Have you ever looked at a field of cows – especially the soft fuzzy Highland variety – and thought ‘wow, I’d love to wrap my arms around that beast and smash my face into its fur’? Just me?
Well anyway, a farm up north is offering a special Cow Cuddling experience, where you can stroke, groom and cuddle these gentle beasts to your heart’s content.
The therapeutic experience also includes the chance to meet Dumble Farm’s goats and alpacas, finishing up with a hot drink and biscuits. My soul literally needs this.
Dumble Farm in Beverley, East Yorkshire, is allowing you to get up close and personal with their local cows, The Hoot reports.
Their Cow Cuddling experience allows adults to spend time stroking, grooming and having some quiet time getting to know the cows around the farm.
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Cow cuddling is a new wellness phenomenon that is becoming more popular and readily available at farms across the UK.
Whether you want to give their luscious locks a brush or simply lay down next to them, you’ll feel immediately put at ease due to their relaxing, gentle nature.
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The cows you can cuddle at Dumble Farm
The experience lasts approximately 2 hours, and costs £50 per person.
After arriving at Dumble Farm you’ll receive an introductory talk where you’ll learn about the fascinating history of the farm, before being introduced to the retired dairy cows who you’ll be cuddling.
Their website reads: “When they lie down quietly, they enjoy the company of friendly people cuddling them.
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“You can take time to relax with them, listening to their cuddling and sensing their gentle nature, and while they are stood up you can brush and stroke them (we can’t guarantee the cows will always be lying down, so cuddling experiences may vary).”
After this you’ll meet the younger highland cows who you can stroke and pet before finally being introduced to Dumble Farm’s goats and alpacas.
“Then you’ll meet our goats, who will love to see you and be fed, they are always playful and wanting attention. Finally the alpacas with their very gentle fleeces, faces and nibbling mouths.”
And to round off this brilliant experience, you’ll even be treated to a hot drink and homemade biscuits and cake, sounds like a perfect afternoon if you ask us.
If you’d like to find out more and book yourself a spot on this Cow Cuddling experience, visit Dumble Farm’s website.
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
The hillside farm in the Peak District making its own ice cream
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a 300-year-old farm in the Peak District serving up some of the freshest ice cream you’ll ever taste? And yes, you can meet the cows that made it while you’re there.
Welcome to Hope Valley Ice Cream, a family-run gem where things are kept refreshingly simple: happy cows, proper farming, and seriously good ice cream.
Set in the heart of the Peak District countryside, this place is about as wholesome as it gets.
The ice cream is made on-site in the farmhouse, literally just metres from where the dairy herd are out grazing.
You can watch the animals, wander around the farm, and then tuck into a scoop or three perched on a milk pail stool, or a picnic bench (or even a decorative tractor).
Hope Valley Ice Cream has some amazing seasonal ice creams, like lemon curd, elderflower, and blackberry, alongside all the classics and a rather delicious tiramisu.
You can grab a cone, sit down with a coffee (again, made with milk from the nearby cows), or go all in with a freshly-made waffle if you’re feeling fancy.
Takeaway tubs from Hope Valley Ice CreamYou can get a mini pail of ice creamMeet the newborn calves at Hope Valley Ice CreamTuck into your ice cream on a milk pail stoolHope Valley Ice Cream
And if you’re the type who really loves ice cream? You can actually order a full pail of it, with four huge scoops plus whipped cream and sauce.
The farm itself is run by the Marsden family, who’ve been working this land for generations. It shows in everything – they’ve created a place that feels genuinely welcoming, not just another tourist stop.
Beyond the ice cream, you’ve got plenty of reasons to stick around. There are calves (including the newest tiny arrivals), plus donkeys and pigs to say hello to.
Whether you’re heading out on a hike or just fancy a drive into the Peaks, this is one pitstop that’s absolutely worth it – and honestly, it’s worth the trip on its own.
Clementine Hall -
17th November 2023 
