Outside The cottage and it's own garden are surrounded by the extensive gardens of the farmhouse. To the west of the farmhouse are two large ponds, which were once the pits where the clay was extracted, separated by a green lane. On the far side of the ponds is the recently established arboretum and a summerhouse. Beyond this is a large wild flower meadow/paddock that connects to the larger of our two woods which is particularly pretty at bluebell time. Guests are invited to take advantage of our wild unspoilt private walks, but don't forget your wellies! |
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| To the north of the cottage is a smaller paddock, with resident barn owls in the surrounding boundary oak trees and also, looking further north, can be seen the smaller of our two woods which contains a private war memorial to the crew of a Halifax bomber that crashed during the last war. These are also open to our guests for exploration. In total there are over 22 acres of our land for guests to use, providing the country code is observed. At certain times of the year restrictions can apply because of breeding wildlife. |  |
Views of the ponds at the rear of the cottage
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Wildlife On walks around the farm and the adjoining land numerous native birds can be seen. In summer there are house martins and swallows nesting. Winter bring the fieldfares from northern Europe which overwinter here, stripping the trees and bushes of their fruit. Over fifty species of birds have been observed. In the woods visitors will sometimes glimpse roe and fallow deer. On a wander round the ponds frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies and fish can be seen in the appropriate seasons. On summer evenings bats, which roost in the farmhouse, can be observed flitting about catching their prey and the calls of the tawny and barn owls will be heard. |
The woods during bluebell season |
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In the paddocks at dawn and dusk families of brown hares can be seen grazing, ambling about and occasionally rocketing across the grass. In the mating season the hares will 'box'. The elusive fox, although a resident on the farm, is rarely seen but his nocturnal calls are common. The farm also has it's domestic dogs, cats, horses and demanding ducks. |
Surrounding Area The cottage is surrounded with little used country lanes with wide verges and is ideal for riding, walking or cycling. There are also dedicated bridleways/cycle paths near at hand. York, Beverley, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds and the local town of Howden are popular tourist destinations (see the links section) and the first five have direct train services for guests who do not wish to drive.
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