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North Bradbury Farm

Posted by Sachelle, 5th January 2021 at 10:09
Getting to know owners Tracey and Chris at North Bradbury Farm

North Bradbury Farm is a lovely family-friendly farm-stay set in the beautiful North Devon.

We thought it would be nice for you all to get to know the owners…

I would like to introduce to you Tracey and Chris, although most of their visitors know one of them as Farmer Chris. They both grew up in North Devon and have lived there most of their lives. They have two daughters, Hannah who lives in Oxford and Pip, who lives locally with her husband Jon and their two children Flinn and Etta.

Twenty-three years ago, having decided to semi retire they sold their businesses and moved to the country and bought North Bradbury Farm as a project to develop into their retirement. They now have two self-catering cottages, a swimming pool, three play areas, a farm shop, a utility/games room and ten acres full of a host of farm animals! The farm is perfectly placed for exploring North Devon and all it has to offer. Close to Exmoor National Park, award winning beaches and lots of attractions like Quince Honey Farm and The Big Sheep to name a couple.

Tracey and Chris...

The Interview...

Why did you decide to start your own holiday accommodation business and what was your inspiration?

Being blessed with living in a beautiful part of the country, having the space to develop holiday accommodation and both being very sociable we couldn’t wait to start having guests here and share our way of life with them.

Tracey had a career as a Day Nursery owner and Chris had spent most of his life working outside, living an environmentally friendly existence. It was a natural fit as we had both also worked in the hospitality industry before, including as ski chalet hosts in the Alps.   

What advice would you give to families wanting to holiday at your property?

Our award-winning family-friendly farm is ideal for families looking for a hands-on holiday staying on a small holding with only two cottages. However there is nothing small about our facilities most of which you would only expect to find on a much bigger complex. With only two families here there are always lots of opportunities for all of the children to feed the animals, collect the eggs or go for a pony ride.

Is there anything you would like to highlight that might be interesting to families with babies/toddlers/young children who are thinking of staying at your property?

With ten acres to explore, three play areas to play in, a swimming pool (open 6 months of the year) and a menagerie of animals that need feeding and cuddling there really is something for everybody. Both cottages are fully child friendly with everything from plug covers to stair gates to window catches and changing mats! We have an abundance of baby equipment, cots, highchairs, back packs, farm buggies, toys, games, books etc. All you have to do is bring the children!

If you could pick just two attractions/places to visit in your area what would they be?

Our beautiful North Devon coast, with lots of award-winning beaches to choose from, our firm favourite being Saunton Sands. Loving the outdoors as we both do our other choice would be Exmoor National Park as it is a beautiful area to explore on our doorstep. With the added advantage of both being free !

2020 has been a tough year for everyone, what challenges have you faced and how have things changed for you and your business?

Our biggest challenge this year has been being restricted to opening for a shorter amount of time – being fully booked for the season we ended up with a lot of disappointed families who are now having to wait another year to come and visit us again. Once open the challenge was keeping all of our guests safe and well and keeping the property Covid-compliant at all times.

What is your favourite treat after a hard day?

In the winter, lighting the fire and a large glass of red wine. In the summer, lighting the barbeque and sitting in our garden with a large glass of red wine.
There is a theme here! 

The environment is close to our hearts at Holiday Tots and obviously hot topic at the moment. We would love to hear about your environmental challenges and anything you do to help reduce your personal or business carbon footprint?

We have a PV system which generates our own electricity. We have solar matting for the swimming pool to keep the heat at 30 degrees with minimal impact on the environment. As keen recyclers, Farmer Chris is a regular at our recycling centre each week dropping of ours and our guests’ empties! We have a rainwater harvesting system to enable us to water our plants. All of the water used on the farm comes from our own well.The meat that we sell through our Farm Shop has been home produced. We also have our own sewage treatment system. 

What plans do you have for 2021?

We plan to reopen in the Spring with a warm welcome for all our guests, old and new, and give them all the best family-friendly farm holidays we possibly can!

North Bradbury Farm

There are two wonderful cottages, The Stables and The Cider Barn, both self-catering. The cottages have a connected door meaning both cottages can be let as one for a larger group.

 

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