Testimonials - Summer holiday on Dartmoor

Summer 2012

Our family fortnight in heaven was at Holwell this year! Our family loves to explore wild and magical countryside from a warm and comfortable base, and Holwell certainly provided that for us. We transplanted the whole family, including 2 dogs, 2 horses, 2 ponies and 2 children, from Hampshire to Dartmoor with incredibly little trouble, and as soon as we arrived the children asked to return next year - they hadn't even taken the time to look around properly! The house was welcoming and beautifully presented, views to die for in every direction, and the welcome pack made sure that the holiday could commence immediately. The very large kitchen and living space was perfect for entertaining all the family and friends we invited to share our heavenly holiday, and we even managed to produce Sunday lunch for 15 people. The children were all enchanted with the piglets racing around the farmyard, totally free range, as well as the chickens, dogs and beautiful red Devon cattle. The local town of Bovey Tracey offered all day to day needs within 15 minutes' drive, and there was also a fantastic little farm shop about 10 minutes away. This mean't that, although Holwell feels deliciously remote, nothing is really too far away, making the holiday that much more enjoyable for the caterer. Two very good pubs within 10 minutes in Widecombe came to the rescue on various occassions when I went on strike! Riding across the moor in any direction was a complete treat, and even my son asked to ride every day. All in all, we couldn't recommend this wonderful Dartmoor farm more highly, and will definitely return as soon as we possibly can.

April 2012

Thank you so much for sending these pics of the piglets, the children loved seeing them. 16, wow, well done Mary! We had a lovely lovely time at the farm, it is in such a stunning spot and the cottage was wonderful.

April 2012

We really had a wonderful time in Devon. The cottage was so comfortable and very relaxing, the farm was fun for all of us, it was fun to explore Dartmoor, and best of all, we had very welcoming hosts! I hope to be able to return someday, but in the meantime, I'll definitely be recommending Holwell Farm to anyone I know looking for a nice getaway in Devon.

April 2012

When I started planning our Devon trip, I had a vision of what I wanted it to be like. I think I read somewhere or heard from someone about a farm stay in Devon, then I saw the movie Warhorse, and I decided that we were going to stay on a farm in Devon. I could just picture the kids feeding the animals, learning to ride a pony, milking the cows, and gathering eggs from the chickens, all while we weren't too far from the coast. That's what I looked for when I planned our Devon trip. I didn't have to search for long before I found Holwell Farm in Dartmoor National Park. As soon as I read that they filmed scenes for Warhorse on the farm, I was sold. It also didn't hurt that the cottages looked really, really nice. Holwell Farm is an organic meat farm, so unfortunately that meant no milking cows like I had envisioned, but that also meant that there would be plenty of animals (and an onsite butcher for some of the freshest meat we've tasted!)

We actually wound up spending much more time on the farm and in the cottage (or farmer's house according to son) than we had expected we would. We had a few nice days in the beginning of the week when we explored the Moor and climbed some of the rocks a bit, watched a foxhunt, ravelled down to the coast to go fossil hunting, visited Becky Falls and hiked the nature trails, and went to Woodlands Amusement Park. Then the weather got cold and wet towards the end of the week and all we wanted to do was stay in by the fire.

We got to feed the pigs, which was quite an experience. Walking into a pigpen with two young kids, where there are about 30 hungry pigs trying to get food (though they all were quite young - the oldest being about 6 months), was a little disconcerting at first, but fun once you get used to it. The kids also fed the new Dartmoor ponies, which had just been brought in from the Moor. Dartmoor ponies are born in the Moor and aren't necessarily wild, but rather untamed until they are handled the right way. They live on open land, but they each have an owner. The ponies on the farm seemed rather tame, but were a little skittish around people. However, once they are handled for a bit, they are sold as a companion for other horses. To round out the animals on the farm, there were two very friendly donkeys, doves, some very angry geese, horses, and some dogs.

The cottage had no phone, wifi, or cell service, which took a little while to get used to at first, but actually it was very nice to be disconnected by the end of the week. The farm is powered by generators which they shutoff between the hours of midnight and 6 am to conserve power, so we learned to sleep with flashlights next to our beds. We watched very little TV and couldn't get on the internet, but rather sat by the fire, read books, and played games together. I say all this and it sounds like we were roughing it, but we weren't, the cottage was actually very luxurious and comfortable with some the of most comfortable beds we've encountered on our travels. I highly recommend this farm for anyone - families, couples, groups of friends, family reunions.

Reviewed 2012

We are recently back from a wonderful stay at Holwell Farm, located in Dartmoor National Park in Devon. Our week at Holwell Farm more than met our expectations and we hope to someday return for another stay on the farm.

Reviewed 2012

I just wanted to drop an email to thank you all for a wonderful stay. We came back wishing we could have stayed longer and adamant that we will be returning!

"We love Holwell" - Reviewed 1 May 2012

We have just returned from spending 10 (mainly wet) days with a 3 year old and a 10 month old at Holwell and couldn't be happier. Saddle Tor cottage is extremely comfortable with a large living area and 4 large bedrooms with the most comfortable king beds we have ever had in a holiday property. The solid granite walls ensure that you have a very quiet stay. Great views. Peter the stockman had plenty of time for our three year old "helping" with his jobs such as feeding the animals, moving straw, and an offer to sit in the big tractor. Chris the butcher was a delight to chat to while he explained what he was doing and offering tasters ofhis latest creations to take home and cook up.

We are very keen walkers and despaired at out limitations with a 3 year old. But we needn't have worried as we spent hours exploring the immediate Holwell Farm on the paths Phillipa has marked from the cottages, simply walking up to watch the workings of the farm or charging around the grassed areas (heavily supervised - there is a pond and free ranging donkeys, geese, chickens and dogs whom our toddler had no fear of). There is a beautiful 15 minute downhill walk (30 with toddler) to a shallow stream with short grassy banks. Perfect for a family picnic and in warmer weather would be a joy to splash in.

I had read the reviews prior to booking so we were prepared for the generator to go out and had plenty of torches, lanterns and Phillipa provided night lights for the children's rooms. Lack of monitors simply meant we left the doors open overnight. We turned the freezer off at the main switch just before going to bed to avoid waking up to it beeping when the generator came on at 5. We were prepared to be self-sufficient and and enjoyed being left to our own devices. The cottage was beautiful and extremely comfortable but there were dusty areas under beds (all found by our little ones!), but this was perfectly acceptable. Peter was brilliant but his job is to manage the stock so we didn't expect him to be waiting for us when we wanted to feed the animals. We simply hung around and watched the action in the morning and when he was free he would always offer to have our little one "help" with whatever he was doing. The lack of mobile signal was great. There is some wifi and we enjoyed watching our neighbour wandering in the fields with his laptop trying to find a signal, we didn't bother. We will definitely be back as the comfort, isolation, location, service and farm experience were perfect for us. Overall we loved this holiday.

Reviewed 2 July 2012

Thanks for providing a super holiday "cottage". We really enjoyed our stay. Thanks also you your son, who it seems lent us a DVD out of his own collection! Your Peter also did a great job telling the family about your livestock too.

May on the moor was lovely. The farm cottages are tucked on the side of the valley that runs north into the moor in a world of its own. (But you can get phone coverage up on the drive in or other local high spots). We walked to all the local tors with the children, in a few hours each one. Chinkwell is super cosy, with two super big bedrooms and a fair sized one. The beds are great with luxuray linen and wide. The lounge diner is spacious, yet cosy. We loved it.

Reviewed 1 September 2012 - Stayed August 2012, travelled with family

We have just returned from a wonderful week at Holwell. We arrived with 4 horses, 3 children and a dog! Sebastian and Philippa were not at all phased by this and couldn't have been more accomodating and helpful. Our cottage was very cosy and a welcome retreat after some of our wetter rides on the moor. It was very well appointed and the beds were extremly comfortable. Riding over Dartmoor is stunning and Holwell provides an amazing base. Philippa had some great advice regarding the different routes that we could take and good places to stop for a pub lunch. When we weren't riding we enjoyed our time exploring this wonderful farm and making friends with the variety of animals that live there. We climbed the local tors, enjoyed our visit to Chagford for some of the best ice cream and have brought home some wonderful memories.

Reviewed 2 September 2012 - Stayed August 2012, travelled with family

Stayed at Hound Tor cottage, very nicely set up with equipment, space, room decor etc. Stunning location, walking straight out onto moor and farmland - good weather helps, as for any country holiday! Excellent for kids/dogs and pubbing it around the area. Excellent horse riding nearby and also fishing options on the Dart river as well as walks etc. Suggest guests look at layout of each cottage to work out what works best in terms of indoor/outdoor space/rooms etc as there are different configurations. Also be aware that across Dartmoor generally there is limited mobile and almost no broadband access if that worries you!

M.Bierens - The Netherlands May 2011

We stayed in the Hounds Tor Cottage for 1 week, a beautiful renovated old building which was originally a stable for the horses. The interior is of high quality and lots of beautiful original details. Even on rainy days it's a pleasure to stay. The farm is situated in the middle of Dartmoor national park. You can walk to the Tors and enjoy the beautiful nature , especially in spring when wild flowers coloured the hills purple. The farm is huge, a lot of ground and space for the animals. It is a pleasure to see pigs enjoying there mud bath. In the end the pigs will go the butchery, but the welfare for these animals during their live is really amazing and an example for other pig farms. The meat you get from the butchery is very tasty. It is a very quit place, no sound, no traffic at all. We loved it even our 3 teenage children, they didn't even care that there was no mobile phone connection possible.

The Bullen Family

"Our family fortnight in heaven was at Holwell this year! Our family loves to explore wild and magical countryside from a warm and comfortable base, and Holwell certainly provided that for us. We transplanted the whole family, including 2 dogs, 2 horses, 2 ponies and 2 children, from Hampshire to Dartmoor with incredibly little trouble, and as soon as we arrived the children asked to return next year - they hadn't even taken the time to look around properly!

The house was welcoming and beautifully presented, views to die for in every direction, and the welcome pack made sure that the holiday could commence immediately. The very large kitchen and living space was perfect for entertaining all the family and friends we invited to share our heavenly holiday, and we even managed to produce Sunday lunch for 15 people.

The children were all enchanted with the piglets racing around the farmyard, totally free range, as well as the chickens, dogs and beautiful red Devon cattle. The local town of Bovey Tracey offered all day to day needs within 15 minutes' drive, and there was also a fantastic little farm shop about 10 minutes away. This mean't that, although Holwell feels deliciously remote, nothing is really too far away, making the holiday that much more enjoyable for the caterer.

Two very good pubs within 10 minutes in Widecombe came to the rescue on various occassions when I went on strike! Riding across the moor in any direction was a complete treat, and even my son asked to ride every day. All in all, we couldn't recommend this wonderful Dartmoor farm more highly, and will definitely return as soon as we possibly can."

Polly & Lilli

"We have just returned from the most amazing riding holiday at Holwell. I was surfing the net looking for places to stay with horses on Dartmoor and as soon as I came across Holwell, I knew I just had to go! Although we were really looking forward to our holiday and it all sounded so perfect, I was worried that it may not live up to our expectations. I needn't have worried. Not only is Holwell a rider's paradise but from the moment we arrived, we felt so welcome and Philippa and Sebastian were so accommodating to our needs, helping out in any way they could to make us as happy as possible. I had a slow puncture and they sorted everything out for me, contacting the local garage and sorting it all out.

On arrival, our horses were put in a lovely field, right by the super smart stable yard with everything you could want. We didn't need the stables as it was summer and ours are living out but if you did want a stable, they are first class. Just when we thought things couldn't get better, our accommodation in Hay Tor was even better than it looks in the pictures on the web site and had everything you could possibly want; really comfortable beds, comfy sofas, well equipped kitchen and power showers, but the best bit was, as we are completely horse mad, the Stable Door (!) out on to the terrace, where we enjoyed breakfast and early evening drinks soaking up the incredible views and planning our ride for the next day.

If you are looking for a truly perfect riding holiday, then Holwell is the place to go. The riding is unsurpassed and not hard to find your way around as the Tors help you keep your bearings. We took a photocopy of the OS map which I had marked in advance (Philippa was very kind and helped us plan our routes) and we didn't get lost once (mainly down to Lilli's great map reading skills - I was in a trance most of the time, not believing we were actually doing this!).

The best thing about the riding from Holwell is that there is such diversity, one minute you are on the Moor, then you are in magical woods, or along picturesque bridleways that seem to go on forever. We took picnics on every ride and would have ridden all day, every day but we only took one horse each! We rode at all different times of the day and wherever we went it was quiet, even on the very small stretches of Devon country lanes. It was so peaceful. It was perfect".

Travelled with family

A stunning, working farm with personalities to ensure our stay was maximised to the limit. Peter the farm manager could not do enough to show the kids around the farm and the animals too; pigs, geese, hens, ducks, donkeys, dogs, horses and his favourite, the cows (& the ram who thinks he's a cow) - who he talked to (and them back).

Sebastian with his very dry sense of humour was superb, as was Philippa his long suffering wife !! The farm is beautifully presented and the animals approachable and accessible. The location is stunning with views up towards the "tors" and positioned perfectly to explore the "moor", yet accessible to Widdecome (the closest hamlet) just 2 miles away.

The accomodation was presented beautifully internally with space galore; the donkeys even came to see us when the gates were left open !A fabulous experience which we plan to repeat as soon as possible.

M.Bierens - The Netherlands

We stayed in the Hounds Tor Cottage for 1 week, a beautiful renovated old building which was originally a stable for the horses. The interior is of high quality and lots of beautiful original details. Even on rainy days it's a pleasure to stay.

The farm is situated in the middle of Dartmoor national park. You can walk to the Tors and enjoy the beautiful nature, especially in spring when wild flowers coloured the hills purple. The farm is huge, a lot of ground and space for the animals.

It is a pleasure to see pigs enjoying there mud bath. In the end the pigs will go the butchery, but the welfare for these animals during their live is really amazing and an example for other pigfarms. The meat you get from the butchery is very tasty. It is a veryquit place, no sound, no traffic at all. We loved it even our 3 teenage children, they didn't even care that there was no mobile phone connection possible.

Travelled with family

Unique valley location in the centre of Dartmoor with 5 Star luxury in converted farm buildings. An oasis of peace, walk through hillsides of bluebells, watch the cows and pigs munch contently before following the primrose path beside the stream. Homegrown produce is delicious. When the sun shines this is as good as it gets in England.

Room Tip: All the cottages have spectacular views