The Orchard at Fen End Farm
UK England East Anglia Cambridgeshire Cambridge
The south-west has its Moors; Norfolk has The Broads; Yorkshire has its Dales – iconic landscapes that evoke the wild beauty of England's green and pleasant land. Add to this esteemed list, the Fens of East Anglia.
The Northamptonshire 'Peasant Poet' John Clare envisioned his beloved landscape with '...the horizon stooping smiles/ O'er treeless fens of many miles'. But when this expanse of low-lying marshland and meres, once home to just a scattering of isolated flood-battered settlements, was drained in the 1700s this nutrient rich land saw an explosion in agriculture. Now known as 'England's breadbasket', the Fens are dotted with sweeping golden wheat-fields, dazzling rapeseed, and green fields of marrowfat peas, sugar beet and mustard (the latter supplying the neighbouring Norfolk condiment king Coleman's).
And while many farming might be at the more industrial end of the scale, the Kelso family's Fen End Farm has been wholly organic since April 2003. Besides an array of delicious GM-free crops, a resurrected apple orchard, and native Red Poll cattle grazed on herb-rich pastures, they've also got quite a nice little glamping site we think you might like to hear about...
Fen End Farm sits just nine miles from Cambridge on the edge of the Fens. Deep within the 117-acre farm's organic apple orchard lies a wholly self-contained campsite. For the canvas contingent there are just four, well-spaced tent pitches dotted around the orchard, while those looking for something a little more fuss-free can opt for either the brand new bell tent, a 16ft traditional tipi, or a 16ft canvas yurt (both sleeping up to 4 adults). There is also a beautifully authentic gypsy wagon stationed amongst the wind-fallen English Cox.
It goes without saying, this organic farm boasts an exemplary environmental ethos. This refreshingly undeveloped site features an eco-friendly shower and compost loo, while electricity comes courtesy of a renewable on-site wind turbine and solar panels. 'The Apple Hut' log cabin is the communal facilities area which houses an outdoor kitchen boasting a wood-burning stove, fridge, sink, hot water and cooking utensils – everything you'll need for rustling up some campfire cuisine.
The long grass, hedgerows and native broadleaf woodlands that border the ample, football-friendly-fields, are a haven for a menagerie of curious critters. Keep your eyes peeled for grey partridge, lapwings and hares, not to mention the odd buzzard circling overhead. When twilight descends, see who can spot the most barn owls and bats fluttering from the barn by the entrance... that's if you're not too captivated by some of the clearest night skies in all the land.
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Details
Facilities
Each tent pitch and glamping unit comes with an outside campfire pit. The yurt has a king size bed, a wood-burning stove, coir matting flooring and fold out foam bed mats for extra guests. The bell tents have a wood-burning stove, double bed and foam bed mats for extra guests. The tipi has a double bed, wood burning stove, coir matting flooring and foam bed mats. Please bring your own bedding/pillows, plus sleeping bags/pillows for the bed mats provided for extra guests. A shower and 3 composting toilets are provided. No electric hook-ups or laundry facilities.Suitable For
Glampers, tent campersNearby
The hallowed halls of historic Cambridge lie just nine miles away. Take a punt down the River Cam or spend a lazy afternoon at the idyllic orchard at Grantchester (01223 845 788). A little further north, Wicken Fen (01353 720274) is one of the UK's most bio-diverse nature reserves. If you've not had your fill of antiquated architecture, the National Trust property of Anglesey Abbey (01223 810080). Not for the nothing are The Fens known as 'The Holy Land of the English'. This comparatively small region features a cluster of consecrated sites, the most impressive of which is undoubtedly nearby Ely Cathedral (01353 667735).Food & Drink
Stock up on the farm's very own organic eggs and apple juice. Cottenham village (just 2 miles away) has a butchers (01954 250341) and greengrocer (01954 250351) as well as small supermarket, and an Indian restaurant (01954 250257). Pubwise, The Chequers (01954 488201) is worth a shout on one of their regular wood-fired pizza nights.Opening Times
April–September.
Why book with Cool Camping?
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions
The Owner Says
Video Tour
Accommodation
Dotted around the orchard between the apple trees are 4 grass tent pitches, 1 yurt, 1 bell tent, 1 gypsy waggon and 1 tipi.
Yurt
Tipi
Grass Pitch
Bell tent
Location
Contact The Orchard at Fen End Farm, Oxholme Drove, Cottenham, Cambridgeshire CB24 8UP
Getting There
From M11 travelling north, join A14(E) at junction 14. At junction 32 take the B1049 to Cottenham (1st exit of roundabout). In the village, take the 2nd exit of the mini roundabout onto the High St. Follow High St all the way past All Saints church and take the next left onto Smithy Fen. Continue straight on onto Oxholme Drove, Fen End Farm is at the very end of the road. Please drive slowly into the yard as there are free range hens and children on site!
Nearest train station or bus links. Nearest train station is Waterbeach. Citi8 bus from Cambridge Bus Station stops in the village.
Reviews
Add Your ReviewRated ★★★★★ over 8 reviews
An ideal secluded family friendly campsite to get back to nature with the added bonus of the sites amenities.
An enchanted and magical place
A wonderful camping weekend among the apple blossom - Fen End Farm
We stayed at Fen End Farm for a birthday celebration with family and friends. The site is well laid out and accommodated our campervans and tents. The less adventurous campers stayed in the farm’s tipi. Each pitch has its own fire pit dug out and there was a larger fire pit for us to use as a group. The pitches are well spaced and would ensure some privacy if you were camping alone.
The toilets and showers were clean and well maintained. The owners are environmentally conscious and asked that only biodegradable shampoos and soaps were used; they had some available for sale. The owners were very attentive to checking the composing toilet – we stayed as a large group and the cleanliness could not have been better.
Our parents stayed in the tipi, had a great night’s sleep and were very comfortable. They loved it, despite never wanting to come camping with us before. They were tickled to be glamping and are up for doing so again! Having the wood hut and log burner meant that our hot water bottles were easily filled up before the chilly night. The hut was a great place to sit, eat, play and just hang out. It is a real bonus to have on the site – particularly if you are unsure whether you’ll be warm enough and it allows you the option to eat around a dinner table if the weather doesn’t look great.
The farm itself is beautiful and a great place to walk around. Friends enjoyed the farm's produce. The grass airfield provided entertainment when planes were heading out or returning. It is a short walk to the village and we went to the small supermarket, pubs and restaurants over the weekend.
This review is unacceptably overdue. We stayed at Fen End Farm in May 2015 and cannot recommend it highly enough! Thank you for having us.
Tranquil Site - loved it
I booked a couple of nights in the yurt with some friends. A very tranquil and beautiful setting. The kitchen and shower facilities were excellent. The owners were very friendly and helpful. We had a really nice time. Thank you Amy
Amazing place
Absolute smasher. Wonderful campsite, the orchard is beautiful, lovely owners, could not be better if it tried. My new favourite place.
We will be back
We only stayed one night, having planned a couple of days in Cambridge. The campsite is especially handy for Cambridge if you are parking at the Milton park and ride. It is also perfectly flat , as you would expect in Cambridgeshire. We had a very friendly welcome and were very pleased with the pricing, which was perhaps reduced as the shower hadn't been fitted yet (they warned us of this). The cabin, with games to borrow , a stove , and sink and kettle, was very comfortable and handy for an evening's entertainment. We had a very peaceful and enjoyable stay. Thank you
Good Camping
Stayed just the one night at this campsite, I have to say that it was well organised and It suited my needs to T. The site was in a great location within an orchard and boasted a cabin to socialise in with a log burining stove... Which i though was a great touch. Owners were friendly and accomodating. As it was on a farm, it was great fussing the horses. Recomended.
Beautiful location, great site - we'll be back!
My fiancé and I spen Eastr weekend 2015 at Fen End Farm and were really happy with our short break. From the friendly welcome we felt at home. The set up is fairly basic, with a composting loo, no shower as yet, but hot water in both the bathroom hut and the Apple Hut for washing up etc. However, we knew about the shower and we were fine to go without for a few days! What is really well set up is the fact that there was soap, toilet roll, washing up liquid etc available - we always forget simething, and it was brilliant to have supplies on hand.
We loved walking around the farm spotting hares, deer, the barn owl and so on, and also the farm animals. In the evenings we spotted bats as well.
We bought some wonderful mince from the farm to make a big pot of chilli, and it was so good we picked up a meat box when we left as well.
All in all, we felt very welcome, we had a lovely time, and we plan to come back!
Why book with Cool Camping?
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions
