EXPLORE
THERE’S LOTS TO EXPLORE
Whether you need to chill out or go wild, your own private campsite means you’ve got plenty of space to do your thing. When you are ready to venture out though – the shire’s got a lot to offer.
FISHING & BIRDWATCHING ON THE FARM
Here on the farm we have 350 yards of picturesque mini chalk stream restored to pure wild beauty over the last 10 years, this beat offers challenging catch & release fly-fishing for wild brown trout which can be booked in advance through Frank our river manager. There’s also a small pond in our meadow stocked with crucian carp & tench which can be booked in advance too.
If the thought of fly fishing on the world famous River Test appeals, let us know and we can organise day passes for you. Fishing enquiries to info@arkbuffalo.com.
In the future we’ll be offering guided tours of our water meadows & group trips up to our farm’s bird-hide, with the chance to spot barn owls, kingfishers, egrets, birds of prey, skylarks & rarer migrants in the winter. For now though we ask that those areas are left alone as we don’t want any disturbance to our wild friends this season.
LOCAL PUBS, CAFES & RESTAURANTS
Our local is The Greyhound, which is bang in the middle of Broughton. Close by in Over Wallop there’s The White Hart, a cheap & cheerful free house that’s definitely worth a shout for getting the rounds in.
We’re also just a stones-throw away from the cafés, pubs & restaurants of Stockbridge– where you can get your frothy-coffee fix in one of the many cafés & delis, stroll along the River Test & buy a couple grand’s worth of Persian carpet if your heart so desires. Top of the list for picking up some fantastic foodie bits is Thyme & Tides, their deli, bistro & fishmonger will surely sort you out with the picnic of the century.
Pub-wise we’d recommend The White Hart & The Greyhound with it’s riverside garden overlooking the Test. Though our top Stockbridge hot-spot is the Purbani, with their excellent Bangladeshi & Indian menu to eat in or take away. Close by in Chilbolton is The Mayfly, an iconic riverside pub with a great rep for fresh, local, seasonal pub grub, beautiful riverside views & plenty of outdoor seating. The Mayfly is the perfect pub-stop for a countryside walk through the Chilbolton Downs, Cow Common or the famous Test Way.
WALKING, CYCLING & PICNICS
There’s no shortage of great ways to get out & enjoy the gorgeous countryside round these parts. For walks & cycle trips you can use our postcode SO20 8AN to search route planners like Hampshire County Council’s – they’ll be able to find you exactly what you’re after: circular walks, pubs stops, cycle routes with nice spots to get an ice cream etc. The Clarendon Way, 26 miles of footpath running between Salisbury & Winchester, also passes right through Broughton & there’s some great local walks over the back of the downs.
Hampshire Live has put together a list of free things to do with the family in Hampshire, which also includes some great picnic destinations & fantastic ways to explore Hampshire’s ancient forests & woodlands. It’s also got top-tips for free museums, galleries & even castles to visit, plus there’s some of Hampshire’s best beaches & coastal walks in there too. It’s a fantastic article to read if you’re needing to keep your holiday on budget – but also if you just fancy some inspiration for your stay with us.
Also, don’t forget that from our little village of Broughton – you’re perfectly poised to explore the New Forest, Wiltshire, Dorset & Somerset as we’re really not that far away.
ADVENTURE TIME, ANIMALS & FARM FUN
For outdoor thrills & spills there’s Treerunners near Andover & Go Ape Southampton. For sporty water babies, New Forest Water Park offers everything from wakeboarding to huge inflatable ‘total wipe-out’ style assault courses. Romsey Rapids is just a little drive away & Paulton’s Park – home of the one &only Peppa Pig World(!) – is another family fun hotspot with endless adventure-play. Though for anyone in need of a serious adrenaline hit, try Ironsight Urban Paintball near Alton (they also do laser tag).
If you want to keep the farm fun rolling then Hampshire Live has put together a list of Hampshire’s Best Family Friendly Farms where you can plan a trip to visit alpacas, feed the piggies, have a tractor ride – the whole shebang. For little folk & animal lovers alike there’s also Marwell Zoo & (at a different Manor Farm) an interactive Peter Rabbit garden trail too.
Absolutely not to be missed is The Hawk Conservancy near Andover, they’ve won awards for their flight displays of birds of prey & everyone who goes says it’s a cracking day out.
FOR THE FOODIES
Hampshire’s absolutely bursting with good things to eat & drink – & beautiful places to eat & drink them in. In our very own farmyard there’s Hogget & Boar‘s butchers & farm shop selling local free range eggs, great cheese, fresh veg & of course catering to all your meaty BBQ needs. If your lucky, the Original Fry Up Material food truck will be visiting our farmyard one of the evenings you’re staying with us – make sure to check their insta for the dates they’ll be here so don’t miss out on getting your mitts on one of their amazing burgers.
Winchester’s farmers market is a lively one & a great place to support British farmers. There’s a fantastic choice of top quality, seasonal produce – all grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked or processed here in the shire. Just the other side of Stockbridge there’s Leckford Estate’s Farm Shop, with more excellent local produce & even a café & nursery attached if you fancied making an afternoon of it.
Our chalk downs produce award winning sparkling wines as, terrain-wise, we’re actually not too dissimilar from the Champagne region of France. For vineyard tours and wine-tastings try Black Chalk, they’ve been making fantastic local fizz for a few years now. If you’re into your spirits & wanted a boozy treat, The Little Whiskey Shop just down the road in Stockbridge does whisky, gin, rum, & craft spirit tasting sessions too.
Discover more about Hampshire’s farmers markets, food festivals, vineyards, cookery schools, breweries & distilleries here.
& don’t forget we can also source local sustainable produce for you ahead of your stay, check out our Extras page to learn more about what we offer.
COOL HISTORIC STUFF
If you like your Ancient History, we’ve got it by the spade-full. Danebury Hillfort, the largest Iron Age site in Europe, is just a few miles away. You can make a trip to the Anglo-Saxon earth works of Cranbourne Chase & discover Wiltshire’s folk-lore inspiring chalk horses. Step back to Neolithic times inside Avebury’s stone circle, visit the enigmatic Silbury Hill &, of course, you’re in the right place for a day trip to the mighty Stonehenge.
A 20 min hop across the Wiltshire border gets you to Salisbury, the Cathedral there houses a copy of the Magna Carta & Salisbury’s Museum is chock-a-block with some pretty astonishing archaeological finds.
This side of the Hampshire border you’ll find another historic Wessex city to explore, Winchester – England’s ancient capital & seat of Alfred the Great. You can also visit Jane Austen’s house & see her final resting place in the North aisle of Winchester Cathedral. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Anthony Gormley sculptures lurking about the cathedral crypt as well.
Go out New Forest way & you can cruise down the Beaulieu River at Buckler’s Hard, a Georgian hamlet bursting with maritime history, cream teas & great pubs. Southampton & Portsmouth are also heaped in history of the naval persuasion & well worth a day trip too.
GARDENS, PARKS & HIDDEN GEMS
If you like your gardens grand & gloriously landscaped, Stourhead is firmly at the top of the list – the gardens there are world renowned for their magnificence & were once described as ‘a living work of art’. For more regal-country-house-&-garden vibes, Lainston House, Wilton House & Mottisfont Abbey are also all an excellent shout, especially Mottisfont’s rose gardens. Moors Valley Country Park & Forest, another Hampshire hidden-gem, has a thousand acres of woodland to explore, beautiful walks, play trails, adventure playgrounds & even a mini steam railway & a pitch & putt mini golf course.
Just 10 – 15 minutes drive away from us is Roche Court, an art gallery & sculpture trail home to an impressive collection of large-scale pieces. The trail itself winds through a beautiful valley of parkland & includes some of the big-guns like Barbara Hepworth, Richard Long, Laura Ford & Richard Deacon, to name a few.
HoughtonLodge in the next village over is a lovely destination for a local walk – a lot of love’s been put into the gardens there & there’s even a little tearoom. Th Boot Inn at Houghton is very good and is a 40 minute cross country stroll from Broughton. We also have one of the most important plant collections in the world close by in Romsey – Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, a world famous arboretum & gardens described as a ‘sanctuary for natural beauty’. It’s home to one of the largest winter gardens in Europe, 14 national collections, over 400 champion trees and 42,000 plants – plus sculpture trails, tree-houses & woodlands for the kids to explore. Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are a delight for kids, avid horticulturists & shrub fans alike.
NEED TO PICK UP A FEW BITS?
Broughton Community Shop is just down in the village & is a good bet for getting some extra bits & bobs, it’s usually open 7 days a week but it’s always worth double-checking opening times. There’s also a Budgens close by & a Co-op on Stockbridge high street. For a bigger food shop there’s Lidl in Tidworth, Aldi on the way out to Salisbury or any of the supermarkets in Andover or Salisbury.