50 acres hosted by Sara R.
1 tent site
Presently offering a tent camping site only, but working to bring you an off grid glamping experience soon in our 19th century former granary by our lake!
Our small, bio-diverse farm is in a quiet location but only 10km from shops and cafes. Our property is run with minimal chemical inputs and a lot of hard manual labour producing hazelnuts and chestnuts, sometimes heartnuts and pecan, in our tree nut orchard, and alfalfa: grass hay. We also run a seasonal farm shop selling our produce and crafts. We are very lucky to have a 1.5 acre lake which you are welcome to explore by canoe (life preservers provided for 2), supporting sun fish, bass and perch with midland and snapping turtles and thousands of tree frogs in the spring, and the occasional musk rat, beaver, muscovy and woodland ducks, and heron. You may also see bobolinks, barn swallows, and bats in summer, ask to borrow our bat detector to listen to their chirps at dusk, or binoculars to watch wildlife. Check out our ancient Jesuit pear tree, 65’ tall, you may never see another as it is a very rare tree. We are on the migration routes of Tundra swans and Monarch butterflies. Star gazing is very good, there is very little light pollution but our farm security lights. Tall poplar trees provide shade and shelter as well as pleasant sounds of the wind.
We provide free 5G drinking water per day, firewood (unless there is a ban), use of fridge/freezer, electric outlet for short term use eg charging a battery, all picked up or found at the farm shop (5 minute walk), and we collect garbage after your stay. Please don’t bring your own firewood, even if you intend to burn it right away it can still import plant pests that may harm our crops, thank you!
Wellington boots are recommended, cleaned of all soil before arrival on the farm.
We experience a modified continental climate with the effect of the Great Lakes. Winters bring often fluctuating temperatures ranging between plus 10 degrees and minus 20 degrees. Winters are long, once the Great Lakes freeze they keep air temperatures quite low until late Spring; daffodils and tulips emerge and flower in May, by when snow flurries and frosty nights are usually over. June is usually pleasant t-shirt weather and hay-making month with little or no dew. You can expect hot, sultry, stormy days and nights in July, and some daytime temperatures in the low 30s Celsius before the humidity index which can push the experienced heat into the high 30s and keep night time temperatures in the upper teens to low 20s. July is the best month for spectacular thunderstorms and strong winds with risk of a tornado. August is appreciably cooler at night so much so that you may need a blanket or extra layer of clothing, and footwear to withstand heavy dew. September sees the beginning of crisp days and the turning of vivid fall colours of red, gold, pink, orange and yellow which develop even further into October. November is when the leaves are all falling or fallen, with relatively mild weather and frequent rainfall and snow flurries through to Christmas, with more snow in January and February. The typical snow season lasts from November until April, interspersed by rapid thaws and rainfall. Rarely does this create significant problems underfoot due to our soils being free-draining sands and gravel, but occasional localized flooding can occur in low-lying spots over icey ground.Pitch your tent at one of a few designated clearings on level grassy ground by your private lake. Explore the lake in our canoe (life preservers available) or just watch the stars and changing colours in the landscape. Enjoy a firepit in a designated location. Laze around in a swing-hammock chair that you can move to where you want. You are welcome to explore around our fields and orchard, we will indicate the route through crops by mowing a trail. or just sit back and relax and enjoy the sounds of nature in the quiet and privacy of our small, pretty farm.
We are a working farm growing hay and hazelnuts, and we sell some produce and plants in our own shop that is open every day including Christmas Day from morning til well after dusk. "At your own risk" you can keep freezer packs frozen in the shop (but no food, please - as it is a farm shop it can only have farm produce in it and we don't want someone buying your supplies!). You can buy fresh free-range duck eggs for your breakfast, or some hazelnuts or chestnuts in season, to roast on a fire. Other produce available by chance, including honey, oak-grown shittake mushrooms, vegetables, beeswax candles, and whole duck.
We are in process of restoring a former granary to an off-grid glamping experience for 2023 and we should have an outdoor solar-heated shower operating late summer 2022, to provide full bathroom conveniences with a rustic outdoor composting toilet in a separate shed.
Firewood (a generous bundle) and 5 gallons/day of water are provided for pick up by the shop. Wifi can be used close to the farmhouse (please ask us for password). Garbage will be collected on foot daily, we provide the bags and bin.
Must love dogs - we have two working farm dogs that are not leashed and will want to say Hi!
Honey bees are kept, and other stinging insects including wild bees, wasps, mosquitoes and deer fly may be around, but not to the point of being unbearable. American dog ticks are abundant especially in long grass (our hay fields) and protection and careful self-examination is recommended. Poison ivy is possible but we do control it using pesticide. First Aid kit is kept in the old granary, and the nearest Emergency Room is in Newbury, about 15 minutes by car.
We also have a mature, very rare Jesuit pear tree, a legacy from French settlement dated prior to 1780 so there is more history yet to be discovered as to how and when our farm was settled.
Rare visits by timber wolves, more commonly by coyotes, and occasional red foxes, are possible. Please familiarise yourself with the sound of their night calls (especially the red fox) as they can otherwise be very alarming on a dark night!
Activities
Biking
Boating
Fishing
Hiking
Natural features
Beach
Forest
Lake
Field
Hosted by Sara R.Joined in July 2022
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Hipcamp is created with ❤️ and hope for our future.