The Animals
All our animals are rescues and we’re very happy to introduce them and tell you their stories. It’s fun and relaxing to stroke them, feed them, groom them, and even just watch them. More rugged guests can help to muck them out.
The ponies
Our ponies are mum Grace and daughter May. They’re Dartmoor ponies and would have died during the annual cull. They’re pretty much still wild: Grace is quite friendly and will probably come to the fence and say hello, but May tends to keep her distance.
The donkeys
Woody and Zippy are ex-beach donkeys, enjoying a well-earned retirement, Coco is an elderly chap who was lonely in his old home. They love to be fed hay and are all patient and gentle.
The bantam
Princess was an unwanted pet, kept in a very small coop and run. Bantams are small chickens and lay tiny little eggs. Princess is ridiculously fluffy and can be making cute chirpy noises one minute and squawking her head off the next. She’s small but she’s mighty.
The chickens
Not all the chickens have names yet but they have very different personalities: Straggler is last to come in at night, Shelley likes to sleep inside, Sunshine likes to take charge. Two of them are from “free range” systems, the rest are from “organic free range” systems. Ask us what we think of the different types of farming systems hens come from…
We don’t eat eggs so you’re welcome to have as many as you like and take some home.
Our cats
The cats are Alfie, Olivia, and Marcel. All three were kittens from unwanted litters. Alfie is extremely friendly, Olivia will pretend she wants a cuddle but then run off when you get too close, and Marcel will look at you in horror if you approach him.
Our dog
Harvey is the one and only dog. We met him begging for scraps behind a restaurant in Portugal and brought him home (that’s the short version anyway!). He’s a bit old and arthritic now so he limps sometimes and isn’t interested in playing, but he loves cuddles, so if you start petting him you won’t be allowed to stop.