A Happy New Year!
We can hardly believe it’s already nearly February! Snowdrops have popped their heads up, and there are glimmers of white everywhere you look. We hope you all had a wonderful festive season and a happy new year wherever you were. All our properties were fully booked over Christmas and New Year, with guests making the most of our cosy log burners and fully equipped kitchens for their festive feasts.
If you are dreaming of a Cornish Christmas in 2025, it’s never too early to get organised. Our properties book up quickly, especially with regular guests returning year after year. Let us know if you’d like to make Butterwell Farm your home for the holidays! Book now.
Festive Days Out
Over the holidays, we enjoyed a magical visit to the Eden Project, one of our favourite local attractions. The ice rink was a highlight for the whole family, followed by exploring the biomes illuminated with enchanting Christmas lights synchronized to music. It’s a tradition we treasure, and the Eden gift shop always delivers for unique Christmas finds.
On the Farm
We recently received a batch of our sheepskins back from the historic Devonia Tannery, the last remaining tannery in Britain using traditional oak bark methods. Each sheepskin is beautifully unique and showcases our commitment to sustainability by using the whole animal. All but one have already sold, so if you’re interested, don’t wait!
Winter Walks and Sunrises
Guests and family alike have been enjoying stunning sunrises and frosty woodland walks on our private forty-acre estate. With bare branches, winter reveals the intricate beauty of dried fern fronds and lichen-covered branches, offering a unique sense of connection to nature – an experience that makes Butterwell Farm so special.
Out and About This Winter
Cornwall’s coastlines continue to inspire us with breathtaking winter walks and surfing opportunities. Butterwell Farm’s location, equidistant from the North and South coasts, means we are perfectly placed to enjoy both. With the sea often warmer than the air, a good winter wetsuit keeps surfing high on our family’s activity list.
One of my recent highlights was a sunny circular coastal walk from Fowey, discovered using the @iwalkcornwall app. It’s a fantastic resource for finding walks across Cornwall—highly recommended!
Discoveries This Month
We recently visited Strawberry Fields Farm Shop in Lifton, Devon, just off the A30. It’s perfect for a stop en route to Butterwell Farm, offering fantastic local produce and a cosy café. We combined our trip with a visit to The Barn Climbing Centre, an excellent facility with activities for all ages and abilities. Our kids (5, 7, and 9) had a blast, and we’ll definitely be back!
Eating Out
This month, we tried Native Burger in Bodmin, a relaxed new burger restaurant perfect for meals out with friends or a family meal with great kids’ options. They also do takeaways. Another favourite is Wild Bake wood-fired pizza horse box, parked-up just five minutes from Butterwell Farm every Tuesday. With a rotating weekly special, it’s a must-try! We’re big pizza fans and believe these pizzas are one of the finest! So, if you fancy a night off the cooking and washing up these are two great takeaway options to eat in the comfort of your holiday cottage at Butterwell Farm. Find other foodie recommendations on our bespoke restaurant guide to help you make reservations ahead of your visit.
Review of the month
We’re endlessly grateful for the kind words and positive reviews.
This month’s favourite review comes from Andrea and family, who stayed in Buzzard Barn over Christmas:
“We had a fantastic stay at Buzzard Barn during the Christmas holidays! Nestled in a stunning natural landscape, the cottage was the perfect retreat. The house was exceptionally well-equipped, especially the kitchen, which had everything we needed for festive cooking. We cooked daily, with plenty of tableware to accommodate our needs. The upstairs living area offered breathtaking views of the Camel Valley through large windows, while the cosy log burner provided warmth, creating an ideal spot to unwind after exploring the outdoors. The downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms were clean and comfortable, ensuring restful nights. The surrounding area is filled with activities, from bike rides to scenic walks. The kids loved feeding the chickens, and nearby beaches were just a 30-minute drive away, perfect for coastal fun. Rachel and Sam were wonderful hosts—always responsive and incredibly helpful. We highly recommend Buzzard Barn! We can’t wait to return!”
We’d love to hear about your stay! If you’ve enjoyed your time at Butterwell Farm, please consider leaving us a review. Just search for Butterwell Farm on Google to share your experience – your feedback means the world to us and helps keep our family-run business thriving.
Plan Ahead
Our 2025 calendar is filling up quickly, with some months already fully booked. If you have dates in mind, don’t wait to secure your favourite property. For last-minute stays in January or February, take advantage of this 8% loyalty discount with the code loyal8 when booking online or over the phone.
Vineyard Visits
Whilst we’re in the mood for planning ahead, we highly recommend a visit to our neighbours Camel Valley Vineyard, just a short walk across the river from Butterwell Farm. Offering tours and tastings from April to September. To sample some of the finest English sparkling and still wines, add this to your bucket list for your next visit to Cornwall and don’t forget to book ahead on their website.
Fishing at Butterwell Farm
Stayed at Butterwell Farm before but haven’t tried fishing? Consider our ‘Introduction to Fly-Fishing’ experience, available as a half-day or full-day session. Available for salmon and sea-trout fishing. Our introduction includes the use of basic equipment and tackle, theory, methods, tactics and handling of the fish. We will then move onto casting practice including back casting and possibly roll casting. After which, if you are feeling confident, it’s time to get on the riverbank and practice your casting for real! Tuition prices: £120 half day (3 hours) £200 full day (6 hours: 9-12pm, 12-1pm break, 1-4pm) Max. 4 participants. Two house rods and nets are included. Get in touch if you would like to add this to your next booking with us.
For more information about fishing at Butterwell Farm please look at the fishing pages on our website. For more day-to-day updates on fishing and the estate management at Butterwell Farm, follow Sam on Instagram @butterwell_sam
An Update for our Anglers
As well as bringing you our regular river report for Trout and Salmon magazine this month we have also updated our angling offerings at Butterwell Farm.
We are now offering the opportunity to target wild brown trout in the wooded section of our beat. It will be daytime fly-fishing from 1 May to 30 September on a strict catch and release basis, using traditional dry fly and nymphing techniques. Wading is recommended in the wooded area. Rods are £30 per day.
We are also now offering guiding as well as tuition. Available for salmon and sea-trout fishing. Using our guiding service can elevate your fishing experience at Butterwell Farm to the next level. Benefit from over a decade of experience and knowledge of our section of the River Camel, and get to know where the fish are likely to hold up and where they are likely to strike. This can be particularly helpful in sea-trout season when fishing in the dark. Guiding prices: £40 per hour £120 half day (3 hours) Max. 4 participants. If you would like to add this to your next booking at Butterwell Farm then please get in touch.
Latest news from Butterwell Farm Fishery on the River Camel
As featured in Trout and Salmon magazine Fishing Reports: 20th December 2024:
“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. A big thank you to all our visiting anglers in 2024 and tight lines in 2025!”
Thank you for starting the year with us. Here’s to a fantastic 2025 filled with nature, adventure, and memorable stays at Butterwell Farm.
Warm wishes,
Rachel & Sam x
Butterwell Farm, Cornwall