10 Best English Farm Stays to Escape the City
From vineyard estates and regenerative farms to rewilded landscapes and kitchen gardens, these farm stays in England offer a slower pace, seasonal food and a closer connection to the countryside.
Once offering just a traditional bed and breakfast, the farm stay has evolved into one of the UK’s fastest-growing travel trends. Across the country, historic estates, regenerative farms and vineyards are opening their gates to travellers seeking fresh air, exceptional local food and a deeper connection to the landscapes that sustain them. Here, mornings are spent gathering produce from kitchen gardens, and afternoons are whiled away by exploring orchards, meadows and woodland, before settling in for dinners shaped by the day’s harvest. Whether you’re looking for a luxurious countryside retreat or a back-to-basics rural getaway, these farm stays offer a taste of rural life.
1. Fowlescombe Farm, Devon
Enter Fowlescombe and you’ll first spot the sheep grazing lazily beside the drive — a fitting welcome to the estate. Spread across 450 acres of farmland, this intimate stay offers daily activities from collecting freshly laid eggs and yoga in the greenhouse to outdoors walks around the grounds or a dip in the spring-fed pond. The social hub of the estate is The Refectory, the farm’s Michelin Guide-rated restaurant run by chef Elly Wentworth, who uses the kitchen gardens as an extended pantry. Just 10 guest rooms are spread across three buildings, with interiors mixing Scandi cool with Victorian farmhouse warmth, using timber finishes and generously sized windows that draw the landscape indoors. With space for only 24 guests, the atmosphere feels communal, with departing visitors passing on tips on favourite walks and dishes to those just arriving. Rooms from £600, full board, based on two adults sharing.
2. Thyme, Gloucestershire
Connecting with nature and the land is at the heart of everything Thyme does. Found in the low, rolling hills of the Cotswolds, the country estate is pure rural idyll, with its guest rooms scattered across old barns, cottages and outbuildings in 150 acres of meadows, farmland, gardens and polytunnels. Most of what appears on the Ox Barn restaurant’s menu comes from the grounds, with Thyme’s chefs and mixologists inspired to create dishes and drinks depending on what can be plucked from the land that day. The treatments on offer in the Bertioli spa draw on botanicals from the hotel’s water meadows, too. The decor in the bedrooms is English country style, big on patterned wallpaper, antique furniture and floral textiles. Rooms from £430, B&B.
3. The Newt, Somerset
A haven for anyone after a polished country escape, The Newt occupies more than 2,000 acres of working farmland. A 17th-century Georgian manor sits at the heart of it with pears climbing walls, squash hanging from frames and thousands of apple trees feeding the estate’s famous cider production. Produce from the farm pops up throughout the stay, from buffalo cheese at the breakfast buffet and jams served with cream tea in the manor’s game room to complimentary snacks in the farmhouse-chic rooms in the converted cottages and stables. Pull on the provided wellies and take a buggy across the grounds to spot grazing cattle in green fields, visit the on-site bee museum and apiary or retreat to the spa for treatments and a heated pool amid the fragrant gardens. Rooms from £785, B&B.
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4. Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex
England’s sparkling wine country provides a picturesque backdrop for a stay at Rathfinny, where contemporary rooms overlook rolling vineyards on the South Downs. The working wine estate offers an immersive glimpse into modern English viticulture, with tours and tastings revealing the craft behind its vintage sparkling wines. Long walks across the surrounding chalk hills are followed by leisurely meals at the on-site restaurant, which showcases the best of seasonal Sussex produce such as local beef tartare and Sussex summer berry pudding. Calm, understated interiors with a focus on natural materials and colours reflect the landscape outside, creating a rural escape that seamlessly fits within its surroundings. Rooms from £205, B&B.
5. Fritton Lake, Norfolk
The splash of swooping herons accompanies dips at Fritton Lake, a two-mile expanse of wild water at the heart of Norfolk’s 5,000-acre Somerleyton estate. Alongside arable land, there are 1,000 acres of rewilded marshes and woodland for deer, Large Black pigs, water buffalo and cattle to roam free — part of East Anglia’s Wild East nature restoration project. Meet the livestock on a 4WD safari or play tennis overlooking the heated pool amid walled gardens that rake down to the lake where a floating sauna awaits. Deep in the trees, farm stays include chic black-wood Koto cabins, where lake-view decks host wood-fired hot tubs and expansive kitchens have welcome hampers of local goodies. The Clubhouse — Fritton’s former 16th-century inn — has eight cottage-cosy hotel rooms and offers dining amid herb-hedged gardens. Its menu might include dishes such as estate pork terrine with runner-bean pickle or locally smoked Norfolk fish. Rooms from £170, two-night minimum.
6. Louma Country Hotel, Dorset
Set across 100 acres of regenerative farmland in west Dorset, Louma reimagines the modern farm stay with quietly luxurious flair. Days revolve around the rhythms of the estate, whether that’s wandering through vineyards, meeting the resident farm animals or unwinding in the small on-site spa before settling in for a dinner that celebrates ingredients grown and reared on site. Bedrooms, housed in a converted barn, main house or shepherd's huts, pair earthy textures with contemporary comfort, while panoramic views stretch towards the Jurassic Coast. The result is an immersive countryside escape where thoughtful design, exceptional food and a deep connection to the landscape come together to create a peaceful break. Rooms from £635, full board, based on two adults sharing.
7. Heckfield Place, Hampshire
At the end of a winding driveway, a valet appears to take your luggage and park your car… the first sign that Hampshire’s Heckfield Place is a farm stay of the most indulgent order. The 45 rooms within the 19th-century manor house nod to an elegant rural idyll, with a muted colour palette enlivened with basketware and botanical prints. Really, though, Heckfield’s soul lies outdoors, in the 438 acres that contain a biodynamic farm, market garden and ancient woodland. You’ll come across the fruits of its land at every moment of your stay, from the Wildsmith toiletries inspired by the estate and used in the spa to the organic meat, vegetables, juices and jams on the menu in the two restaurants. For a deeper dip into farm life, join a tour of the grounds or take workshops in subjects including composting and foraged cocktails. Rooms from £650, B&B.
8. Thornfalcon Winery & Press, Somerset
Tucked into a halo of Somerset hills, Thornfalcon’s 150-year-old press produces a honey-sweet juice and award-winning cider from heritage West Country apples. But, vine-carpeted and lavender-fringed, there’s a fragrant scent of French chic about this 40-acre farm stay. Blink and you could, perhaps, be in Normandy sampling a crisp glass of the estate’s elegantly bottled small-batch cider, or further south sipping its Champagne-by-another-name sparkling wine. Follow a tasting and tour with a lakeside sauna, then retire to a cottage-core cabin amid rewilded fields; a shepherd’s hut whose al fresco bath overlooks the vines; a lambing shed in the orchards; or a converted coach house. All have immaculate kitchens and a generous basket of farm goods, while the 17th-century barn by the walled kitchen garden is soon to host supper clubs. Rooms from £170, two-night minimum.
9. Tewinbury Farm Hotel, Hertfordshire
Less than an hour from north London, Tewinbury offers an easy transition from city pace to countryside calm. This family-run estate has evolved from a dairy farm into a characterful rural retreat, where converted farm buildings, shepherd’s huts and lakeside lodges sit among 700 acres of fields and woodland. Seasonal menus at the on-site Cowshed Restaurant, Granary Kitchen and Stable Bar showcase produce from the farm and nearby suppliers while the new Farm Club offers fitness classes, reformer Pilates, saunas and cold plunges. There’s also a packed events programme, from cookery school nights and field suppers to live music and workshops for kids. Rooms from £159.
10. Tudor Farmhouse Hotel, Gloucestershire
On the edge of the ancient, moss-cloaked Forest of Dean is a hotel that feels like a pop-up page from a fairytale book. The Tudor Farmhouse Hotel, a 13th-century converted farmhouse in Clearwell village, offers 20 bedrooms and suites with decor that effectively blends the vibe of a down-to-earth country cottage and an exclusive members-only club. Duck feather pillows, 300-thread-count linen sheets and spacious monsoon showers create the perfect environment to recover in after a big stomp in the Wye Valley hills. Surrounding the property are wild meadows, a kitchen garden and a chicken coop, but the real showstopper is the food: everything on the menu is either grown on site or sourced within a 20-mile radius. Highlights include the tender Herefordshire beef with carrot and black garlic, and a banoffee dessert with dulce de leche and sorbet that you'll remember long after you check out. Rooms from £165, B&B.
