2024 has been a fantastic year here at Valley View Farm! We have really enjoyed welcoming guests from near and afar to come and stay in our six handsome holiday cottages, and we’re hoping for another successful year in 2025. We thought it would be only fitting to look back on the last 12 months and share our exciting plans for next year, too! So, we asked Jen to prepare some questions for a fun Q&A – keep reading…
Looking Back on 2024 at Valley View Farm
What have you been up to in 2024?
2024 was a busy year for Valley View Farm. There are always chores to complete and animals to look after! We are a beef and sheep farm with a little arable, and Stuart the farmer is kept busy looking after the animals. The cattle have now been brought in for winter, so need feeding, bedding, and checking up on daily. The sheep take a lot of looking after, too: feeding, worming, vaccinating, shearing once a year in May/June, drenching, blousing, and mating or ‘tupping time’ in November. The sheep will be pregnant for around 152 days, so this means that lambs are born when the grass is growing in April/May time. We of course have lambing to do and then lambs to look after during the spring. Our sheepdog Fess needs daily exercise; some days when there’s a lot to do with the sheep he gets a bit too much exercise, but if not then he still needs his daily run around. We also harvest holly just for ourselves – but it’s bad luck to bring it into the house before Christmas!
What were your greatest achievements as a business in 2024?
We have really enjoyed welcoming familiar faces back to the farm who have been staying with us for years, as well as seeing many new faces. Our guests love escaping to the peace and quiet of the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. We receive great feedback on our comfy beds and the fact that all bedrooms are en-suite. We get lots of bookings for family groups who want to stay together but also enjoy their own space. Our guests love exploring the local area by foot, and many bring their dogs to come and stay too! We have no major plans for 2025– we’re just looking forward to welcoming more and more guests to stay in our homely holiday cottages in North Yorkshire over the next 12 months!
Valley View Farm’s Exciting Plans for 2025
Will you make any updates or improvements to the farm and cottages in preparation for 2025?
Whilst it’s quiet with bookings, we have been very busy with the usual winter chores, which include maintaining the fences and stone walls around the farm, as well as trying our best to keep the pipes from freezing in this cold weather! We have recently installed a brand new kitchen in Holt Cottage as well as a sparking new bathroom. Holt is an upside down property allowing spectacular views over the North Yorkshire countryside during the summer months. We’ll soon be painting and wallpapering the cottages for the new year, which we do each winter.
Discover Yorkshire at it’s Best at Valley View Farm Cottages
Our six charming holiday cottages are situated in the beautiful surroundings of Old Byland, near Helmsley in North Yorkshire. Our friendly and affordable accommodation is perfect for couples, families, and groups of friends alike; providing the perfect base for a restful retreat in the Yorkshire countryside.
Click here to book your 2025 staycation in the heart of North Yorkshire today!
