Holme Open Farm is a traditional dales working farm situated between the Lake District National Park and the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the Lune Valley. The farm is run by Farmer John and Farmer David with Mrs Metcalfe providing educational inspiration for the visitors. As a welcome gesture all visitors are offered a free cuppa and a chocolate digestive biscuit before leaving.
 
 The farmhouse and meadows are 80 metres above sea level with the pastures rising to 100 metres. Hill sheep grazing rights on Middleton Fell reach the dizzy heights of 300 metres. From this point the sheep and their shepherds can look down into 9 different valleys or parishes ie: Dentdale, Garsdale, Cautley, Sedburgh, Howgill, Firbank, Marthwaite, Killington and Middleton.
 
The rough fell sheep flock which is the backbone animal enterprise of Holme Open Farm business consists of 300 breeding ewes with followers numbering 300 lambs and 150 hoggs (1 year old female lambs which breed when they are 2 years old). These hoggs become the future breeding sheep. All male lambs become Lamb Chops Yum! Yum!.
 
At six years of age the rough fell sheep are retained in the enclosed pastures to form a Lowland Flock producing crossbred lambs for meat production and also a few female mule lambs (rough fell sheep crossed with the blue faced Leicester Ram) which are used to replace the old worn out mule ewes. The mule flock numbers 150 so the total sheep lambing flock consists of 800 breeding ewes.
 
Lambing time is the most exciting time of year with an excellent chance of seeing lambs born between 1st March - End April. Shearing demonstrations can be seen from the end of June - End August. Various other activities can be seen e.g: Foot Pairing, Worm Dosing, Sheep Marking and Sheep Dog working demonstrations.
 
The other enterprise on the farm is the Cattle Suckler Herd consisting of several different breeds of cattle with Limousin, Charolais or Simmental Cross Calves at foot. These cattle produce calves for meat production but a few female calves are retained for breeding cows.
 
The farm supports a fantastic variety of wild animals, Birds, Trees and Flowers, many of which can be seen while walking the marked Nature Trail. Evening Badger watching, River Fishing, Bird Watching, walking and camping are all available with the riverside picnic a must. The Open Farm specialises in school party visits when the children are invited to touch, hold and feed as many different types of animals as possible. Day visitors are also welcome. Holding and bottle feeding the baby lambs is really exciting. Stroking the goats and kids and sometimes being nibbled by them produces shrieks of laughter. Feeding the tiny chicks and then holding them in their hands amuses even the most timid children.

The Ducks, Geese, Pigs, Pony and the Kittens are a source of amusement and a play in the hay barn (with adult supervision) can be so exciting that home time arrives all too soon.
 
Running through the farmyard is a Roman Road which is a public footpath that crosses the River Rawthey by Ford. At the foot of Holme Fell is the remains of the Stoneage Settlement Huts set out in a circle and on Middleton Common at the end of Jordan Lane (which leads to Holme Open Farm) is a special area which supports a wide variety of Orchids some of which are quite rare.
 
 
 

Holme Open Farm provides something of interest for all the family AND MORE .............