Farmhouse bed and breakfast in the UK

One of the most enjoyable ways to spend a night in the United Kingdom is at a farmhouse bed and breakfast (B&B). Although the accommodation may be basic when judged against hotel standards, it will be perfectly adequate, comfortable, cheap, and an experience in its own right. Every establishment has features that set it apart from the rest, so the overnight stay becomes much more than just a place to sleep.

Many of the farmhouses that offer B&B are on working farms, but many others are not. What often happens is that a farmer wishes to retire and has nobody to pass the farm on to, as none of his children sees a future in farming (an unfortunate state of affairs but an increasingly common one). Not wishing to move from his home, which may well have been in the family for centuries, he and his wife sell off (or lease) the land to a neighbouring farmer and offer B&B as a way of gaining a modest income from what can be quite a large house.

From the visitor’s point of view, that means that accommodation is available in a house that has seen many generations of the same family come and go. You can therefore sleep in a room that was slept in 500 years ago, in a house that features inglenook fireplaces, bendy oak beams and posts, narrow twisting staircases, and floors that may once have been level but have not been so for a couple of centuries at least!

Farmhouses are, not surprisingly, deep in the heart of the countryside, sometimes part of a village but often not. They can be difficult to find, but the advantage of their isolation is that they are usually far from any sources of noise or pollution, apart from what is typical in a rural setting. The disadvantage, of course, is that extra time must be allowed if your overnight stay is a break in a long journey, as it is unlikely that your accommodation will be very close to a main transport route.

When you spend a night at a farmhouse B&B you are very much the guest of a family, as you are sharing the accommodation of the owners. For some people this might have a downside, as, for example, you will doubtless find yourself approached by the family’s dogs and cats, and not everyone is a dog/cat person! You might also find it constraining not to be able to “live it up” as you might if you were at a commercial hotel, but, if that is so, you have come to the wrong place!

On the other hand, you may well find that your hosts are fascinating people who will be delighted to chat to you about the history of the house and its surroundings and give you all sorts of advice as to how to make the most of your stay in the area. You can ask for directions to the nearest pub or other place where you can get an evening meal, and be pointed in the right direction if you need to get to somewhere in particular in the morning.

If this is a working farm, you may be invited to watch some of the farm activities, such as the cows being taken into the milking shed, or the sheepdogs at work in the fields. If you have children, they might be asked to help collect eggs or pick strawberries, depending on what needs doing.

As far as your bedroom goes you have to take what you get, which might mean a bed that is a bit on the soft side for your liking. It is common these days for en-suite bathroom facilities to be provided, but this is not always the case and you may have to share a bathroom with other guests. You will probably have tea and coffee making facilities in your room, but that will be as far as it goes. Don’t expect room service, mini-bars, trouser presses and the like. Although you won’t be pressured to get up at any particular time, you may get a wake-up call in the shape of the farm’s cockerel just below your window!

Farmhouses which advertise their facilities via a co-operative scheme (accessible online) have to be assessed and approved, which means that you can be assured of a clean room and bed linen, and that your breakfast will be cooked in hygienic surroundings from healthy ingredients.

That brings us on to another great advantage of farmhouse B&B, namely the breakfast! This will probably be served in the farmhouse dining room, or even the kitchen, and you are likely to share the table with any other guests who are there that night. Breakfast will often feature the farm’s own produce or items bought at local farm shops. On a recent visit made by this article’s writer, the farmer’s wife was baking bread when we arrived, and this appeared on the table for breakfast, along with a fruit compote made from soft fruits taken from the bushes just outside the back door.

A good farmhouse breakfast will set you up for the rest of the day. You can have as much or as little as you like, and choose from a wide range of items on offer, cooked as you want them. If you just want cereal and toast, that’s just fine, but why not get your money’s worth if you have the chance?

When it comes to paying your bill, bear in mind that not every small business can offer “chip and pin” facilities for credit and debit cards, although this will undoubtedly become the norm in future. When you book your room, it is worth checking this with the owner, because if you need to pay in cash you may find that the nearest cash machine is ten or more miles away!

It is certainly advisable to book in advance, because farmhouse B&Bs, being family concerns, are subject to the personal circumstances of the families in question. Don’t expect to be accommodated during the weekend when the eldest daughter is getting married! Also, bear in mind that accommodation is often limited to two or three bedrooms, and if you need more than one room for your family you may have quite a long search before something suitable turns up, especially during the high summer season in popular areas.

Of course, you don’t just have to stay for one night. Many farmhouses offer discounts for longer stays. There can be very few such establishments where a single night’s visit will not leave you wanting more of the same!