Your week can either be filled with the activities and skills we offer or sightseeing and relaxing, whatever your prefer. 

We cater for a maximum of six people providing breakfast, morning coffee with homemade biscuits; lunch; afternoon tea with homemade cake, a three course evening meal with aperotif, wine or beer and digestive.

All rooms have private bathroom.

So why not come to France and let us take care of you whilst you learn new skills.  The following activities can be combined:-

Sausage & Bacon Making,  Ham Curing, Smoking, Home Dairying, Preserves, Brewing, Bread Making, Workshop, Grow Your Own, Keeping Chickens, Beekeeping, Soap Making, Whole Pig Processing, Mushrooming and Cockling.

For more information www.thegoodlifeinfrance.com .

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Written by: The Good Life in France
View the original article for contact information and more images: Fully inclusive holiday in luxury accommodation with the added bonus of learning smallholding skills if you wish
Original article posted on the Smallholding Courses website.

Six Days near the seaside in beautiful North Devon.

Come to East Ashridge for a six day working break from September 8th 2012 to the 13th!

For just £525.00 per person including farmhouse B&B accomodation, practical smallholder skills, and transport for optional extra activities.

The semi working holiday is designed for those who are looking for a friendly holiday – ideal for couples over the age of 18!

East Ashridge is a working smallholding lying in a deep valley with a stream close to the old town of Bideford and near enough to the Atlantic to hear the waves on stormy days at Westward Ho !

The foundations of the long house reputedly date back to Elizabethan times and the age of one of the buildings substantiates this theory.It is surrounded by its own land and borders a small lane. However, there is not sufficient room to have many guests and so we have arranged warm and comfortable accommodation with our neighbour at Westleigh House Farm. Caroline spoils her guests,cooks superb breakfasts and will supply an evening meal as an extra if you so wish. There will be drying facilities if it rains.

http://www.westleighhousefarm.co.uk/

The mornings will be spent at East Ashridge  repairing the banks of a wildlife pond, building a Boardwalk and possibly a bridge. In the afternoons you may spend your time doing a range of optional extra activities around the area. These would include walking on the South West Coastal Path, cycling along the Tarka Trail, visiting the RHS garden at Rosemoor, watching glass being blown at Dartington Crystal,  swimming in the sea at one of the lovely local beaches or spending a lazy afternoon rock pooling ! Transport will be provided for you for these trips out.

At the end of each morning you will be able to pick up your picnic prepared with care using local produce so that you will be ready for the afternoon well fortified!

The evenings will be free for you to choose whether to have supper at Westleigh House or try one of our many historic and picturesque  country or sea-side pubs. serving excellent food and local ale.

The wildlife pond at East Ashridge was enlarged last year but the banks need some relining as we have a leak!

The pond, although small is frequented by otters and herons as the fish quickly found out. We also have various breeds of visiting wild duck, moorhens, frogs, toads, newts and dragonflies.
There is a small boat for you to use which was great last year for seeing the moorhen chicks up close.

Whilst you are at Ashridge we hope you will enjoy meeting our flock of Herdwick sheep,seeing our two Welsh ponies, visiting the free range poultry, Tumbler pigeons, doves and our dogs and cats.

During your morning break   you will be able to  sit in the garden and enjoy seeing our ancient cob built Devon barn dating fom the time of the Spanish Armada. Bideford was the home port of Sir Walter Raleigh and he sailed from here with several local ships to meet the Armada. It is a beautiful old town well worth exploring with a local market and a superb medieval stone bridge  spanning the river Torridge.

For more details please contact us!

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Written by: Whittaker Equestrian and Countryside Consultancy
View the original article for contact information and more images: Skills and a holiday in North Devon
Original article posted on the Smallholding Courses website.

For more than a decade, Monkton Wyld Court has hosted tailored family holidays with a difference. Our aims:

* To nurture and foster individual growth

* To develop potential through creative play & social interaction

* To broaden horizons in a non-competitive setting

* To offer a range of activities for building a sense of initiative and self confidence

* To develop a richer appreciation for the natural world and our part in it

Prices include all food, accommodaiton and materials costs.

2012 Programme

April 1st - 5th   Green Building & Garden Family Work Week
half-price!

April 8th - 13th   Spring Family Week FULLY BOOKED!

June 5th - 10th   The Good Life Family Week

August 13th - 18th    Theatre Family Week

August 19th - 24th   Bushcraft Family Week

August 26th - 31st   Wyld Science Family Week

October 29th - November 3rd  Halloween Family Week

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Written by: Monkton Wyld Court
View the original article for contact information and more images: Family Week Holidays near Dorset’s Jurassic Coast
Original article posted on the Smallholding Courses website.

Gardenfarming luxury holiday cottage at rural seaside on self sufficient smallholding where private and tailor made course single-day or multiples course-days in self sufficient/smallholder living skills can be taken by prior arrangement (see www.gardenfarming.org for full course information) OR just come and enjoy a tranquil, rural seaside holiday where the sands in this Bay are golden, there is a Bridlepath directly opposite our land for those early morning, bleary eyed 'Walkies' and your dogs are made welcomed too – we've even supplied a body temperature outside warm dog shower and walk-in kennel with fully enclosed/covered run so you can leave your canine companions at the holiday cottage cool, safe, happy and supervised by us when the weather is too hot for dogs to go out and about or it just wouldn't be appropriate to take them out with you!

Plenty of attractions locally to visit:

• The Deep in Hull – one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world.

   

• Lighthouses ancient and working at Flamborough Head, Withernsea and Spurn Point Nature Reserve to visit.

   

• RSPB Cliffs reserve at Bempton that can be visited from land or seen via boat trip to sea.

• Theatre and Museums Trail in Hull.

• Horse Racing at Beverley

• Fabulous seaside resorts of Hornsea with it's Mere and Freeport Outlet Shopping Village & Bridlington with it's working Harbour and Visitor Boat Trips to Sea.

Take a look at www.gardenfarming.co.uk for full Holiday Cottage information – single level so also suitable for some holidaymakers with disabilities:

Facilities include:

• King size beds & luxury mattress

• King size/Single beds choice bedroom 2 (plus sofa bed)

• Quality linen & towels provided (fluffy white big bath sheets plus hair towel)

• Spacious dining table to seat 6 plus generous leather sofa provision

• Digital Freeview Flat screen TV, DVD/CD player

• Cosy log burning stove & *under-floor heating throughout (First basket of logs, kindling & firelighters FREE)

• Full equipped kitchen: dishwasher, washer/dryer, oven, microwave, fridge-freezer............

• En-suite shower (large) & family bathroom with hair spray both with heated towel rails

• Ceramic tiled floor throughout for guaranteed cleanliness (selected for their no slip qualities!)

• French doors from family room/dining/open plan kitchen out to patio area and private garden

• Rocking Ram (full size) that the children will love to ride.

• Dog proof, fully fenced (minimum 1.5m) private large garden

• Walk-in Kennel with full enclosed, safe covered Run to enable leaving dogs at the cottage whilst you go out

• Body temperature outside dog washing tap to clean up comfortably after those 'walkies'

• Dog towels, stainless steel bowls provided & large plastic dog bed too upon request - just ask?

• Garden furniture

• Private, lit & secure parking within curtilage for more than 1 car directly outside property

• Flat, easy access directly to front door with wide doorways throughout

• Home grown, self sufficient produce seasonally for sale: Delicious luxury British Saddleback Sausages & Pork from our own Free Range and Outdoor Pigs plus Salad, Fresh Laid Eggs etc.

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Written by: Gardenfarming
View the original article for contact information and more images: Seaside Luxury Holiday Cottage (dogs come too!)
Original article posted on the Smallholding Courses website.

Penyrallt Fach Cottage offers an opportunity to stay on a secluded, fully working organic dairy farm overlooking the beautiful Teifi Valley of Carmarthenshire, West Wales. See the cows being milked and the day-to-day running of a traditional family farm.

Sleeps 4 . Woodburning stove.

Only 30 minutes from the lovely beaches of Cardigan Bay.

Contact  Jinsy Robinson  fadog@tiscali.co.uk

Farm Blog; http://farmlifeinwales.blogspot.com

www.penyrallt.co.uk

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Written by: Penyrallt Fach
View the original article for contact information and more images: Penyrallt Fach Cottage; Stay on an organic dairy farm.
Original article posted on the Smallholding Courses website.