Wow! My girlfriend at the time and I discovered this little gem of a B&B tucked away in the Mendip Hills while on holiday in the West Country a couple of years ago. It is truly the most wonderful romantic hideaway.
Batts Farm is located just outside Cheddar. A tip for drivers - if you're approaching from Cheddar, the signpost for Nyland on the left hand side is obscured by 2 other signs but you're looking out for Latches Lane on the right hand side. If you hit the sign for Rodney Stoke, you've gone too far! Don't worry - turn around (as we've done twice!) and the sign to Nyland is much more obvious heading back towards Cheddar. The approach to the property is along a narrow farm lane but be brave and keep going straight on. The sign for Batts Farm is obvious when you reach the property.
The first things that strikes you on arrival is the amazing warmth of the welcome by the owners Clare and John. They truly make your visit memorable with their hospitality. On both visits, we were offered tea/soft drinks and a piece of delicious homemade cake and biscuits on arrival. These were yummy and Clare's talents as a cook and baker continued to be demonstrated throughout the visits.
In the summer, we had tea in the summerhouse, watching the squirrels and birds scamper across the lawn. Drinks are available for guests in the summerhouse fridge, another sign of the generosity that reflects the special nature of this B&B. On the colder second visit, we had tea in the warm inviting lounge.
We stayed in the four poster room on both visits and the room is nicer than 4/5 star hotel rooms we've been in. The room is elegantly decorated in antique style with a sumptuous four poster bed and a large picture window looks out onto the gorgeous Mendip Hills. The bathroom is enormous with a giant bath and a big walk-in shower, which would have been an ideal hiding place for at least 10 people in a game of sardines! The toiletries provided are classy and my girlfriend especially enjoyed the big fluffy towels. The whole pampering atmosphere of the room is rounded off by the flat screen telly, free bottles of water and a biscuit tin of Clare's home baked biscuits!
Breakfast is taken in the airy dining room. The bread is home baked along with other rolls - who needs Hovis when you have bread of this quality? Clare offers other home made specialities to start such as plums stewed in cinnamon and hot baked grapefruit (unique in my experience and highly recommended). This is followed by an enormous cooked breakfast. The locally sourced ingredients just tasted like nothing else I'd eaten before, being a supermarket shopper. The bacon was so sweet that I had to find out her supplier (ask and she'll tell you!). On one day, Clare also cooked the lightest ricotta pancakes. On most days, we were so well fed that we didn't need lunch!
Clare and John recommended some nice places for dinner and even rang to book us a table. We enjoyed nice meals at the Inn at Rodney Stoke and Rajah Tandoori in Wells.
Batts Farm also provided an ideal base to explore the many varied local attractions. We enjoyed visiting Cheddar Gorge and Caves - one ticket buys you entry into all the attractions. If you don't manage to visit all of them on that day, the tickets remain valid for 10 years! Wells, the smallest city in England, is 5 miles down the road with a lovely cathedral. We also enjoyed activities as diverse as walking on the beach at Weston-Super-Mare, go-karting just down the road from the farm, car-booting at the same karting venue on Sunday, browsing through the many garden centres in the area and satisfying the retail therapy itch at Clarks Village Outlets at Street.
However, bad weather has stopped us going up Jacob's Ladder at Cheddar Gorge, so a good excuse to go back again to this wonderful B&B! They have added a studio room since I was last there and judging from the pictures on the website, it's just as comfy as the other rooms. read more