Wildlife in Warwickshire

It's amazing what you come across when you are out for a walk in the countryside. On a recent outing I came across a field of Alpaca beside Ettington Park. Very friendly and look brilliant. What an amazing discovery.

Folly Farm Cottage in 1700

Have you ever wondered what the Bed & Breakfast used to look like? The photograph here shows the gable end of the cottage, on the left, back in about 1700 when it was a barn associated with actual Folly Farm next door to us. The end of the cottage is still very similar today but has obviously been extended upstairs to create the guest bedrooms.

Folly Farm was one of about eleven farms that used to exist within Ilmington but sadly most of these have gone and only Mabels Farm, which supplies us with our milk, remains today.

Snowdrops at Foxcote Estate near Ilmington

Snowdrops on the Foxcote Estate

During a lovely local walk around the Foxcote estate just on the outskirts of Ilmington we came across this beautiful display of snowdrops. There was a complete carpet spread throughout the wooded area.

Despite the recent awful weather the village and surrounding area have survived unscathed. Although the fields are saturated it is still possible to have a lovely long walk in the countryside.

Little Piggies

Just another quiet peaceful day in Ilmington.....herding up the piglets on Back Street !!!! Our new Australian guests couldn't believe their eyes when they were met with the sight of about ten piglets making a bid for freedom from the local farm. It was all hands on deck to round them up and get them back into the farm but one was more stubborn than the rest and decided to take his time in heading home. Great entertainment.

TV Production comes to Folly Farm Cottage

Ilmington has just joined the TV era with filming for the BBC series Father Brown taking place in the Manor in the centre of the village. We were very fortunate that one of the cars used in the series was parked at the cottage as the owners were staying with us for a couple of nights. The car is a beautiful 1935 Rolls Royce and as you can see from the photograph it is in immaculate condition.
Pam was fortunate enough to be given a drive in the car by the owner prior to it getting used on set. Father Brown features Mark Williams who very kindly autographed a couple of Harry Potter books for Lindsey's granchildren as he appeared as Mr Weasley in the films. He is pictured here signing the books in the Red Lion our fantastic village local.

Spring Lambs

Spring is well and truly here in the Cotswolds. On a recent walk I was fortunate enough to get an up close experience with some lovely lambs. While they were not confident enough to eat from my hand they were quite happy to have their noses stroked.

Today's task is to plant the tomato plants in the greenhouse. As any summer visitor to the cottage will know I am very proud of the tomatoes that we provide our guests at breakfast time which are fresh from the greenhouse. Hopefully we should get a good crop again this year. 

Day out at the Cotswolds Tourism Forum

Just back from a meeting of the Cotswolds Tourism Annual Forum at Cheltenham racecourse. A very interesting meeting and managed to see the Fabulous Baker Brothers up close. Also chairing the meeting was the Cotswold Chef, Rob Rees.
There was a big promotion of the excellent local food within the Cotswolds including the various cheeses, Gloucester Old Spot sausages and local beers.
Nice to see so much enthusiasm shown by the attractions in the area prior to the main season starting. The National Trust properties are starting to open up again and Sudeley Castle opens for business on the 17th March.