Muddy Stilettos


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/3-5.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Billingsmoor Devon countryside view" class="wp-image-93245" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/3-5.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/3-5-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/3-5-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://www.featherdown.co.uk/?utm_source=Muddy_stilettos&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=Billingsmoor_review&amp;utm_id=Muddystilettos" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Feather Down Farms</a> has been cultivating a reputation for some of the best family glamping holidays in Britain with its off-grid, back-to-nature approach. Going by Muddy’s weekend at Billingsmoor Farm, one of the company’s 25 farm stays across the UK, that ‘top-of-the-crops’ hat fits to a T.</p>



<p>As soon as we arrived at Billingsmoor, a bucolic Duchy of Cornwall organic dairy farm in mid-Devon, time seemed to slow down. It’s only 15 mins off the M5 but you wouldn’t know it. Wind your way off the motorway and onto meandering tracks the Satnav doesn’t compute, and you’re in a green and extremely pleasant land of undulating hills overlooking the Culm Valley, with the Blackdown Hills in the distance.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/7-4.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Billingsmoor Devon Farm" class="wp-image-93249" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/7-4.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/7-4-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/7-4-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Billingsmoor Farm’s welcoming hosts are Jayne and Robert Lammie, who moved into the red-brick Edwardian farmhouse almost 30 years ago and have dairy farming in their blood, like their grandparents and great-grandparents before them. (Robert’s granny lived to the fine old age of 108, so this gentle way of life seems to have agreed with them).</p>



<p>These days, Jayne and Robert have a herd of 180 Holstein Friesian cows who are milked twice a day and produce 1.5million litres of organic milk a year – and most of it ends up at M&amp;S.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/8-3.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Billingsmoor Devon Farm dairy herd of cows" class="wp-image-93250" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/8-3.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/8-3-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/8-3-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Guests on the glampsite can take a tour of the farm and watch the cows being milked in the afternoon. (Don’t panic, no-one’s going to haul you out of bed for the 6am milk-round). Muddy learnt a lot about the economics of dairy farming (in a nutshell the glamping is an important extra income stream) and has a new respect for female cows. They are first impregnated at just 15 months old and can go on to have NINE pregnancies over their lifetime. And, yes, they can have twins and triplets (*crosses legs*).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-6-1000x667.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon cabin hideaway countryside view" class="wp-image-93243" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-6-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-6-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-6.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Far from the madding crowd, you’re encouraged to get back to basics and adopt life-on-the-farm speed. To help/force you to chillax, there’s deliberately no Wi-Fi (but if you’re desperate to post the view on Insta, you can get 4G). Oh, and there’s no electricity either (the ultimate luxury in these always switched-on times)?&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/9-2.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon dairy cow looking over fence" class="wp-image-93251" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/9-2.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/9-2-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/9-2-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>You’ll boil the kettle for your morning coffee on a woodburning stove and, come nightfall, your tent will be lit by oil lamps and slow-burning wax candles.&nbsp;<em>Sans</em>&nbsp;electricity and distracting devices, you’ll start to soak in nature and tune in to the peace and quiet while the kids channel Roald Dahl’s&nbsp;<em>Matilda</em>&nbsp;and read pages and pages of their school reading books. That’s homework sorted; the teachers will be delighted!&nbsp;</p>



<p>You’ll drift off to sleep to the lowing of cows and awake at first light to the chirruping of birdsong, rather than the ping of WhatsApp messages and your phone alarm.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stay">STAY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/12-1-1000x667.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon canvas hideaway at Billingsmoor farm" class="wp-image-93254" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/12-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/12-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/12-1.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The five spacious tents on the glampsite at Billingsmoor are called canvas hideaways (you&#8217;ll find a maximum of eight hideaways at any Feather Down Farm),&nbsp;with rustic wooden floors and canvas walls. They measure up to 500 sq ft (could we downsize here?) and can sleep up to five adults, plus one child.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/6-4.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon canvas hideaway at Billingsmoor farm" class="wp-image-93248" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/6-4.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/6-4-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/6-4-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Inside, they have a&nbsp;<em>Little House on the Prairie</em>&nbsp;vibe. Ours had cooking ladles hanging from an iron pole over a zinc-topped sink and a cheerful range of tin mugs and plates. The bedrooms were tucked away at the back: a double, two bunk beds and a ‘secret’ cupboard bed, which the children fought over each night.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/4-5.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon hot tub at Billingsmoor farm" class="wp-image-93246" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/4-5.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/4-5-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/4-5-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Outside the tent there’s a shower hut (the water is piping hot), a BBQ and – the piece de glamping resistance – a wood-fired hot tub. Once the steam is rising, it’s not a bad place to sit and watch the stars come out with a Sandford Devon Red cider. When the owls start hooting, turn down the oil lamps, blow out the candles and let the wood-burner keep the tent cosy into the night.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-7.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon shower at Billingsmoor farm" class="wp-image-93244" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-7.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-7-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-7-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-4-1000x667.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon honesty shop farm shop at Billingsmoor farm" class="wp-image-93247" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-4-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-4-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-4.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>If you’re super-organised, en route call in at Darts Farm near Exeter (aka Harrods Food Hall of the South West) to stock up on provisions to cook on the BBQ. But don’t worry if you turn up at Billingsmoor empty-handed, as this is not somewhere you’ll go hungry. Jayne runs an honesty shop, a bit like a village store, that can supply the basics, plus ice-packs for your cool-box and extra charcoal and kindling if you burn through what’s provided. You can also order breakfast – the children loved collecting croissants from the farmhouse each morning – or a box of meat sourced from local farms.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/11-1.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon chicken stew at Billingsmoor farm" class="wp-image-93253" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/11-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/11-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/11-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Too chillaxed to do it yourself? Jayne will make you a casserole if you order ahead (our chicken stew didn’t hang around). And if you go out for the day, there are scores of recommended pubs nearby. Try The Fisherman’s Cot and Bickleigh Mill in Bickleigh, or The Canal Tea Rooms in Tiverton. Further afield, you can trot over to The PIG Hotel near Honiton. You’ll need to book ahead for the main restaurant, but it welcomes walks-ins for The Folly, its family friendly garden joint.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-amp-about">OUT &amp; ABOUT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feather-Down-Farm.jpg" alt="Branscombe Beach with fishing boats nr Feather Down Farm gleaming East Devon " class="wp-image-93256" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feather-Down-Farm.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feather-Down-Farm-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feather-Down-Farm-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>If you can drag the kids out of the hot tub, there’s plenty to explore in this beautiful corner of East Devon. Muddy went down to see the sea at Branscombe (with a pit-stop at the Sea Shanty Café) and then bluebell-spotting at Blackbury Camp, an Iron Age hillfort. But this only scratches the surface if you’re out and about.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There are more great East Devon beaches at Budleigh Salterton (pebbly) and Exmouth (sandy), the wilds of Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks to explore, or a lovely flat cycling route meandering along the Grand Western Canal between Tiverton and the Somerset border. Hire bikes from Abbotshood Cycle Hire in Sampford Peverell.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/10-1.jpg" alt="FEATHER DOWN FARM BILLINGSMOOR FARM EAST DEVON DAIRY COWS" class="wp-image-93252" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/10-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/10-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/10-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Elsewhere in the great outdoors, let your children run wild at Wildwood Escot, or head into Haldon Forest for more walking and cycling… plus an adventurous Go Ape course. For a great cream tea, try Heron Farm near Honiton, or The Otter Valley Field Kitchen. The info book provided in your hideaway has a comprehensive list of attractions, including Bicton Park near Budleigh, Yark Birds of Prey Centre or Quad World near Cullompton. The biggest problem is fitting it all in.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kid-friendly">KID FRIENDLY?</h2>



<p>Well, our two (aged nine and five) both gave it five thumbs up, so I reckon that’s a yes. Not that we saw that much of them. As soon as we arrived, they kicked off their shoes and ran off into the next field to play with Bean, the farm’s friendly Jack Russell. Their five-word review: When can we go back?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dog-friendly">DOG FRIENDLY?</h2>



<p>Absolutely – dogs are welcome at Billingsmoor (there is a small charge). Just be mindful it’s a working farm, so make sure they respect the animals and keep them on a lead. Most of the other Feather Down Farms are dog-friendly too.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.featherdown.co.uk/dog-friendly-farm-stays?utm_source=Muddy_stilettos&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=Billingsmoor_review&amp;utm_id=Muddystilettos" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Check out your options here</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-accessibility">ACCESSIBILITY?</h2>



<p>Billingsmoor Farm can accommodate guests with disabilities but it’s hilly terrain and there are sister Feather Down Farms nearby that provide more level access. If you’re planning a holiday, it’s best to call ahead and the Feather Down team will be happy to advise on the best site.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/13-1.jpg" alt="Feather Down Farm Devon COUNTRYSIDE VIEW" class="wp-image-93255" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/13-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/13-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/13-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Good for:&nbsp;</strong>Anyone looking to get away from the daily grind, switch off the iPhone (so long, school WhatsApp groups!) and connect with nature in some of the most beautiful countryside Britain has to offer.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong>&nbsp;Look, this is a working organic dairy farm (slurry is a thing), so if you’re looking a super-swish spa break, this ain’t for you. And if you need to spend the weekend checking emails from Anthony in compliance then perhaps… stay in the office?&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>The damage:&nbsp;</strong>Glamping season runs from the end of April to September and there is a minimum two-night stay. Prices vary over the season but expect to pay from £405 for two nights in a six-person hideaway. Food and additional kindling from the honesty shop is extra and is settled in cash on departure.</p>



<p><em><strong><a href="https://www.featherdown.co.uk/?utm_source=Muddy_stilettos&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=Billingsmoor_review&amp;utm_id=Muddystilettos">Feather Down Farms</a>, Billingsmoor Farm, Butterleigh, Cullompton, Devon EX15 1PQ. Tel: 01420 80804</strong></em></p>



<p>Words: Harriet Dennys</p>


Review: Feather Down Farms, Butterleigh, Devon

You may also like