Little Edstone FarmGreat Edstone Road, Kirkbymoorside YORK YO62 6NY
Telephone: 01751 431369
Email: info@littleedstone.co.uk http://www.littleedstone.co.uk/
We are a small mixed organic farm. We went through the conversion to organic as soon as we arrived in 2002. We are registered with the Soil Association. Our aim was always to farm in a traditional way, avoiding chemical fertilisers and insecticides.
We spent a few years on the building development for the holiday cottages. We are now developing the farm itself. We already have a flock of organic free range chickens. For visitors (and ourselves) we also have horses, goats and rabbits. In future we also plan to have rare breed sheep and perhaps a house cow. The emphasis will be on small numbers, reared organically in the best of conditions.
We also plan to expand our current organic vegetable production. We hope visitors will be interested in buying vegetables that have been grown on site and picked that day. We wish to grow more organic vegetables and soft and start a box delivery scheme in 2008.
The farm has signed up to the Countryside Stewardship scheme which promotes wildlife conservation, uncultivated field margins, and hedges cut only outside bird nesting season.
All these features have helped to increase wildlife diversity on the farm. Visitors will see many varieties of animals, including wild deer in the woodland.
Seven acres of trees planted in 1993 have attracted many more hares, deer and barn owls in addition to providing a woodland walk for visitors.
Like many small farms we have to look for other small enterprises to ensure an income from farming.
Having created some excellent facilities for the holiday cottages we plan to have a small health club using the indoor pool (heated all year round) tennis court, gym and sauna in the near future. ‘Rejuvenation Days’ are planned where we would include massage, fitness assessments and a beautician, whilst taking advantage of the pool, tennis court, sauna and gym.
Animals at Little Edstone
The Horses
Our horses are called Wotsit and Barney. Wotsit is an 11 years old bay mare. She likes to be treated as a celebrity and can be a bit of a diva with Barney (well she bites him on the backside). She has the top slot between them and likes to remind him of it frequently. Barney however, doesn’t take this lying down, so they tend to squabble like children a lot of the time (“Push me, shove you”, “he did it first!”, etc, etc). Barney is over 30 years old and semi-retired and has been used as pony for disabled riders – a lovely old boy.
The Goats
The black and white one is an alpine goat called Heidi and she is full of personality. She loves people and company. Frostie is the new kid; she came from a neighbouring farm. She was a more shy and retiring type than Heidi, but has really come out of herself this year with all the attention from the visitors.
The Greyhounds
We have two greyhounds. A black girl called Penny Black (an ex-racer) and a brindle boy called Big Mac (a general reject!). They are very friendly, although Mac is a bit of a nutter. He has never raced and has had some bad experiences in life. He came to use through the RSPCA.
We like to support the Retired Greyhound Trust and there is a collection box in the games room. If you ever consider getting a rescue dog please consider greyhounds as there are so many in need of homes. They are real couch potatoes who do not need a lot of exercise.
The Retired Greyhound Trust are excellent at recommending the right dog for the right person; they take a lot of care over rehoming. Greyhounds make lovely pets and they are really nice to live with. Please visit their website at www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk.
The Rabbits
The rabbits Harry and Amy are ‘rescue’ rabbits. They both came from the RSPCA. Again, if you are considering getting a rabbit please consider getting one from the RSPCA. or one of the other rescue societies.
The Chickens
Although we have a large flock of chickens to produce eggs for sale we also have a number of pet ones that wander around. There are usually a few chicks each summer.
Riding/pony rides
There is a professional riding stables nearby in Sinnington where both rides out (depending on ability) and lessons in an indoor school are available. The telephone number is 01751 43275, website is www.friarshillstables.co.ukummer An indoor heated swimming-pool, sauna and hard tennis court shared between the properties, a small gym, a games room with pool/table tennis and a selection of board games, as well as a children's play area complete the facilities on offer for these unique and comfortable holiday homes.
Creation date : 03/04/2008 @ 22:26
Last update : 03/04/2008 @ 22:26
Category : North Yorkshire
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