"It is always a pleasure to walk up to Old Chamber, but recently during the lockdown, and given the wonderful spring weather, the farm has taken on a new importance. It has been delightful to be a witness to the lambing season with ewes being moved from the “maternity" meadow to the “neo-natal” meadow with new-borns barely able to stand on spindly legs, and there has been the added pleasure of watching the goats, with their playful kids balancing along walls. The animals are just one of the attractions of walking up to the farm; the other big one is the Honesty Box, which Ann, the hard-working and cheerful farmer, providing a valued service to local walkers with its fresh eggs and high-quality ice cream, and also to local families and their children who, promised an ice-cream at the bottom of the hill, have no complaints about climbing up either along the cobbled road or through the beautiful beech woods, for their reward.
I have particularly enjoyed walking up through Ann’s wood from Wood Hey Lane, full of birdsong, and on some days the goats are there, behaving in their usual goat ways, reaching up into the trees for tasty mouthfuls, and sharing the territory with a few cows having a more restful time relaxing amongst the bilberry bushes; a little bit of arcadia and very welcome respite from the long-drawn out crisis we’re currently experiencing.
The footpaths through Ann’s property are well-maintained and one is always made to feel welcome with a cheery wave or chat. This well-run farm is an asset to the community." (May 2020)
