Way back in days of yore, Malvern was famed as a spa town; it’s water naturally filtered through the rock of the Malvern Hills. The Georgians came ‘to take the water’, the Victorians believed in its ‘cure’ – and modern holidaymakers? They come to jump in hot tubs. Well, they do over at Hollings Hill Farm anyway. This Herefordshire farm, a few miles from town, has safari tents and log cabins for farm-stay guests – each with its own wood-fired hot tub and views of those legendary hills. Add in fresh air, farm animals and friendly hosts and you’ve a healthy dose of holiday fun.
Hollings Hill is a Feather Down farm; part of a network of farm stays offering off-grid holidays in log cabins and roomy safari tents (or ‘tented cottages’ as the Feather Down team likes to call them). Lit only by candles and oil lamps, the rustic but homely accommodation is provided by Feather Down and invariably lovely with log burners, en suite loos and cute kids’ cupboard bedrooms as particular highlights. Here at Hollings Hill there are private showers outside each tent and, of course, the hot tubs (which are bookable for an extra charge).
Hosting is left in the capable hands of Feather Downs' partner farmers, like Austin and Faye at Hollings Hill. Helped by their brood of four kids, they’ll welcome you to the site and explain the workings of this busy farm, which is home to a herd of milking cows, goats, ponies and chickens. They’ll show you the kids’ play area, the pizza oven (fired up on Saturday nights), the honesty shop and your home for your stay. With just four tents and two log cabins, the site is never too busy.
You may be happy to stay on site all day; with kids kept amused by the animals and adults satisfied by the view but the hills, ever present on the horizon, might prove a little too tempting. The Malverns are an upland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with walking and cycling galore. There are historic sites, pretty towns and country pubs to visit among them but there are no big-hitting, purpose-built attractions nearby. And that is exactly Holling Hill’s charm. It’s just an hour outside of Birmingham but the off-grid, on-farm experience couldn’t be further from big city thrills. It’s all about the joy of the outdoors; something as old as the hills and as pure as the water.
Hosted by Feather Down Farm ..
Joined in February 2021The site is on western edge of the Malvern Hills which offer great walking, cycling and horseriding with plenty of footpaths and commons to explore. Malvern Priory (seven miles from Hollings Hill Farm) is worth a look for its impressive medieval stained glass and, while there, explore the rest of Malvern, a pretty town in three parts, which expanded in the 1800s when it's water was famed for having health-giving properties. Sadly there's nowhere to take the water these days – but there are plenty of tearooms and cafes. Another historic site is Eastnor Castle (01531 633160), home to the annual Big Chill Festival in early August, which is nine miles from the farm. Nearby Ledbury (seven miles) is a beautiful market town; if you tiptoe down Church Street, its cobbled streets and overhanging buildings will make you feel like you've travelled back to the 1600s.
A great selection of local produce can be picked up in the pretty town of Ledbury; go on a Friday where you can pick up homemade scones and sweet tartlets from the weekly market. No weekend stay would be complete without a Sunday roast and the Red Lion (01886 880318, two miles from site) is regarded as one of finest in the area. Alternatively, The Oak Inn (01531 640954, four miles away) in Staplow is a beautiful conversion spanning across three cosy bar areas with log burning stoves, flagstone floors and an abundance of old wood beams.
