Dear Mummy, we had the most amazing start to 2018 with a trip to Coombe Mill in Cornwall. After the rush and chaos of Christmas, it was a welcomed break. I joined my folks and escaped from city life by heading into the countryside.
Beautiful grounds at Coombe Mill
When we first started blogging 4 years ago Fiona at Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays, who owns the farm and runs their twitter feed, took us under her wing and introduced us to the lovely blogging community of #CountryKids. She’s a parenting blogger too you see. Since then we’ve been joining in with her linky on her family-run website and sharing each others adventures. Fiona’s photos each week on her blog are amazing and show children like me enjoying themselves on her farm by embracing nature. I’ve kinda grown up with her online, so it was a real treat to meet her in person at her holiday farm.
Farmer Nicks Little Helpers Club
We stayed from the 27th Dec to after New Year in the period called ‘Crimbo Limbo’, the time that people hibernate indoors eating the leftover turkey and living on Quality Street. We didn’t want to waste away my holiday staying indoors watching Christmas movies so decided to welcome the New Year as we intended to, as a family in the great outdoors.
Fresh eggs from the farm run
Escaping the daily grind and getting away from it all was our key criteria and during our stay at Coombe Mill we helped farmer Nick with the feed runs in the morning, held chickens and drove a tractor (sort of!) We saw goats, sheep, Limas and rabbits on the 30-acre estate. Gazed in awe at majestic deer on a frosty morning. My folks loved seeing me happy and the other side of the fence interacting with the farm animals and learning all about them.
Exploring the fairy gardens
On top of the daily feed run Coombe Mill provides a host of other fun activities from crafting to miniature train rides. We discovered a magical fairy garden and large pirate ship play park where I pretended to be Tinkerbell and my folks were Peter Pan and Hook! There was a den building area next to an amazing river with a troll bridge and trampolines. We were lucky with the winter weather as most mornings were frosty and bright and even the rainy days didn’t dampen our spirits as we played in the indoor play barn and crafted at the activity hour in the games room.
Staying in the Watermill
We stayed in the 400 year old stone cottage called the Watermill, converted from the original 16th Century mill which sleeps up to 7 people with 3 bedrooms (one ensuite) with comfortable beds. The interior was farmhouse chic with exposed stone walls and views of the farm. Downstairs was the pièce de résistance – a large wood burning stove with a flume that towered past the balcony landing, the main reason why we booked this property. We all snuggled up on the comfy sofas with soft rugs and enjoyed the warmth of the fire after our winter walks. The kitchen was well stocked with all the facilities you could need for a stay and the open plan dinning room was large enough for us to play at, read the morning papers and enjoy our breakfast.
The cozy setting
We were most impressed with the hospitality and Farmer Nick, Fiona and their kids were all so friendly and accommodating. Helping us out when we had a question and going the extra mile to make our stay comfortable and one to remember. They even heated up the cottage before we arrived after our long journey.
My comfy room
As we stayed over New Year, the family even held a NYE party in the games room for all the guests with food, bubbly and fireworks which was unexpected and memorable. We weren’t worried that we forgot anything as there was a borrow room on site filled with waterproofs, toys and DVDs that you could borrow for free. Also there was a freezer at reception which was stocked with food incase you didn’t fancy cooking from scratch. There were supermarkets in the town nearby and we made a point of staying in the cozy cottage to eat but we heard that the pubs and restaurants served fabulous food.
Warming up on a chilly morning
When we weren’t having fun exploring the farm we headed to some of Cornwall’s most beautiful destinations. We visited Fistral Beach in Newquay and Readymoney Beach in Fowey. But ran out of time to visit Polzeath and Padstow which are in close proximity too.
Stunning scenery
We had fun visiting the blustery Boscastle to see the Witchcraft Museum and nearly got blown away and also visited Camel Creek on one of the rainy days and enjoyed the large indoor soft play and rides.
We’d love to return to the area as the Eden Project, Cornwall’s Crealy Theme Park, The Camel Trail, Dairyland Farm World and the historic Tintagel are nearby. Also if you love the stories of King Arthur, many of the folk law stories come from around the area too.
Early morning on the farm
A lot of guests we met were repeat visitors and we can see why, with some of them even traveling from overseas to stay! We too had a lovely time at Coombe Mill and would stay again in a heartbeat. We’d love to head back in the summer and see the beaches in their full glory and enjoy the farm activities in the warm weather. For our first visit to Cornwall it was an amazing place to stay.
