We visited Coverwood Farm on the 8th August 2015, not really knowing what to expect, other than seeing some live-stock and a beautiful garden. Yes, that’s what we did see but it turned out to be so much more than that.
We were greeted by the family (who own and run the farm), with a warm welcome and an above average coffee (not instant) with biscuits. After that we toured the farm on the back of a hay-wagon towed by a tractor that stopped occasionally for Tim and his father to narrate the history of the farm, and did so very eloquently and with some humour. The first stop being in a field full of sheep, where we received a short overview on rearing sheep and a few anecdotes of significant events. One of the accounts being the history of a very large house, which was once part of the farm but was sold off due to the need for funds to keep the farm going. The house subsequently had a number of residents, one of which made the international news channels by getting himself murdered whilst on a trip to New York.
We moved on to another field and were educated on the virtues of the Hereford breed of cows that reside on the farm and appear to be very friendly indeed (although they did try, with some success, to get at the bales of hay on which we were seated), even the Bull was a big softie. We were then taken to see some heifers that were ready to calf and some that already had calved. One of the calves was rejected by its mother and had to be hand reared. In fact it was the calves feeding time, so we were treated to the event, drawing Ooohs and Aaahs from the crowd and this also provided an excellent photo opportunity.
At this point we were all feeling a bit peckish and were pleased to smell the aroma of farm made lamb-burgers, being served from a fantastic American trailer (I think it is known as a silver bullet) suitably converted for the job. The burgers were delicious, as were the home-made cakes that followed. The lunch break gave us the opportunity to chat with the other day-trippers, some of which were local and were able to treat us to some funny anecdotes and interesting facts about local characters.
Our final visit (this time on foot) was to the incredibly beautiful gardens and lakes, made more interesting by the inclusion of a quiz that doubled as a treasure hunt, as we tried to hunt down the answers to the questions. This also gave us the opportunity to capture some photographs of the stunning features of the garden. From here we made our way back to the Silver Bullet for more coffee and those homemade cakes, before heading home. The day was made all the more enjoyable due to the perfect weather; it was as if it was booked especially for the occasion.
Joyce and Bob Clarke