The Buzzards

Once you’ve arrived at the Buzzards, the difficulty is deciding where to go first. The badger hide, perhaps? Or the bluebell-carpeted wood for some bat-watching? Or maybe a visit to scratch the ears of Barbara, the big Tamworth sow? It’s hard to believe that this biodynamic smallholding only covers 16 acres, so packed is it with happy diversions. The delights continue at the secluded campsite, which enjoys a private view up the wooded valley. The loo/shower, meanwhile, is attached to the main house, a short step away. 

Should you care to wander, this part of Herefordshire is packed with things to see and do including Croft Castle (3 miles; 01568 780141; NT site), the 30-mile Mortimer Trail (Aymestry, 1¼ miles) and the Dunkerton’s cider orchards and chocolaterie (6¼ miles; 01544 388161; www.dunkertons.co.uk), while each village in the area has its own short circular walks (leaflets available on site). 

A good many people, however, simply prefer to take root in the camping field, enjoying the visits from the three friendly cats; ruffling the coats of the two hand-reared sheep; ambling along to the mere by the woods to commune with the grebes, coots and moorhens; or merely chatting with Elaine, owner of the Buzzards and the very soul of kindness. For 2010, there’s the promise of an even more secluded space for those who seriously want to get away from it all: a separate pitch in the small ancient quarry from which the stone came to build the farmhouse.