Posted on December 8th, 2018 - Fiona
Soft Play is one of those love or loath activities. Usually loved by kids and loathed by parents. However on a rainy day they are a very handy stand by for using up excess energy for little ones. Much as I would love to pretend every day delivers beautiful sunshine for a holiday here in Cornwall, I know that just won’t wash. The reality is we experience our fair share of westerly winds bringing associated showers. Having soft play here at Coombe Mill is a sociable and fun way to dodge the rain clouds on the less than perfect beach days.
Making soft play bearable for parents
My relocation of soft play was always that they were made much more bearable with a decent coffee in hand! We have a table and chairs in the soft play barn for parents to watch over children at play. We request that no food and drinks are taken onto the play equipment, however bringing your real coffee over from your property to enjoy at the table is very much encouraged along with a snack for the children. There is even a highchair in there.
Soft play with space for parents to sit and kids to run and play
A game of chase is fun in a group
Round and round they go climbing up….
….And sliding down
Before flopping in the ball pit to catch their breath
Location, location. location
Our play barn is central to Coombe Mill, whether you stay in a cottage or a lodge the soft play barn is no more than a couple of minutes walk away. The morning tractor and trailer ride begins and ends just outside so children can easily run from one activity to the next. The soft play barn is just one of the all weather attractions here at Coombe Mill, so that you never need worry about the weather or the time of year you decide to visit.
Pin for Later: Soft Play at Coombe Mill for rainy days on holiday
Posted on December 1st, 2018 - Fiona
Christmas here at Coombe Mill is all about making family time as relaxing and memorable as possible. By the time you arrive for your well earned holiday the chances are the shopping is all complete, wrapped and hidden in the car. Let the stress melt away as you begin a week of relaxing family fun. The first thing that greets you as you walk through the door will be the warmth of your cottage or lodge and the pretty twinkling lights from the Christmas tree. Our Christmas Trees are ready assembled with lights on, however the fun part of decorating with tinsel and baubles is left for you and your family to enjoy. Select the bits and bobs you want from our box of treasures, then create the Christmas tree of your choice.
Honeysuckle Cottage
Recently renovated, this spacious holiday cottage easily takes a large Christmas Tree.
High ceilings make it easy for a 7ft tree to feature in this contemporary lodge to sleep 8.
Can you imagine fairies dancing inside the branches?
Our own Christmas tree fully decorated in minimalist style this year.
There will be a chance to add to the decorations at our popular Christmas craft session. This always includes a little homemade treat for the tree and a centerpiece for your Christmas table.
Christmas Holly and Ivy
Why not embellish the decorations in your cottage or lodge with a little Christmas scavenger hunt on the farm. There is plenty of holy with rich red berries and ivy creeping up the big old trees. Grab a pair of scissors from the well stocked kitchen and go natural with decorating. There is plenty for everyone. Do tell me if you find any mistletoe, I look each year over the 30 acres but I’ve not yet spotted any.
Outdoor Decorations
Next to go up will be our outdoor lights, I can’t wait to share some more photos as our old log store is the perfect place to light up the entrance with Christmas cheer. When you put your decorations up? Do you a wait until Christmas Eve or jump in at the start of December?
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Posted on November 17th, 2018 - Fiona
With Halloween and bonfire night behind us and the run up to Christmas underway life can feel hectic. The kids are getting excited and you may be feeling the pressure to plan and provide a great time for everyone. The nights are short and the days seem to be running away. If all this seems a little too real then may be a little time out in the countryside could help. OK it won’t make all those planning worries go away, but it will improve your mental wellbeing by giving you time to breath, evaluate, be grateful and put things into perspective to be more productive.
Autumn beauty
You don’t need to go far or for long to fill your senses with fresh air and nature’s beauty. A walk in the woods, the park, the beach or the hills can be more energising than you might imagine. Health experts are beginning to agree with talk of green space and the calming influence of natural flowing water. It is something I’ve known for a long time. I begin every morning with a walk around our farm to check on the animals. The sound of the river, the colours in the trees and smell of the season drifting up from the earth is uplifting beyond belief. I return full of pretty images, a feeling of being alive and a zest for the day ahead. It really does make me more productive and improve my mental wellbeing.
Spring is my favourite season with new born animals and fresh green leaves, however the striking colours in the final stages of autumn is breathtaking.
Morning light seeping into the entrance to Coombe Mill round the log store
Farm path over the stream coated in autumn leaves
Autumn colours reflected in the top fishing lake
Pigs with a view: Lower lake from in front of the pigsty
Take a break and boost your mental wellbeing
Try my morning countryside trick and see what a difference it makes to your day. Even if you work, can’t get our before daylight or back before dark, try using your days off and see how much more you get out of life.
Our cozy lodges are waiting for you
Why not take advantage of our lowest prices this winter and come and see us for a few days. We take bookings any day of the week: make use of school inset days, spare work days or cancelled clubs and mop up a good dose of countryside well being. Whether it is the calm before the storm of Christmas or a well earned break to look forward to at New Year or beyond we’d love to welcome you. Activities for the children run all year even if you are the only ones staying.
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Posted on November 3rd, 2018 - Fiona
What a week it has been! For many it has been half term. Here in Cornwall our kids were back at school, however the farm has been busy with half term visitors from up country. For me that has meant another packed week and a rerun of our ever popular Halloween fun day. More pumpkin carving, ghost trains and trick or treat, but with a very different feel to the weather. Gone were those warm southerly air streams to be replaced by our first taste of sub zero winter temperatures.
A winter landscape
There is something quite magical about the first frost of the season. I don’t remember having such a heavy frosty in October before, but it was enough to have me don a few extra layers and venture out. The frost hung heavy in our deep wooded valley looking so thick you could mistake it for snow. Our striking Scandinavian lodges remind me of a Christmas card. Only the leaves still clinging to the trees give away the early arrival of the sub zero days.
Scandinavian Lodges coated in the first Frost of winter
A confused farm
The poor animals were very confused as the temperatures plummeted down. They picked over frozen grass and ice crystals round the leaves. Even the stinging nettles were coated in frost. The frost held them rigidly in place, unable to wilt until the morning sun rose over the valley to melt their new skin.
Sub zero winter temperatures are a shock to us all
Frosted leaves and grass intertwine
Thankfully by the time Farmer Nick and I had finished the morning school runs and taken the guests out with the tractor and trailer the temperatures were rising enough to keep little fingers and toes from Jack Frost.
Sunrise over the valley soon melts away the frost
We have returned to the more regular south westerly air stream now giving us the warmest temperatures across the country. This is normal for us in winter, but I rather like the chilly sub zero days with clear blue skies. I hope we have more to come.
Posted on October 27th, 2018 - Fiona
Whether you love it or hate it this week is all about Halloween. We have gone all out for our 2018 Halloween Fun Day this year in October half term. For the first time we have added pumpkin carving. Traditionally we have asked our guests to source and carve their own pumpkins to signal participation in our famous Trick or Treat evening. However this year we are including pumpkin carving in the afternoon crafts. Our first session was last Wednesday, but as half term stretches over 3 weeks this year we will be doing it all again on Halloween itself.
Pumpkin Carving
With no exciting pumpkin patches in Cornwall and the need for rather a lot of pumpkins Farmer Nick scoured the internet for good value pumpkins. Morrison’s came up trumps with a discount on bulk bringing us down to around 50 per pumpkin. We laid them out on our craft tables with a collection of knives, scoops and Theo’s great know how. We soon had a hive of activity taking place with little ones designing the funny faces and adults and older children carving.
Pumpkin carving activity table
Light up those Pumpkins
Later in the evening each cottage and lodge lit their pumpkins to guide the way for our organised Trick or Treat Procession. They shone beautifully in the night sky. Many of our younger guests had never experienced pumpkin carving and lighting before and were totally taken in by the magic of the evening.
Lit pumpkin for Trick or Treat
Nutritious Pumpkin Seed Snacks
Nothing is wasted here on the farm. We Have Sally and her 6 piglets who are only too happy to be the recipients of all the pumpkin scooping. However the pigs have to wait until I have saved the seeds. They are create dried out for crafting, or scattered on a baking tray with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled for about 10 minutes till popping and browned. I took a tray out for the guests to snack on whilst carving. In our house I have a storage jar full to add them to snacks and meals for us.
Avocado, crispy bacon and melted cheese on toast with roasted pumpkin seeds & wedges.
If you fancy going Pumpkin crazy with us, we are already taking bookings for next October half term. There is also a ghost train, fancy dress feed run, Trick or treat, games and crafts for all. If you are staying this coming week you have plenty to look forward to.
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