A Weekend at Hawthbush Farm

This past weekend we went to Hawthbush farm for a few days and had a really nice time. It's an organic farm in East Sussex that I read about last year when trying to find a shepherds' hut to stay in. How amazing are their shepherds' huts? So cozy! I wanted to stay there, but they were all booked up when I inquired. So I decided to plan ahead for a visit there this year. The farm looked so pretty and I also really liked the look of one of their cottages called the cowshed. The amazing light-filled kitchen in the cowshed is one of the reasons we chose it for the upcoming photography workshop I'm helping to host with Beatrice Peltre. I'm glad we were able to make time to stay at Hawthbush Farm this month for a weekend and explore the property and surrounding area, which turned out to be really lovely.

We stayed in the piggery, which is a one bedroom, charming cottage. Though it's small, it was just enough space for a weekend away with two little ones. 

I love the way the cottages are decorated: simple and rustic with a hint of pretty. The cottages both have some industrial pieces, oil paintings, farm tables, and burlap and feedsacks for window treatments and linens. 

Their farm property is lovely as well. They have a wildflower meadow and there are some really nice walks on the property. Simply peeking into the woods to see the bluebells was inspiring. 

They also have a few chatty animals such as chickens, ducks, pheasants, cats and a dog who all took time to visit with us. Ellie was not too keen on the animals at first but she warmed up to them soon enough.

We went on a great walk along the bottom of the south downs from the Charleston House to Firle. I read about the walk on This is Your Kingdom. We didn't go into the Charleston House because they opened at 1pm and we got there at 11am (I didn't think to check the opening times!). We did have lunch in the cafe though, which was delicious. We saw bright yellow rapeseed blooming in patches along the hills as we passed some beautiful houses and farm houses. And we ran into quite a few sheep along the way. Baaaa. 

On our last day, we went to Cuckmere Haven and Seven Sisters beach. The scenery was stunning and it was a pleasant 25minute walk from the parking lot to the beach. 

And back at the farm, the girls had fun getting their twirl on before we left. I brought one of my favorite dresses for Ellie, which I bought for Lois on etsy a few years ago. 

If you're looking for a fun glamping getaway, Hawthbush Farm is a wonderful place. I'm really looking forward to going back in June for our photography workshop! There are still a few spaces for anyone who might be interested. 

And now it's on to getting ready for Easter! I'm frantically trying to finish Lois's easter dress and do a little Easter decorating. We started an Easter egg tree yesterday, which is looking really cute. I got into bed at midnight last night after working on Lois's dress for a while and I was a bit frustrated that I might not be able to finish it (I have both girls most of this week, so it's hard to make time for sewing until night time when they are sleeping). Andrew reminded me to relax and that it should be fun, not stressful. Lois already says she's NOT going to wear the dress because she doesn't think it will twirl much (she's seen her sister's finished dress), but I'm still going to try to finish and force her to wear it for at least a few pictures!