Good Life Tasters provide those considering such a ‘Tom and Barbara’ move with a try-it-first opportunity on a 25-acre holding that keeps hens, grows much of its own fruit and vegetables and produces its own firewood, while managing the land for nature. This is alongside growing hay for a nearby horse-training school.
Orchid Meadows near Tregaron is offering both residential and day-visit introductions to living and working on the land, running through the autumn and winter. During the Good Life Tasters, topics explored will include self-sufficiency, conservation work, wildlife protection, meadow management, no-dig vegetable production, apple tree pruning, woodland management, firewood production, hen-care and more. And participants can gain practical skills by helping out with a hands-on task.
The following tasks are on offer:
- Sphagnum bog management. Available September
- Hawthorn jelly making. Available September
- Apple juicing. Available October
- No-dig vegetable bed maintenance – manuring and preparing for winter. Available November or December
- Planting for tall trees. Available January
- Living willow sculpture work. Available February
- Willow pollarding and woodland management. Available February
- The art and science of firewood production. Available March
- Devil’s bit scabious potting-up and turf-seeding for a marsh fritillary reintroduction programme. Available March
Site owner Stephen Hounsham said: “There are so many different things happening on a small-holding – some more glamorous, others more hard graft and some rather mucky – but together they reward you with an unbeatable lifestyle where it feels you’re in your own little world. We’re offering people the chance to see if it might be a world they’d be happy in.”
The first day begins with a detailed guided discovery tour of Orchid Meadows. After a shared vegetarian lunch of Orchid Meadows and other local produce, a small-holding task will be undertaken at a relaxed pace and with full instruction. The following day the task is completed followed by the chance to revisit any parts of the small-holding operation people may be particularly interested in. Participants can stay onsite or visit during the daytime only.
“There are so many different things happening on a small-holding – some more glamorous, others more hard graft and some rather mucky”
A residential Good Life Taster costs £105 per person, which includes two nights’ accommodation, breakfast and lunch on two days, plus a jar of Orchid Meadows chutney, jam or hedgerow jelly to take home. A daytime visit alternative costs £45, including lunch and a jar of preserve.
Anyone interested can find out more at www.orchidmeadows.co.uk/taste-the-good-life or by contacting Orchid Meadows at hello@orchidmeadows.co.uk
Orchid Meadows is a small-holding, nature reserve and glamping site near Tregaron in West Wales. It is run by husband and wife team Stephen Hounsham and Lynn Thornborrow and their three cats.
For more information, visit www.orchidmeadows.co.uk or call 01974 209220.
