TOURISM WILL BE VITAL FOR 2022’S RURAL RECOVERY
“Sadly, income from agriculture doesn’t always cover the costs”
First thing on Easter Sunday, you’ll find me tip-toeing out of the house and down to the chicken coop. While trying not to disturb the hens too much, I will pick a freshly laid egg for my breakfast. It’s not something I do every day but, on special occasions, it is one of the perks of life on the farm. A tasty, natural meal packed full of protein and with absolutely no food miles whatsoever.
It will fortify me for a busy day, because there are still ewes to lamb. We started lambing in February but there are still hundreds of ewes who will give birth during April, with staff on standby 24 hours a day to help. And before the last of the lambs are born at the end of the month, I’m expecting the first of our cows to calve, too. So it’s pretty full-on at the moment.
Meanwhile, out in the fields the grass is starting to green up, wildflowers are beginning to grow and the oilseed rape and linseed will soon be bursting into flower, turning pockets of the farm vibrant yellow and pale blue. With the return of the swallows and skylarks singing on the wing, it’s a wonderful time of year.
The Easter holiday is important for business, too, because it is when the tourist season begins in earnest. That wasn’t always the case, though. When I was little, the tourism industry didn’t swing into action until Whitsun, and it was over by the middle of September. At best, four short months to make a living to last a year. In those days, Whit Monday was a big deal, with cheese-rolling, woolsack races and, at the end of Whit Week, the Cotswold Olimpicks, featuring tug o’ war, sledgehammer throwing and the Shin-kicking World Championships. These crazy games began in 1612 and the unusual spelling is a clue to the fact they are nothing to do with the slightly more famous ‘modern’ Olympics.
CRUCIAL SEASON
All those historic events have survived into the 21st century and now, instead of rustic curiosities, they are part of a well-marketed package of rural hospitality. Such heritage and charm will certainly help the sector, because this Easter, more than ever, there is a lot at stake for thousands of businesses and livelihoods after two impossibly difficult years. Pre-pandemic figures show just how vital rural tourism is, with 20 million overnight stays and 335 million day trips taken every year. But most holidaymakers will be completely unaware that the B&B, campsite, go-kart track or pony-trek they love so much is likely to be keeping a farm and a family afloat.
Sadly, income from modern agriculture doesn’t always cover the costs, so having a second (or even third) string to your bow is a sensible way of making a profit. It’s certainly how our Farm Park in Gloucestershire began, when my dad realised that his ever-growing collection of British rare breeds needed to pay its way. He often joked that it was his “expensive hobby”. The answer was to invite the public to meet those historic breeds face-to-face, and it turned out to be a pioneering form of farm diversification. Today, you can visit hundreds of inspiring agri-attractions, from open dairies and craft centres to alpaca farms, falconry displays and even camel rides.
For all of us, the post-Covid bounce-back is now underway; and on Easter Sunday, I might just be eating that boiled egg with fingers crossed.
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