What does the farm offer?
After a 4 hour drive we needed to stretch our legs and the children really needed to run it off, so a casual walk around the farm gave some welcome fresh air. We found the children’s play park first, right next to the pod field; with a slide, swings and a sandpit to keep the children busy (although once my son found the football that was all he needed).
Vanessa and Mark made us feel really welcome, showing us around the farm to find our bearings. Higher Culloden Farm is a working farm, so we jumped at the chance to go with Venessa and Mark the next day on their morning rounds to tend to the animals.
We helped to let the chickens out into their run. We fed them and found a couple of fresh eggs!
The sheep were really friendly, allowing the children to pet them (whilst being well supervised by the grown-ups), and we all learnt how to look after the sheep and lambs as we fed them. Pigs are on the way next year!
It’s not all about the animals. The views across the valley are beautiful, occasionally you have to take a breath and look around to take it all in.
If you take a short walk down into the valley, you’ll find the farms private stream (how many campsites can boast that!). In a secluded opening there is a perfect picnic spot with a stony stream just deep enough for the kids to paddle and catch some tadpoles (if you get your feet wet and cross the stream you’ll find the rope swing on the farms’ private island, affectionately called ‘Cow Island’).
On the walk back up from the stream we spotted one of the resident deer (yes, they even have deer that wander their land).
Higher Culloden Farm is in a designated Dark Skies area, which means once the sun eventually goes down the sky lights up. There’s no better way to spend the evenings than sat around a campfire with friends, eating from the BBQ under a sky full of stars.
Camelford
Ok, so we didn’t go off the farm very often, but we did walk into Camelford to treat ourselves to fish and chips on the first night (nobody wants to cook after a long drive). Maybe it was the Cornish air, maybe it was the holiday feeling, maybe it was the long drive… but the fish and chips from Peckish Fish and Chips in Camelford were amazing!! We could see why they were an award winning Fish and Chip shop.
There’s also a Co-op and Spar to stock up on provisions and a pub at the end of the farm lane.
What we hadn’t realised, until we got back to OS, was that Camelford is one of the gateways onto Bodmin Moor and is a hot spot for walkers. The famous Camel Trail which runs all the way to Padstow is also close by and really popular with cyclists.
With a quick look at OS Explorers 109 and 111 we found that some of North Cornwalls best and most beautiful beaches are just a short drive away from the Farm too. Polzeath, Summerleaze, Widemouth, Rock, Trebarwith Strand….the list goes on. With local towns of Boscastle and Tintagel (of King Arthur fame) just around the corner. On our next visit we’re definitely going to venture off the farm more.