Welcome to Ivy Grange Farm Barn
About Us
We're Nick and Kim Hoare - we made the move from London in 2010, leaving behind careers in mental health and television for an alternative lifestyle at the forefront of the glamping phenomenon! And we haven't looked back...
Suffolk offers so much that we love - a chance to explore, swim, cycle, canoe, bird-watch, adventures, excellent food and drink and a real sense of community. We've loved helping to bring our village pub (The Racehorse) into community ownership - a pub where the beer is skilfully chosen and kept (check out our Camra Good Beer Guide listing!) and where all guests are assured of a warm welcome. We feel we've stepped back in time, with a slower pace of life and a vibrant sub-culture. With the Barn we hope we've created a space that allows you, too, to unwind in an rural environment and discover some of the wonderful things the area has to offer - the excellent nearby beaches of Southwold and Walberswick; estuary walks; the world class RSPB Minsmere; outstanding local produce and great pubs and restaurants. And if you're here during a full moon, ask about joining the walks that we lead, exploring the heaths and forests by the light of the moon!.
We've really enjoyed sharing what's best about the beautiful Suffolk countryside with our yurt guests and look forward to doing the same for you. We hope you'll make your own memories and want to return to dig a little big deeper....
Green Things!
Our passions are reflected in what you'll see around you when you come to stay. We love growing fruit, vegetables and herbs; creating habitat for a range of creatures including barn owls, hares, butterflies moths and hedgehogs... Outdoor living and cooking also plays a big part in our lives and you'll find that there's plenty of opportunity to do most things outside, with many different cooking and eating options, our famous (heated) Woodland Showers, or just sitting out at night to watch the shooting stars in the inky black sky.
One of our highlights during our time here has been meeting the great Chris Packham, when we won the Suffolk Green Award for Tourism, back in our yurt days. We had a lovely chat with him about our passion for nature and his poodles!
More good news - we've won the Suffolk - Creating the Greenest County Green Tourism award for the Barn! We're delighted, and can't wait to share our passions with you...
Look out for our special "Green Offers" on social media. For guests arriving by train, we're happy to collect from our nearby stations Brampton or Halesworth by prior arrangement; we also have secure undercover storage for those arriving on 2 wheels. Please let us know what else we can do to help you have as sustainable a break as possible!
Who doesn't love a hedgehog? Spot the hedgehog habitats dotted around the place, as well as beetle banks (one of our guests spotted a glow worm here!), bird boxes and the little round vole holes, providing a hiding place for these tiny creatures which the barn owls, kestrels (and even the feral cat that hangs out here), like to hunt!