With the help of a grant of over £37,000 from Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES). David and Felicity Brown have opened self-catering accommodation that will enable up to 14 guests and their horses to explore the beauty of the High Peak Trail from Hoe Grange Farm near Matlock.
David Brown was brought up at Hoe Grange Farm, Brassington, and now, with his wife Felicity, runs the dairy farm, which supports 100 Friesian cows. They decided they needed an additional income as farming was not sufficient. After researching a number of options Felicity’s passion for horse riding led them to opt for accommodation for horses, and of course their owners. They now have two self-catering log cabins and six stables for horses and the bookings are already rolling in.
Felicity told us:
“When we decided we needed to diversify, providing an opportunity for people to bring their own horse on holiday seemed like the obvious choice due to my passion for horse riding and the direct access from the farm to stunning bridle paths linking in to the Pennine Bridleway.
“The Defra grant has been vital to our project and has enabled us to add value to the work we had already planned. We’ve got our website up and running and have had our first few bookings so hopefully we’ll be able to take on more staff and provide a full livery service to all our customers that are interested.”
