Welcome to the last instalment of our newsletter for 2024
Christmas trees twinkle in our cottages, the wood burners are glowing, and the crisp air invites refreshing woodland walks. As the year draws to a close, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks and Christmas wishes to all our wonderful guests, past and future.
Gift Ideas from Butterwell Farm
Still searching for the perfect gift? Butterwell Farm vouchers are available straight to your inbox to print at home or sent to the recipient on your chosen date. Simply drop us an email and we’ll do the rest. Vouchers can be used towards a stay, fishing experiences, or items from our shop. A thoughtful way to share a piece of Cornwall with your loved ones this Christmas.
Last minute Christmas?
If you’re planning a last-minute escape, we still have availability in Apple Tree Cottage for Christmas with no minimum stay requirements. Imagine a cosy festive retreat, complete with all the Butterwell Farm charm. Sleeps 6, and low occupancy discounts available.
Looking Ahead to the New Year
We are now fully booked for New Year’s, but we’d love to welcome you in January or February to beat those winter blues! Don’t forget to use the code newyear10 for 10% off stays during these months.
Festivities at Butterwell Farm
To kick off the festive season, I hosted a wreath-making evening with friends, making use of the abundant flowers and foliage from the Butterwell Farm estate. From vibrant berries to fragrant greenery, some truly beautiful creations came to life. To top off the evening, I served my annual Christmas pie—a family favourite that never fails to impress. If you’re looking for a festive recipe, you can find the details here.
December has also been a month of decorating, both at home and in the cottages. My dehydrator has been working overtime on orange slices, which make delightful natural decorations for trees, fireplaces, or gift wrap. They’re a simple, sustainable way to add charm to your festivities.
Out and About This Month
Christmas shopping this year was a journey through some of our favourite local nurseries and garden centres. Each offering something unique:
- Bodmin Nursery: Traditional charm and a wonderful selection. As well as a cosy café with log burner for a warming break from the shopping.
- Trelawney Garden Centre (Wadebridge): A large centre with a large Christmas display that will see Children’s faces light up.
- The Duchy Nursery (Lostwithiel): Luxurious gifts, dining in the orangery, and a cosy café with an open fire—perfect for winter treats.
We also enjoyed a festive family Sunday lunch at the Tartan Fox Pub, a fantastic new addition to the local food scene near Newquay. This cosy spot has quickly become a Butterwell favourite and comes highly recommended. Check out the rest of our eating out recommendations here.
Local Farm Shops and Produce
For those who enjoy cooking during their stay, we recommend two fantastic nearby farm shops:
- Keaters Farm Shop in our village for a range of local goodies so conveniently located just a few minutes up the road.
- The Real Food Garden, just 10 minutes away. It is a real adventure into the countryside on the backroads to find this hidden gem which has won awards for its sustainability. We picked up a gammon joint for Christmas, and Jago couldn’t resist this stalk of sprouts! His enthusiasm waned slightly when they appeared on his plate that evening!
Plan Ahead for Summer
Our summer bookings are filling up quickly, with some properties nearly fully booked for June, July, and September. If you have specific dates in mind, now is the time to secure your summer stay at Butterwell Farm.
A Festive Treat
As an extra festive treat (and for making it nearly to the end of our latest newsletter!) here’s 8% off any stays in March – a wonderful month with all the signs of spring on the estate. Code spring8.
Review of the Month
We’re endlessly grateful to all our wonderful guests who have taken the time to share their experiences with us this year. Your positive reviews are what keeps our small family-run business thriving and inspires us to make every stay special.
This month’s favourite review comes from Fiona and Chris who are regular guests and recently enjoyed a stay in Kingfisher Cabin:
“Lovely warm cabin with great views of the River Camel. The cabin is fully equipped with all one needs for a wonderful stay. Rachel and Sam are very friendly and inviting hosts. The area is full of potentially great wildlife. Although the otter alluded us, fox, stoat and some great birdlife were seen every day. Dolphins and porpoises can be seen from the Northern coastal headlands. Excellent walking with reasonable public transport links that make the linear walks on the Camel Trail more accessible.”
Thinking about sharing your experience? We would love to hear from you. Simply search for Butterwell Farm on Google and leave us a review – your reviews really make all the difference.
Fishing: End-of-Season Roundup
Another fishing season has come to an end at Butterwell Farm. The last month was pretty well washed out by very heavy water but overall, it has been an encouraging season for the sea-trout. We had just under seventy sea-trout caught and returned. All these were on night fly. The run started in early June as usual and provided fresh fish most days till the end of August. We lacked a few of the really big specimens this year but made up for this with many good fish to 5lb, which were spread around a good number of visiting anglers. Stoats tail variants proved to be most popular flies as usual but there was quite a bit of interest shown in surface lures. The salmon season started with the lowest water of the season in September but as soon as we had some freshwater anglers started catching. We had fewer salmon anglers this year but most who visited managed to move a fish or two. Six salmon were caught and returned. The best being a 14lb hen by Chris Jefford.
Regulations & Salmon Stocks
As expected, we have just heard that the Camel Bylaw has been extended for another five-year period. The restrictions on fishing methods and fish retention remain as they were, representing a big conservation effort by the angling fraternity. We are waiting for the juvenile survey results for 2024, but we hear on the grapevine that trout results are much the same as recent years and remain in a healthy state. We have much greater concern for salmon stocks, which are under huge pressure across England and Wales, and have been at risk on the Camel for several years. Regular water testing, which was established after much lobbying, consistently shows water quality to be of the greatest concern for the future of our migratory fish. It seems high time that the treatment of discharges from waterworks start to reverse the declining water quality on the Camel.
A big thank you to all our visiting anglers in 2024 and tight lines in 2025!
Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you next year!
Thank you for reading our festive update from Butterwell Farm. We hope it has brought a touch of holiday cheer and perhaps inspired thoughts of your next visit to our little slice of Cornwall.
For more updates, stories, and a peek behind the scenes of life at Butterwell Farm, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @butterwellfarm and @butterwell_sam.
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Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a joyous New Year,
Rachel & Sam x
Butterwell Farm, Cornwall