Green Tourism

We at Bidwell Farm are now aiming for a bronze award with the Green Tourism Business. We still have a long way to go but during the next year we hope to become acreditated and to formulate a green environmental policy that we can offer to guests who wish to participate..

Discounts for self catering

We offer a loyalty discount to our regular customers of £10 for each year up to £50 for a full week's booking. This can be claimed only once during the year.. Please ask for the discount when booking if you have been to us before.

Our off peak self catering rates are very competitive in both our cottages and short break deals are shown on our availability - however, we are trying to be even more flexible with our prices to attract smaller parties who wish to stay and are only using one or two rooms. Please feel free to talk this over with us.

Group Bookings

We find that more and more families wish to book both cottages for that all important family birthday or anniversary and wish to share a meal. For this reason we are now awaiting the arrival of a new farmhouse kitchen table for the Haybarton kitchen that will sit 10/12. This should be with us by June.

New facilities at Bidwell for the young at heart

We have decided to open up the field beyond the garden and create a Football/Cricket/Croquet/badminton/boules area. This will be for the use of all guests and will definitely be ready for 2009 but we are hopeful, dependent on weather, that the grass might take well enough that guests might be able to use it later this summer. We have already levelled the site and the area will be seeded at the first sign of summer.

When completed we will provide a brick barbecue and extra picnic tables in this area.

Customer feedback:

Our guests' comments from the Visitors' Book are added to our website for all to read. We add ALL comments and thankfully our guests seem to love staying here. We have been asked by an independent company to request guests to add comments to their site below. This is a new venture for us and, if anyone who has stayed here would like to add a comment, then please do so.

http://www.hotelsreviewed.com/uk-Bidwell-Farm-Haybarton-Annexe-Honiton-reviews.html

Wi-Fi Connection

We have at long last managed to have the Wi-Fi connection in the main farmhouse. This means anyone staying in the house, using their own laptop, with wireless enablement, will have full access to Internet facilities. Guests staying in the Haybarton can use Wi-Fi in their kitchen but guests in the Cow Byre cottage are most welcome to come up to the farmhouse and take advantage of the Wi-Fi connection there.

Premier Cottages

Bidwell Farm Cottages has now joined Premier Cottages http://www.premiercottages.co.uk and now appears in their 2008 brochure.

Pond news

Great news for fishermen 2007/8.. Our lovely 3/4 acre pond has just been fully dredged and deepened for the first time in eight years and is now gloriously weed free although looking a bit barren at present. During March the pond was restocked with one hundred 8 inch trout which are now rising well and jumping on the hooks!

New Cowbyre Cottage

Our second year with the new Cow Byre cottage has come to an end and both years have shown that customers love this new addition and often now book this slightly smaller cottage in preference to the popular Haybarton. We have had some lovely guests from here and abroad and they all seemed very content in the new cottage.The first photographs are now available and the guest book comments are now added to Guests' Comments along with those of the Haybarton.

More detailed information about the layout of the Cowbyre and PHOTOGRAPHS can be found HERE.

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Credit / Debit Cards now accepted

To allow for more flexible payment options for our customers, we now accept all major debit / credit cards.

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A cheeky picture of Tom and Jo Webb in the Haybarton in August.

Jack feeding Dippy July 2007- Thank you Alf Saville for sending us the photograph.. Dippy misses Jack too.

25th August 2007

Thank you to The Rogers Family for sending us through their family photograph taken at Bidwell this August

A BIG THANK YOU

Sandra, David, Laura and Matthew Cottam Wokingham - July 2005

Dear Friends from Poland

Hope that you arrived safely after your long, S L O W drive back home!

We very much enjoyed your cheerful company. Do come and see us again one day.

Left to right

Top: Justyna and Jarek ; Monika;

Bottom: Marta and Tomasz; Ewa and Marlena.

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Jim and Carlene Hopp and Jim & Susan Taylor - California, USA. We were sorry to see you drive away. Your car remained in our car park for your entire stay. You walked every day in rain and hailstones, through mud and worse, pushing aside those sheep and cattle who, like us, wanted to get to know you better.! You have gained the award of OUR FITTEST GUESTS YET!

April 20th 2005.

Thank you Brian for your poem.

For our holiday we came to Devon

Patsy and Richard's place was heaven

The hospitality was superb and friendly

as country lads we became trendy.

The ladies cooked and we washed dishes

then Richard asked who amongst you fishes?

Well at least that was the plan

That's when the pantomime began.

Casting the fly was a fiasco;

for fish we should have gone to Tesco.

I thought we would be better walking

or in the Sidmouth Arms just talking.

Coast and countryside peacefully blend

as homeward bound we start to wend.

We have had a lovely stay and recommend it EVERYWAY.

Brian Odam March 2005.

08/10/2003 - Alan Hurst's Visit

Strapping Alan Hurst, the Australian Test fast bowler
(who in the late seventies bowled out Pakistan virtually single handed at Perth )
relaxes at Bidwell Farm with his wife, Carol.

11/08/2003 - Poem sent to us from Jon Snell (Visitor to Bidwell)

“BID U WELL”

If you’re thinking to stray
Along down Devon way
There’s a place you must see
It’s called Upottery
But there’s a secret kept well
And it will do you no harm
To spend a few nights
At one Bidwell Farm

On a hot summer’s day
You can see Tigger yawn
From his vantage point across
Opposite the Haybarton lawn
There’s a pond up the top
It’s a beautiful spot
If you keep a lookout
You may see some trout

I could go on with my ode
But its purpose if told
Is to thank very deeply
Richard and Patsy
Who both dreamed this Farm
And as you can see
It’s the ultimate charm

Jon Snell (Haybarton guest) August 2003

Thank you so much Jon, Diana, Shannon, Rachel and Becky not forgetting Jane and Ron. We loved having all and we missed you when you went. Patsy and Richard. x

17/07/2003 - Bidwell Wedding

Thank you Shelly and Harvey for choosing The Haybarton for your wedding accommodation. We loved being a part of that wonderful event. Best wishes Patsy and Richard.

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01/07/2003 - Bidwell Conservatory completed

Our new conservatory has now been completed where our B & B guests can enjoy breakfast or sit and read the newspaper.