Leys at Valley View Farm

Leys, which has Visit Britain 5-star status, is close to Lyme Regis, sea, countryside, SW Coastal Path and many other footpaths. The views are spectacular, as is the location with lots of outdoor space, ambiance, and many activities, including table tennis, snooker, boules, badminton, short tennis, table football, swing ball. Good for families and big groups (not hen and stag parties - sorry). Sadly, unable to have short breaks in school holidays. Minimum 7 nights during summer holidays. The space A peaceful spot for relaxing and star gazing - no light pollution. A bridlepath runs past the farmhouse, which joins a network of footpaths. 40-minute walk to Lyme Regis along River Lim recommended. Valley View Farm has a nature reserve and woodland area, which attracts a wide range of flora and fauna. It opened in July 2018, but is still in the early stages of development. The owner plans to install cameras, so that barn and annexe guests can view the wildlife from the comfort of the armchair, a la Spring Watch, and hopefully fit a canopy over the treehouse, so that there is the option to enjoy a night ‘on safari’ under the stars. This is very much a ‘work in progress’. Jill hopes that guests will feel free to improve the camps, tunnels, hides, trails, etc. and make new ones. There are lots of fallen branches and plenty of dead vegetation to help with structures - the ideal place to hone your bushcraft skills! Jill also provides checklists/clipboards and encourages guests to see what they can spot. Help from keen naturalists and birdwatchers in adding to the list would be much appreciated, and give future guests the pleasure of ticking off sightings. Guest access There is a field for sports, boules piste, stables with indoor games. Car park behind the property. Lots of space for running around and letting off steam. Other things to note Proximity to coast and countryside. Have you always wanted to learn to paint the landscape, but just don't know where to start? Or perhaps you have some painting experience, but would like a bit of support and encouragement. Turn your holiday break into a unique creative experience. Tailored tuition to paint the inspirational and stunning landscape around Lyme Regis. Painting both out in the landscape (weather permitting) or in a studio from sketches and photographs. The session will focus on what you would like to achieve and will be aimed at the level of experience that you have. Tuition on a one to one basis, couples or family/friends groups by an experienced tutor and artist with over 20yrs experience of teaching drawing and painting. The cost of the course: £65 for the first 2 hours and £30 per any extra hours. This is for a maximum of 2 people; £30 per extra person. This does not include material, however some basic material is available to use for a small additional cost. There is also a working pottery (The Pot Place) on the site. It is available for groups or individuals wishing to explore some basic hand-building modelling techniques and create a unique reminder of their holiday. The class is aimed at all levels and ages, but it would be helpful to know in advance what experience you have and what you hope to achieve from the session. This class will hopefully fire your imagination and offer a lasting memory of a wonderful holiday experience. Instruction on the wheel is also available. Sessions include basic materials and clay. Glazing, firing and postage additional small costs. The cost of the course: £50 for the first 2 hours and £20 per any extra hours (inc. basic material for making one small item. Extra charges for specialist material may be made as agreed). Please contact Hannah Bowden in advance of your stay to arrange a convenient time. Various other 'practical skills' courses (mainly 3-hour sessions; £60pp, min 2 people, all materials included) are available and include Devon stone-wall building, pizza-oven construction, nest-box making, decorative compost heaps and garden building, bushcraft, foraging, and herbal remedies. We also offer 2-hour fossil-hunting walks (£55 for up to 3 people; £15 per additional person) and cider-making courses (August-October, depending on harvest; £25 pp per 2-hour session for 2-6 people). We are pleased to announce the addition of a new wood-fired pizza oven on the terrace for cooking alfresco. Available for guest use (£20) including seasoned Oak logs and kindling. Additional Oak available (£5 per bag). For those unfamiliar with the delights of cooking outside in a wood-fired oven, we can offer a short introductory demonstration of the use of the oven, cooking and sampling delicious pizza! Great fun for the whole family (£50). I provide some logs for your first fire in the woodburning stove. There are also large bags of logs in the back porch. These can be purchased for £5. Valley View Farm is a place of peace and tranquillity, set in beautiful scenery. Fresh sea air, invigorating walks and a wide range of healthy outdoor activities are on offer here. At this time we are especially keen to do all we can to protect the well-being of our guests, visitors and their families. We are taking proactive steps to support efforts to contain and mitigate the coronavirus, including deep cleans at all changeovers and thorough airing of the properties. We also urge guests to make frequent use of the handwash provided at all sinks in Leys/The Annexe. We are guided by the Government guidelines and, therefore, if you have visited known high-risk areas or are displaying symptoms and have an imminent booking at VVHQ, please contact Jill immediately. We will be happy to discuss your booking and hopefully rearrange it for a future date.