College Farm

College Farm sits on the edge of the Waveney marshes at Aldeby, where Lucy and Marcus graze a mixed herd of beef cattle on the wet green meadows right in front of the canvas. Most people book it as College Farm Beccles, as the market town is only about 9 minutes' drive away, but the farm itself is on the Norfolk side of the river, in the Broads National Park. Eight Feather Down canvas hideaways are spread around the fields. There's no electricity and no Wi-Fi, so your evenings run on oil lamps, a wood-burning stove and a sky dark enough for proper stargazing.

Guests score it 9.8 out of 10 from 438 reviews, and Feather Down once voted it their Farm of the Year.

Why families pick it for glamping near Beccles

It's the freedom, mostly. This is a working family farm (Lucy and Marcus run it with their boys, Henry and William, and you'll see Lucy's parents about too), and the whole place is set up so kids can roam without you hovering. The hay play barn joins straight onto an open-sided barn, so they play on one side while you sit with a cup of tea on the other.

It suits:

• Families with young kids: a barn full of hay, a large trampoline, slides and swings.
• Little farmers: come early in the season and you may get to help with bottle feeding.
• Anyone who wants the Norfolk Broads: day boats and canoes are about 4 minutes away by car.
• Families coming by train: the station is a short taxi ride, about 9 minutes.

One thing to know before you book: the farm can't accept dogs. If yours has to come, our all farms compared page shows which Feather Down farms take them.

En-suite or farmhouse shower: which canvas hideaway?

All eight lodges share the same clever layout. There's a double bed, bunk beds and the cupboard bed (a cabin bed that sleeps two kids, or an adult and a child), all around a fully equipped kitchen, a big dining table and the wood-burning stove that cooks your meals and warms the canvas. Each one has its own private toilet, and bed linen, towels, candles, matches and a pack of firewood a day are included.

So the real choice is the shower. Four lodges have an en-suite hot shower inside, with stays from £270, and the other four use the farmhouse shower, a short stroll away, from £230.

With toddlers, or on an April lambing break when the mornings are fresh, the en-suite is worth the extra. In July and August older kids won't mind the stroll at all. With only four en-suites, book those first if you want one.

Lambs, cows and a barn full of hay: farm life for kids

Here the animals are part of the day rather than a show put on for visitors. Cows and calves wander the meadows, chickens scratch about the yard, and the sheep are close enough for small hands to feed. In spring there are lambs! With a bit of luck you'll see them taking their first steps in early April, and the farmer might ask whether the children would like to help with feeding.

Once the animals are fed, the play barn takes over. Kids climb and tumble about in the hay, never far away, and outside there's the trampoline, slides and swings. It's dry in there too, which counts on a wet Norfolk afternoon.

Our guides to farm stays with animals and farm stays with play areas show how it compares with the other farms.

A day on the farm, from breakfast to the stars

Mornings start with the stove: light it, put the kettle on and let the canvas warm up while the kids go looking for the chickens. After breakfast, follow the signed path down to the River Waveney, a gentle stroll past the cattle with nature and wildlife all around you.

Afternoons are yours. Some families never leave the farm, while others drive 4 minutes for a canoe or 9 minutes for a swim at the lido.

Saturday is pizza night, when the farmer fires up the pizza oven in the farmyard, and the covered barn is there if the weather turns. Pick up fresh, local ingredients at Wheatacre Farm Pantry, a short walk from the farm, and let everyone build their own. On other evenings it's a pan of something simple on the stove and marshmallows toasted on the outdoor cooker.

Then step outside. The farm sits in an official Dark Sky area, and with no street lights for miles the stars come out properly. New to life without Wi-Fi or plugs? Our off-grid glamping guide explains how it all works.

Days out from College Farm: the Broads, the coast and the zoo

You're in a good spot for a family holiday, with the Broads on one side and the coast on the other. Drive times from the farm gate:

Start with the water. At the Waveney River Centre you can hire canoes and kayaks for a half or full day, or take a day boat upstream: six and a half hours gives you time to cruise into town and back with the whole family. Visit the Broads, the national park's own guide, has more on boating with kids.

On a hot day, the town's lido heats its outdoor pools to 28°C in summer. Book a swim slot in the school holidays.

Bigger days out take a little more driving. Africa Alive is about 27 minutes away, Southwold about 31, and BeWilderwood and ROARR! are both under an hour. For seals, head 46 minutes north to Horsey Gap, where grey seal pups arrive between November and the end of January and you watch from the dunes, so read the Friends of Horsey Seals advice first.

Food and supplies near the farm

• Wheatacre Farm Pantry: a short walk away, full of locally produced artisan food and pizza night ingredients.
• Wheatacre White Lion: the nearest pub, about 2 minutes' drive.
• A small village shop: about 4 minutes away for milk and bread.
• The Strawberry Stalls: fresh strawberries from May to September, about 7 minutes away.
• In town: Morrisons and Lidl for the big shop, plus fish and chips and cafés by the quay, about 9 minutes away.

Getting to College Farm Beccles

The farm is at Aldeby, just off the A143 towards Great Yarmouth, and the postcode is NR34 0BD. Norwich is about 32 minutes away, mostly on the A146.

No car? Beccles station, on the line from Ipswich to Lowestoft, is about 9 minutes away, and Haddiscoe, on the Norwich to Lowestoft line, about 10. Book a taxi ahead and stop for supplies on the way in.

When's the best time to go?

Spring is the farm at its liveliest, with lambs from early April, so Easter is the time to come if bottle feeding is top of the list. Summer brings the lido, the beaches and long light evenings outside, and the school holidays book up first. Later in the season the dark nights come sooner, which means better stars before bedtime.

Whenever you go, pack for life without plugs:

Check the latest prices and dates for College Farm Beccles on Feather Down. If your dates are full, Heydon Grove Farm is the other Feather Down farm in the county, near the coast at Cromer, and our Norfolk farm stays page puts the two side by side. Further south there's Layer Marney Tower in Essex and New Barn Farm in Bedfordshire.

Questions about staying at College Farm

Is College Farm in Norfolk or Suffolk?

It's in Norfolk, at Aldeby, just across the river from Suffolk. The nearest town is in Suffolk, though, about 9 minutes' drive away, which is why most listings put it there.

Can I bring my dog?

No, sorry. Dogs can't come, though the farm has its own, along with cows, sheep and chickens.

Do the canvas hideaways have showers?

Four of the eight tents have an en-suite hot shower inside the canvas. The other four use the farmhouse shower, a short walk across the farm. Every tent has its own private toilet.

How much does a stay cost?

Stays start from £230 in a tent that uses the farmhouse shower and from £270 with an en-suite shower, and prices change with the dates.

Is there electricity or Wi-Fi in the tents?

No, there's no electricity and no Wi-Fi. You cook on a wood-burning stove and light the tent with oil lamps and candles, so bring a power bank.

Is College Farm a good base for glamping on the Norfolk Broads?

Yes. It's inside the Broads National Park, with day boat and canoe hire at the Waveney River Centre about 4 minutes' drive away. A signed path from the farm leads down to the water too.

When can children bottle feed lambs?

Early in the season, from early April, is your best chance, and the farmer may ask if the children would like to help.

What's the nearest train station?

Beccles station is about 9 minutes away by car and Haddiscoe about 10, so a short taxi ride gets you to the farm.

Canvas lodges and prices

Prices are the lowest in Feather Down's feed for a sample stay and change with dates and length of stay.

Animals on the farm

• Sheep
• Chickens
• Lambs
• Cows
• Dogs

What you'll find

• Indoor play area
• Near water
• Pizza oven
• Outdoor playground
• Cannot accept dogs
• Communal area
• Play barn
• Bottle feed lambs
• National Park
• Close to the coast

Highlights

• Star Gazing
• Play all day
• Pizza Night
• Spring Lambing
• Communal Area

Getting there

The farm's postcode is NR34 0BD. Rough driving times from the nearest cities:

Estimates from straight-line distance; check a route planner before you set off.

Other farms nearby