The Wensleydale Experience: The Yorkshire Dales attraction that allows visitors to do real work on a farm

Such has been the public response to their approach in not just showing people what they do, but also involving them, that The Wensleydale Experience was nominated in this year’s Yorkshire Post Rural Awards.

Bridget says the concept came about organically, being a natural response to their visitors having come to stay in the countryside.

“We had people staying in the yurts who were interested in feeding the animals, but The Wensleydale Experience has now become far more than simply being about those who stay in our six yurts or the temple folly.

“Tim is now responsible for looking after humans as well as animals, as he gives them a very real, hands-on insight into what happens on a normal livestock farm.

“What better way to learn about what happens than by actually doing it? We think what we have here is very special and we want others to experience it. It’s our form of education about the countryside, while also seeing everyone having such a good time.

Tim, whose background has always been in farming and has worked on dairy farms in South Yorkshire and as far north as the Shetland isles, says this is the most satisfying job he has ever had in agriculture.

“As far as I’m aware there is nobody who does it like we do. We have Highland cattle here, as well as our herd of South Devons, and they are always going to be an attraction, but I believe we are much more than about being another picture on someone’s social media account.

“We are a working farm, we’re authentic. It’s a mixed farm with a broad range of livestock, but even that’s not the unique thing. What makes us different is that if you come to us for say our three-and-a-half hour experience you could be doing real jobs that actually need doing on the farm.

“We don’t make jobs up to give our visitors something to do. There are always jobs that we have to do anyway. That could be replacing some fencing, rebuilding part of a wall, moving cattle to their next field for grazing, weighing pigs, feeding livestock, mucking out and filling troughs. We don’t do anything just for the sake of it, such as move cattle because we are short of something to do. That doesn’t happen here at all.

Tim says that he believes The Wensleydale Experience has a part to play in giving the public more knowledge about how farms work, about farmers’ lives and that it doesn’t just extend to feeding a few animals. This goes way beyond.

“We are not an arable farm, but we do have tractors and other farm machinery. I can talk with just as much enthusiasm about linkages and tractor attachments as livestock, and I show and explain how things work.

“I’m passionate about farming and countryside education, particularly about where food comes from. There are so many people who think that meat comes from a supermarket and haven’t the knowledge to understand that it has to start somewhere in a field.

“I really try to emphasise just how much people in the countryside have put effort in elsewhere. I know that our neighbouring farmers are really appreciative of what we are doing.

The farm is very much Bridget’s passion too and she writes her own blog on The Wensleydale Experience website and on social media that keeps those who have already visited up to date with what’s happening, and often sees them return.

“We have already seen people come back, who’ve visited once and experienced our days, and they feel even more a part of our working farm.

“Our beef herd is currently made up of 20 South Devon-cross-Beef Shorthorns; 7 Highland cows and 5 calves, which are here for sustainable grazing and for their beef, but also provide that eye candy moment.

“We are involved with a share farming agreement over a flock of 200 sheep; and we also currently have two sows that have two litters, with one of those presently fattening up. We also have a boar and a young boar. We have a mix of rare breeding and commercial breeding including Berkshire and Gloucester Old Spot crossed with Duroc and Large White.

“We monitor feedback and that has been very positive. Just seeing how children alter in just half a day here from schools is really lovely. But it’s not all about children. We have people, particularly a lot of young couples who have never been on a farm before, never been so close to a cow, and they love it.

Bridget opened Berry’s as a farm shop, café and butchery in 2012 having converted old buildings. It is no longer a butchery and is now tenanted to chef Guy Fairhurst who trades as Fairhurst at Berry’s and boxed pork and sausages from the farm are sold through the shop. The link with The Wensleydale Experience is still very strong with many of the visitors starting with a hearty breakfast from Guy, including sausages from the farm’s pigs.

Bridget explains how it all came about.

“My husband Adrian designed it and the café was built out of timber from our trees. We

converted the old wheelhouse, where the wheat was stone milled, into kitchens. The link between what had been an old pig house and the wheelhouse used beeches from the farm.

Tim is extremely proud of The Wensleydale Experience and all of those who are involved including Bridget’s son Archie. Tim’s wife Steph handles all the marketing, media input, website editing and data analysis.

“We reckon about 35 per cent of our Wensleydale Experience guests are also yurt guests and that about 55 per cent of our experience guests stay over at a local holiday establishment. We are bringing more revenue into Wensleydale.

“Our yurt guests love looking out over the dale and Bolton Castle. They are also currently loving the Dark Skies season.

“It is really is truly stunning here. We are in a wonderful part of the world and we are delighted that we are giving people a very real opportunity to experience life as a farmer and learn more about the importance of farming to the economy and where food comes from.