“The rise of UK farm stays in 2026” hit the headlines this week, and it’s no wonder why.
In a world fraught with noise, distraction, and the relentless scroll of modern life, who wouldn’t want to escape back to nature? To enjoy a proper digital detox, breathe clean hill air, and spend a summer in the rural countryside, where hospitality and agricultural heritage meet in something far older and more grounding than anything a city can offer.
They say 2026 is the year of the luxury farm stay. And we’re delighted to welcome families from across the UK and beyond to our little corner of England – a place we’re so lucky to call home.
What Is Agrotourism?
You might have seen the word agrotourism — or its Italian cousin, agriturismo — and wondered what sets it apart from an ordinary countryside break. The answer is connection.
Agrotourism is travel that is rooted in the working agricultural landscape. Rather than simply sleeping somewhere rural and scenic, it invites you into the life of the land itself. In Italy, this idea has been embedded in the culture for generations. Now the UK is finding its own, distinctly British version of this timeless way of travelling. And the numbers are extraordinary: interest in UK farm-based holidays soared by 266% in 2024. This is not a passing trend. It is a shift in what people want from their time away.
A Working Farm Is a Place of Spirit
A working farm, of course, is not just a place to stay – it’s a place of spirit and belonging. Where the cuckoo calls from the trees along the Offa’s Dyke Path each spring, returning faithfully from Central Africa. Where the stars shine so clearly overhead that bedtime becomes irrelevant, especially when the cows are calving or the sheep are lambing and the whole farm is quietly, purposefully alive.
Settled within 50 acres, Hatterrall is woven through with traditional farming heritage. Our herd of pedigree Hereford cattle, native to this very county, roam the fields below the Black Mountains. The water in the properties is drawn from a valley spring in the fields above. The beams holding the farmhouse together are carved from local oak. By night, stargazers can trace the Milky Way from a true dark sky area, unhurried and unhidden.
Hatterrall Barn itself is a traditional agricultural building, once housing sheep, cattle, and feed. Dating back to the 17th century, welcoming guests is only a short chapter in this barn’s long lifetime — and before you, it hosted rather more ‘exotic’ species.
What Our Guests Find Here
One of our favourite joys is watching guests arrive from the city and, gradually, truly relax.
Young children press themselves against the fence to watch tractors mowing the grass in summer heat. They name the calves born in spring. They see nature in the way children do, before screens filled every quiet moment.
We recently welcomed a family who, each morning, walked down the lane and stood at the field gate simply to watch the baby calves suckling from their mothers.
One of our beloved regular guests – after whom some of last year’s calves are named – enjoyed bottle-feeding one of this year’s arrivals: a calf called Patch, who we’re currently feeding twice a day, as his mother doesn’t have enough milk. These are the moments our guests carry home with them, long after the suitcase is unpacked and the inbox refills.
When we read reviews where people write that they have “properly relaxed”, “really slowed down”, and “enjoyed doing the simple things” with their families, it brings us enormous joy. That is precisely what we set out to offer.
We’re Not for Everyone
We’re not the place for vast entertainments or packed itineraries. We won’t pretend otherwise.
But if you’re looking to slow down, to enjoy long suppers outside as the light fades over the hills, morning walks while the birds fill the hedgerows with song, evenings stargazing from the hot tub or cosied up inside building a fire, then you’ve found your place. Hatterrall is made for the bird spotters, the family game players, the readers, the walkers, the people who simply want to be somewhere quiet and beautiful for a while.
The Brecon Beacons National Park stretches out beyond the farm gate, laced with trails for every pace. The market towns of the Marches – Hay-on-Wye, Abergavenny, Monmouth – are waiting to be explored when the mood strikes. And on the farm itself, the River Monnow runs below the banks, brown trout swimming in the shallows, watched over by otters.
Why Now?
The surge in farm stays isn’t just about fresh air, though there’s plenty of that. It speaks to something deeper that many of us are feeling: a desire to understand where things come from, to support the people who work the land, and to feel genuinely part of a place, rather than simply passing through it.
Younger travellers in particular are leading this shift, seeking experiences that align with their values – sustainable, meaningful, and real. But the appeal reaches every generation. Families come for the wonder on their children’s faces. Couples come to rediscover quiet togetherness. Solo travellers come looking for stillness.
Whatever brings you here, we think you’ll find something you didn’t quite know you were looking for.
Stay With Us
We’d love to welcome you to Hatterrall this summer.
Nestled under Hatterrall Hill, on the English-Welsh border, in the charming village of Longtown – we’ll be here, as we always are, with the kettle on and the fields full.
