For a truly free-range camping experience, head to Holme Open Farm in the Lune Valley, cuddled between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks. While free-to-roam chickens are often to be found wandering through campsites, free-range pigs are not quite so common. But here, on this traditional Dales working farm, there are a couple to be found snuffle-shuffling around the farmyard and surrounding fields.
If you want to make friends with some of the other animals, owners David and Angela Metcalfe run bookable tours of their farm so you can meet the goats, ducks, pigs, kittens and pony, as well as hold and help feed lambs and chicks. The tour also includes playing in the indoor soft-play area and riding around on pedal tractors, but before you get too excited, this part is kids only – sorry. There are evening badger walks and a nature trail open to all, however, so campers young and old can discover a few members of the resident wildlife that form a part of the scenery on this 120-acre farm.
The campsite is a simple one: a large, flat field with glorious views over the dramatic greenery of the somersaulting Howgill Fells (which have been said to resemble a row of hippos’ bottoms). The River Rawthey runs right alongside the field, with easy access from a picnic area for paddling and fishing. And (hurrah!) campfires are allowed – bring your own wood or buy bags from the farm – so don’t forget to pack the marshmallows.
