!
And then Sunday we drove out to Castle Neroche – a Forestry Commission site only 20 minutes away. It’s an old iron age hillfort that you can explore with paths taking you through the forest. The thick fog added an air of mystery and calm, and created incredible views with the mossy trees seemingly lit up against the white fog and the black branches. It must be even more spectacular in the spring/summer when the leaves are out and the view from the top is visible.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Spring has finally arrived at Ley Farm Cottages, despite the thick fog that hung over us today. The lawns have had the first mow of the year and look much smarter as a result. The daffodils are now open and adding colour to the Farmhouse garden and the orchard, and are starting to appear in our brick trough and along the edge of the wood. We weeded the little flower border around our chilli greenhouse and planted more vegetable seeds (although we’re a little behind and are still planting ‘January’ seeds!) The lambs have started to appear in the fields around our house – our neighbours are champion breeders of the Hampshire Down breed – the sheep have very fluffy faces so the lambs are absolutely gorgeous!
Very excitingly this week we received confirmation that we had been awarded Cottages.com’s “Customer Choice 2026” award!! This is given to the top 20% of owners whose holiday homes have been rated by customers as at least 4.75 out of 5 in the Cottages.com reviews. We’re so grateful that so many of our guests take the time to give us a review and that they’re all very positive – it makes all the effort feel worthwhile to hear people have enjoyed their stay with us.
We’ve made a little bit more progress with the Cow Shed. We’ve finished priming the whole place now (although there are a few areas we need to touch up – such as where our electrician has moved some of the light fittings around), and made a list of things we need to start buying to be sure we’re ready to open in the summer. We’ve been collecting a few items (manly kitchenware) over the last year but there is still so much to get! It’s been harder to make interior design decisions with the Cow Shed than with our house or the Games Room as we’re trying to make it look different, but we finally committed to buying the kitchen this weekend. We’ve gone with DIY Kitchens again, choosing a shaker style (a country feel) and a dark green colour. It’s slightly smaller than our kitchen but still a peninsula style to maximise worktop and cupboard space. It’s a huge decision so we’ve taken our time – it feels like a mini milestone to have ordered it. Hoping it will be delivered by mid-April…
Ley Farm Cottages 