At 9am each morning, Tim Reed, in the heroic guise of Farmer Tim, takes
children visiting Tredethick Farm Cottages to bottle-feed the lambs — he
makes sure there are lambs throughout the year — give the goats and hens
their breakfast, and then rounds off the ritual by lifting the hatch of the
henhouse to see how many eggs the hens have laid.
Somehow, there are always enough for each child to take an egg back to their
cottage. Animal magic? Don’t let on, but Farmer Tim reckons that keeping
three-year-olds happy is paramount, and, should the need arise, he secretly
tops up the egg supply from another farm down the road.
The morning feed is far from Tredethick’s only entertainment for young
children. Short rides on Toby, a docile pony, are laid on twice a week, and
one of the barns has been converted into a vast games room, complete with an
impressive sandpit. There is also an indoor swimming pool.
Last month, my family (including Arthur, 3, and Edward, 1) went to Tredethick
for the second time in the space of a year. For Arthur, the prospect of
meeting Farmer Tim again was the biggest draw. Tim has the personality of a
highly competent nursery school teacher, not least because of his impressive
knack of immediately knowing the names of all the children who come and
stay. Incidentally, it’s his parents who actually run the arable and sheep
farm.
Our days fell into a neat pattern of going out on a little expedition after
the morning feed, then returning for a nap, swim and play after lunch. Our
most enjoyable outing was to the Eden Project, 15 minutes’ drive away, whose
giant tropically heated bubbles are the perfect bad-weather attraction.
A key ingredient in the appeal of Tredethick is that it is a treat for adults,
too. Scones, jam and cream await arrivals, and wood-burning stoves are
pre-prepared with logs and firelighters. You don’t even have to cook much.
In one of the barns is a mini shop stocked with home-made frozen dishes — I
can recommend the shepherd’s pie, and apple-and-cinnamon crumble — and
good-quality local produce, from bacon to ice cream.
Tredethick Farm Cottages in Cornwall is a very successful business, and is
currently South West Tourism’s self-catering holiday of the year. It is not
cheap. A cottage sleeping four costs upwards of £820 a week in early April,
and in the school summer holidays from £1,150.
Yet all its nine cottages are already booked solid every week from the Easter
school holidays through to the end of October. The secret of Tredethick’s
success is that it specialises in catering for one of the most demanding
types of holidaymaker — families with pre-school children.
- Tredethick Farm Cottages, near Lostwithiel. 01208 873 618; www.tredethick.co.uk.
No dates are available until October, but you can apply for
cancellations. A three-night self-catering break in a cottage sleeping
four in November costs from £210
FAMILY-FRIENDLY FARMS
- Knowle Farm, near Totnes in Devon, has chickens, ducks, pigs and rabbits, a
toddlers’ soft play area and an indoor pool. There are sandy beaches
nearby, and — for parents — an 11th-century pub in the village. From
£235 a week. 01364 73914; www.knowle-farm.co.uk
- Pollaughan Farm Cottages, near Truro in Cornwall, has plenty of toys, along
with donkeys and ducks on a small farmstead. An Aga-cooked meals
delivery service takes a lot of the effort out of self-catering. From
£275 a week. 01872 580 150; www.pollaughan.co.uk
- Hill Farm Cottages, Great Torrington in north Devon, allows children to meet
and feed the animals, has an indoor pool, and offers a year-round
babysitting service. There are beaches and cycle tracks nearby. From
£305 a week. 01805 622 432; www.hillfarmcottages.co.uk
- Bosinver Farm Cottages, near St Austell in Cornwall, has egg-collecting and
pony rides, plus babysitting at £5 an hour. From £250 a week. 01726
72128; www.bosinver.co.uk
