A farming family are over the moon as their glamping business has won a top tourism award less than a year after it opened its doors.
The Pods by the Stream at Flakebridge Farm, near Tebay, has been given a Visit England Gold Award accreditation after it was assessed by an inspector.
Emma and Andrew Skidmore have owned Flakebridge Farm for five years and wanted to diversify, plus show people there was more to Cumbria than the Lake District.
They bought two luxury camping pods from Walker Brothers in Carlisle and opened their new business in June last year.
Emma said: “We felt unlike other sites we had a bit of a ‘Middle Earth’ feeling and wanted it to be more trees/stream orientated with the pods being back-to-back rather than side-by-side and each having their own entrances so not to encroach on other guests.”
It is a real family affair – as well as managing the hill sheep farm, everybody has a job, Emma said. Andrew, 39, and Emma, 43, have three children between them – Liam, 13, Jessica, 14, and Amber Mae, five.
Emma added: “We can’t deny its been tough but we seem to have got the balance right. Andrew does all the ground maintaining and maintenance, I deal with all enquiries, bookings and cleaning as well as working part-time for Memory Services in Penrith and the children are brilliant at cleaning windows and washing floors.
“It works really well and is definitely a family-orientated business. Liam will take lambs up to guests to feed or bring feed up for them to feed our Valais Blacknose sheep/Shetland pony.”
Liam also designed all the logos for the farm and the holiday business.
Visitors during lambing season can also help feed the new arrivals for free. Emma said: “We don’t believe in charging for the experience of feeding lambs over lambing time. We’re quite happy for guests to do it as it saves us a job!”
The business is also highly rated by holidaymakers. Travel site Pitchup.com named it one of the winners of its review awards.
It said The Pods by the Stream’s average rating of outstanding in reviews meant the Skidmores were going the extra mile to provide an exceptional customer experience.
The couple met eight years ago and although Andrew is from a farming family, Emma had never stepped foot onto a farm until she was 35.
They bought Flakebridge Farm with the help of Andrew’s dad.
Emma said: “Andrew has a passion for Swaledale sheep so being on border of Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District was perfect.
“To say we are overjoyed with the VisitEngland win, together with winning Pitchup customer reviews award for 2021, would be an understatement.
“We’re a small site and to be recognised for what we do makes all the hard work worthwhile.
“We’ve been so lucky too as with being a small site we get to meet the most amazing guests, many of who have returned and have become friends.”
