The best farm stays in the UK for 2026

The UK’s farm scene has had a facelift. Or rather, people are viewing it with fresh eyes. Pig stys, drizzly weather and heavy machinery are about as far removed from traditional conceptions of luxury as you can get, but since the post-pandemic staycation boom, there’s been a gradual reawakening. Increasingly, Brits are swapping white gloves for muddy boots and caviar for eggs they’ve collected themselves.

“We’re finding that people enjoy being part of a working thing,” says Caitlin Owens, who took over ownership of Fowlescombe Farm with her family in 2018. “Even if only for a night or two, guests can come and connect to the farm; the people who work here, the dogs, the sheep in the fields and the chickens next to the orchards.” Caitlin’s experience tracks. Recent figures suggest the UK’s agritourism market is expected to be worth around £685 million by 2030, with growth projections of 13.8 per cent a year for the next five years. Last year, glamping site Pitchup.com saw a 266 per cent increase in people using its ‘farm’ filter.

Working farms are paying attention. Whether in response to people hankering for a simpler life or a desire to adapt after the recent changes to Agricultural Property Relief rules, a growing number of smallholdings are transforming barns into suites and stables into saunas. There’s Louma on the Jurassic coast, which pairs a slice of farm life with 17 ultra-lovely bedrooms, two swimming pools and a sizeable gym. Fowlescombe has 10 impeccably designed suites and an all-inclusive offering comprising all meals and a daily program of wholesome events.

This new breed of rural retreat allows guests to slip into country life intuitively. Louma’s guests can join the team on their daily livestock rounds while staff fill them in on the farm’s whole-system approach to food, wellness, and regenerative practices. At Fowlescombe, they can pitch in wherever they like, from making bread to collecting eggs and creating new flower arrangements for the bedrooms. Restaries Paradise Farm in Suffolk holds regular sustainable cooking nights, with a strong emphasis on composting, eco-friendly ingredients and waste reduction.

“It’s this personal, satisfying form of luxury where you’re benefiting from the farm, but you’re also giving back,” says Caitlin. “The farm and the rooms both serve the other, and the farm underpins everything we do.”

Our notions of what wellness means continue to evolve, but fresh air and a good romp in the countryside have long been prescribed to fix what ails you. “We use the word ‘regenerative’ to describe our farming practices, but also how we want our guests to feel,” says Caitlin. “You should come away having slept and eaten well, with seasonal, natural food from the land. There’s an authenticity to what we’re doing, and a humanness, too.”

For a taste of the good life in 2026, book a wholesome stay at one of the best farm stays in the UK, all Conde Nast Traveller editor approved.