We can’t believe it’s been almost a year since our last Herding Hill Farm Newsletter and what a year. Summer went by in a blur as the campsite was so busy right from the moment lockdown ended in April and people were allowed to stay over, up until the end of November, which was great to see although it was somewhat strange having to share our ‘back garden’ with guests again. We were touched to hear how many of you had missed us and see so many old faces returning to stay.

Our BBQ Hut for hire has been in full swing, along with our firepits and BBQs which have been in high demand especially after purchasing the marshmallow kits for toasting from our shop. We have enjoyed some amazing dark skies this year. 

Herding Hill Farm Party and Celebration Packs have been popular this year and we have now upped our game regarding attention to detail with colour schemes and occasions, resulting in great guest feedback. It’s easy to pop a pack onto your online booking or if you forget just give us a call and we can add it on at any time. For a full list of booking extras to make your stay more convenient or special, visit https://www.herdinghillfarm.co.uk/stay/optional-extras

We all survived Storm Arwen in November, with only minor damage occurring to us hard weathered wardens.  Mickie and Martin had to re-erect part of their awning and Jason and Angela were double pegging in the early hours, but we all survived.  The Alpacas lost their house which blew away over the hill into the next field but luckily, they never use it and all 3 were safe behind their wall crag.  Thank Goodness. 

Christmas and New Year continued to see us being busy with several guests staying in touring vans and wigwam cabins for their Christmas break. The site was fully booked over the New Year period. Whilst Covid prevented us from hosting our usual drinks event on New Year’s Eve, our guests joined in our festivities by decorating their vans and with our own decorations the site looked very festive indeed.  

Our Northumberland campsite is open all year round - why not consider staying with us at Christmas and celebrating the festive season in a different way or just having a break away during January or February. We are offering 25% off all our camping and glamping stays in January and February, simply quote WIN22 when booking. 

With our dark, starry skies and beautiful sunsets, Herding Hill Farm is a different place to take a relaxing break during the winter.

Introducing our new Team Members

During the year we sadly said goodbye to Tom and Chantelle but were very happy to welcome 4 new members to the team, becoming employee owners at Herding Hill Farm.  They have special messages for our guests.

Hello everybody,

We are Angela and Jason Henderson, the newest campsite wardens here at Herding Hill Farm, joining in September 2021 with our 17-year-old cat “Biscuit”. We hail from a small village outside of Glasgow in Scotland and have been campsite wardens for the last three years in the Lake District. Prior to this Angela spent her working life in office and hotel admin and Jason as a professional chef and college lecturer. We have settled into the beautiful Herding Hill site and have been made to feel very welcome by Site Managers Phil and Sue and their amazing team.  The work on the campsite is very fulfilling, with great diversity, from meeting and greeting guests and helping them in any way that we can to ensure that they have a great time and make great holiday memories, to feeding and looking after the animals and cleaning and maintenance which makes no two days the same. Now going into the winter months, we are looking forward to all the new rewarding challenges that this may bring. 

Hello, we are Nikki and Richard, we became part of the Herding Hill Farm family in the summer of 2021.  We also have Boo…. our rescue retired Greyhound and Fritz…. our American Quarter Horse.

We relocated to Northumberland in November 2020 from the Midlands, having decided to seek a new adventure in a beautiful part of the country.  Being in the ‘Centre’ of Britain, we live and have easy access to some of the most outstanding areas of the country.  Nikki’s background was in Property Maintenance Management and Richard’s main field was in Locomotive Engineering.  We both love the outdoors, wildlife, and birds.  To be welcomed into Herding Hill Farm has given us a whole new diversity of daily activities from caring for the animals, (including header practice with Aaron the Pygmy Goat), site maintenance and hospitality that we both enjoy.  It is truly a great place to work and a great team to be part of.

We finished our busy 2021 season with not 1 but 2 Halloween/Bonfire weekends, due to the demand for these events, with the site being full for both weekends Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to us on the second weekend, with gale force winds and torrential rain, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and most of the activities carried on despite everything.   We had some brilliant creations from the children when they made witches/wizard hats, badges, bug hotels, dipped apples in chocolate and coloured themselves a mask during the morning Craft session.

 Following a treasure trail in the afternoon when all the children received a scary hand of sweets the day ended with a bonfire, a short firework display and burgers and hot dogs.  We were delighted to receive this photo of the bonfire from a guest which really does look like a witch rising from the flames.

The free activities offered to guests on these weekends are part of our annual fundraising activities, with all donations received for the activities going towards our identified charities for the year.  We are pleased to say that this year we raised £475.00 for the Great North Air Ambulance and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue.  Our owners WCF Ltd have kindly matched this and we were able to send £500.00 to each charity.

Jason and Angela’s thought on our animals 

Well hello to everybody from a frosty Herding Hill Farm. The winter is upon us, and we have now been here for over four months and have settled into this lovely part of Northumberland. We are really enjoying working with the rest of the team onsite and meeting other WCF employees. One of the highlights of our working week is our daily experiences looking after the animals here at Herding Hill Farm, every one of them has their own unique personality with gentle ways. “Coco” our Donkey with his side kick “Robyn” the Shetland pony are the main ringleaders with the built-in food alarm clocks, Coco reminds us every day at the top of his voice at 8.30am and 4.00pm that it’s “DINNER TIME”, which also brings the rest of the troops to their feeding spots within their enclosures. 

Alvin and Aaron are highly interactive with finely honed heading skills, putting some footballers I know to shame. 

The three shy “amigos” of Mamba, Minstrel and Knight, our Alpaca herd, are as cute as can be, with eyelashes to die for and eyes the size of saucers.  They are very hardy and seem to handle any types of weather that they encounter. 

The next 2 cheeky chappies are Chilli and Ginger, our pair of Kune Kune New Zealand pigs. In the Māori language, it means fact and round which isn’t a stretch when you see these little guys totally enjoying a good rub.

Last, but not least, are the rabbits, Danny and Houshini, the cutest rabbits with great personalities and communication skills in a chirpy, chirpy, cheep, cheep chorus, with their partners in crime McGregor and Hamilton, our guinea pigs and our chickens, the Spice Girls. 

As from 1st April you will be able to stay in our latest Luxury Castle Pod Development.   Our online booking system will be opening during the week commencing 31st January for you to arrange your stay. The pods are bookable for 3-night stays Fri/Mon and 4-night stays Mon/Fri. These 8 Luxury Pods are in their own private area on the campsite, with stunning views down the valley and the privacy of your own decking and outdoor hot tub. Our Castle Pod glamping cabins offer a luxurious experience for 2 adults. Unfortunately, no pets or children in our Castle Pods but our Running Water Wigwam cabins continue to be dog and child-friendly. Double bed made up for your arrival in luxury linens Fully equipped kitchenette with ceramic hob, fridge, kettle, microwave, toaster, and Nespresso coffee machine, as well as plates, pans and crockery En-suite toilet and shower – towels provided Sofa and dining area with wood burning stove and smart TV Large furnished private outdoor space with hot tub, fire pit and BBQ

We are looking forward to seeing many of you again in 2022. 2022 is a special year for Hadrian’s Wall, which is celebrating 1900 years since it was built, and there are hundreds of activities taking place between 24th January and 23rd December 2022. As one of the closest Hadrian’s Wall campsites, Herding Hill is an ideal location to base yourself and enjoy these events. Visit their website at https://1900.hadrianswallcountry.co.uk/ to find out more.

We are also participating in the David Bellamy Blooming Marvellous Pledge for Nature challenge and will be installing and planting a number of new hedges and flower beds to encourage wildlife and pollinators, as well as talking to local wildlife charities about the creation of habitats for hedgehogs, bugs and bats.

As a taste of what is to come some of our plans for this year include:

• Our popular Easter and Halloween/Bonfire Activity weekends will again take place (Easter weekend is Friday 15th April (minimum 3-night stay) and the Halloween/Bonfire weekend will be Friday 4th November)
• Family picnic during the Platinum Jubilee weekend Thursday 2nd June – please note we are selling out fast for this weekend
  
• Stargazing events
  
• Roman themed weekends/mid-week breaks to celebrate 1900 years of Hadrian’s Wall 
• Introduction to nature activities and challenges for our younger visitors
• Summer Garden Party

For the most up to date information FOLLOW US on Facebook. Alternatively keep an eye on our website www.herdinghillfarm.co.uk or give us a call for further information.