Agritourism - a trick missed by scotland... not by feather down farms!
Agritourism is an area that TiG feels presents an opportunity for growth of Scottish tourism and which ties in well with our focus on Sustainable tourism. Several European nations are strongly focussed on agritourism - is Scotland missing a trick?
Current trends inform us that the authentic holiday is key to the modern traveller. "Feather Down Farm Days" is a successful Alliance of working farmers in Holland, Belgium and Germany that has recently launched in the UK. Scotland now has one member. Adopting the Feather Down brand and product formula, the farm is able to offer an innovative and appealing holiday. Feather Down supply the farms with top quality safari-style tents and other products to deliver a holiday hankering "back to nature" and simpler farming times.
Last year the Dale family from Lochhouses Farm at Tyninghame, near Dunbar joined Feather Down and Sue Crossman from TiG went to check it out. The Dales are provided with extremely spacious tents each of which has a wood burning stove, a flushing toilet, running water at a kitchen sink, and comfy beds. Other supplied items include a "vintage" coffee grinder and cool chest. Lighting is via candles or oil lamps. There are shared facilities for hot showers, and a heritage water pump for community cool down!
As part of the holiday experience, Feather Down Farm Days encourage children to learn about farming life and farms have a petting area for children to meet farm animals and also a hen house for egg collecting. Local food is also important and Feather Down require the farms to provide guests with locally sourced produce via an honesty farm shop on site. Feather Down also encourage guests to hire bikes from the farm to experience the local nature reserves in an environmentally friendly way. Lochhouses Farm is a stone's throw from John Muir Country Park - an outstanding conservation area, and an award winning sandy beach is a short walk.
We need more strategic collaboration between rural development and tourism and are pleased to hear about this innovative new offer, which responds to industry trends for authenticity and a desire to "get back to nature".