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Fowl Green Farm Cottages

Fowl Green Farm is a traditional hill sheep farm of approximately 86 acres, close to the village of Commondale. It sits on a south-facing slope above Commondale beck, at the end of a two-mile bridle path, which takes us to the slightly larger village of Castleton.

We have recently restored our C18th rough stone and pantile buildings using traditional materials and methods. Three of these old buildings, the barn, the cowbyre and the pigsties, have been converted into holiday accommodation, which is wheelchair accessible.

The Cottages

Fowl Green Farm holiday cottages have been created from original stone farm buildings, which are at least two hundred years old. In each cottage there remains evidence of their former life so the experience will, we hope, combine 21st century standards of comfort and convenience with a little of 18th century rural atmosphere.

The Barn

The barn used to be part barn, part milking parlour and part granary, now it is the largest cottage and has three double bedrooms, one downstairs and two upstairs. Central heating is under floor, which means no radiators downstairs, and no cold spots plus plenty of hot water.

Each bedroom is comfortably furnished with double or twin beds. Much of the furniture is old and we have spent a lot of time and elbow grease restoring and refurbishing. For example, Great Grandad's lovely old bedstead has a new spring and mattress combining the best of the old with the comfort of the new.

The bathroom, which is downstairs, is easily accessible with plenty of space. It consists of toilet (with grab rails), washbasin, with lever taps set into a vanity unit and a wet floor shower area with thermostatically controlled mixer unit and a shower seat with drop down grab rail for easy transfer from a wheel chair. We hope that it is fully accessible to everyone in the family.

The living area is modelled on the large farmhouse kitchen and has everything in one room, sitting, dining and cooking areas. All food preparation areas are accessible from a wheelchair and have space underneath them - so no excuse not to help with the washing up. The kitchen is well equipped and includes fridge, freestanding cooker, and microwave/grill.

The Pigsties

The pigsties are completely accessible on the ground floor. There is a kitchen with a hob set into work surfaces of variable height, combination microwave/grill or microwave/convection oven, fridge and cupboard/shelf space. There is a dining room area, and bedroom area with double bed.

These were four small pigsties, which were also used for weaning calves. They have rough stonewalls and large stone troughs which form the base of the front wall. The feed could be poured in from the outside and the pigs or calves could eat from the trough inside without the door needing to be opened. This was extremely useful since small hungry animals invariably used to barge into whoever was feeding them and knock over the buckets of food.

We have left the troughs and closed the gap to the outside to stop the draughts. However, it is possible to come and stay at Fowl Green Farm and eat and sleep in the pigsties. The four small pigsties are now two small studio apartments each with a mezzanine. These can sleep from one to four people.

The pigsties are completely accessible on the ground floor. There is a kitchen with a hob set into work surfaces of variable height, combination microwave/grill or microwave/convection oven, fridge and shelf space. There are both dining and bedroom areas and a double bed.

The bathroom is downstairs with roll in shower with fold down shower seat, grab rails, toilet and vanity basin with lever taps.

Upstairs are twin bed in the larger pigsty and a single bed or futon in the smaller.

Heating is underfloor and there is plenty of hot water.

Facilities

Facilities provided on arrival include covered car parking, telephone and laundry. There are also details of picnic sites along wheelchair accessible footpaths.

Fowl Green Farm holiday cottages are situated on a south facing slope, about a quarter of a mile from the small village of Commondale. They form a semi-circle around the farmyard, which is directly accessible by foot or vehicle from the road.

Car parking is at the top of the yard, under cover and it is possible to leave the car within a few feet of the cottages.

There is a laundry, which is free to use - just bring your washing and powder, and a pay phone. There is no signal for mobile phones here, so this is a good place to escape from annoying phone calls.

The yard was until recently made of concrete with steep slopes and steps. Digging that up we found old sandstone paving, much of which we have re-laid. Parts of the yard have been resurfaced to make smooth footpaths, which wind around to minimise the gradient making access easier for any visitors with walking impairments. All the cottages have level access.

Each cottage has wooden garden furniture set out in the yard and access to barbecues.

From one of the old farm buildings, the cart shed, a communal lounge and games room has been created. This is heated by an open log fire and is a great space for children to play, or for groups to get together in the evening. The cart shed is also wheelchair accessible. It has proved to be especially popular with groups booking all the cottages together for special celebrations such as family Christmases, birthdays or weddings.

The farm is situated within short walking distance from the railway station, which has recently been upgraded to improve access to the trains.

The cottages are at the end of a two-mile bridle track, which is available for use by walkers, cyclists, and horse riders. Until recently this bridle path has been inaccessible to wheelchair users but this has now been resurfaced. Off the bridle path are a number of smaller paths and picnic sites, which take our visitors into different areas of the farm. These include woodland and stream side areas.

The farmyard borders on the council road, which runs through the village and is the access route to major routes to north and south.

Location

Fowl Green Farm is an excellent environment for those who like a variety of country pursuits. These currently include walking, sight seeing, riding, cycling (including, hand-cranked cycling) off road wheelchair driving, bird watching, fishing, painting or sketching.

There are 86 acres of farmland with fields and woods and a stream running through. Come and enjoy watching animals and birds close at hand. We have created footpaths and picnic sites which are accessible to wheelchair users, so all the family can take part together.

Come looking for historical artefacts, or bring your flower books to identify some of the unusual species.

The farm offers lots of opportunities to be active, but it can also be a starting point for lots of other places to go which are of interest. This section gives information on local services, pubs, restaurants, cafes, churches, local