Educational centre, farm

Cornwall
Educational centre, farm
Educational centre, farm Educational centre, farm
8 Updated 3 years ago
This is a 170 acre family farm situated in the middle of Cornwall. The farm has been run as a carbon sink since 2009, and we are founder members of the Pasture Fed Livestock Association and have been attending Oxford Real Farming Conference since the beginning. We have a small suckler herd and host an independent micro-dairy with a young third party owner. We are managing our pastures in a mob stocking style. We have small but growing vegetable gardens. We have over the last few years established about 55 acres of agro-forestry/wood pasture. We are also home to the Cornwall Beaver Project (check out Facebook) and we work closely with Cornwall Wildlife Trust. We are also still dabbling in some pigs, just for fun. We are also keen on making cider and have an antique press that gets used every Autumn. We run a lot of educational visits as well as some on farm events.
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Cattle farming
Dairy farming
Forestry
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Renewable energy production
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
68.8 Hectares | 170 Acres
Accommodation
2 WWOOFers
Bedroom
Campsite
Children accepted
Pets not accepted
Meals
Omnivore
Vegetarian
Length of stay
1-2 weeks
3-4 weeks
Over a month
Chris
Chris
Member since 2009
Languages spoken: English, French, German
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 95% Response time: typically within 3 days
Cornwall
Rail/Bus at St Austell. Newquay Airport is just 15 miles away. Bus stop in Grampound Road is just one mile away.
Feedback
Lila
Lila
France • August 2026
Very welcoming family Chris is very kind. My goal was to learn English. He takes the time to find synonyms if I don’t understand and know many words in French! The tasks are diverse and very interesting. You have to feed the animals, move the cows, do gardening, cook. The kitchen is very good. I also discovered the region, there is a true sharing of knowledge. Finally, we can try to see beavers! I 100% recommend this farm where I come out with lots of memories! Lila Séragé
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Eleanor
Eleanor
Australia • August 2026
The best bloke (Chris) and the best family!! Had sooo much fun the past 2 weeks with this lot! From day one I was made to feel at home and truly part of the family. The work was a mix of very manageable daily chores (animals/watering etc.) and different project work (depending on what needed prioritising at the time). Amazing insight into Chris’ motivation for the beavers on the farm. As well as his future plans for building biodiversity/farm resilience!! I enjoyed our walks through the pasture (Chris pointing out all the plant species and their purpose), as well as our enlightening chats on the buggy!! Food was plentiful and atmosphere always warm and inviting!! I shall return for a catch up over a scrumpy one day!!!!
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Mirjam
Mirjam
Germany • August 2026
Staying with Chris and his family was such a great experience! I enjoyed working along side everyone and getting to ask as many questions as I wanted. Their love for farming and their enthusiasm to share more about sustainable farming is great. Seeing the beavers in action was a treat as well. I would love to visit again! Thank you so much for having me!
Peggy
Peggy
United Kingdom • July 2026
The family were really kind hosts and the land and animals are amazing. I moved cows, sheep, furniture, did some laundry for the school groups that were using the barns and fed the animals. We also watered the gardens and did a bit of weeding and harvesting berries. It was great for me because I wanted to get more experience with cattle and livestock in general and they taught me and then let me get on with things. I appreciate the confidence Chris had in me and we had a lot of interesting conversations. Woodland valley farm is a great place for learning as a woofer, with their school groups and beaver walks. The days were full but I had some time to go to Truro on my bike, had a great few hours on the beach and watched the beavers in the evening.
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Michelle
Michelle
United Kingdom • October 2025
There was a great deal going on at [Host] so lots to learn and experience. Chris and his family welcomed me into his home and I was soon busy with various tasks and Chris was always willing to answer my questions. Janet also was very patient and willing to teach me how to do things. Thank you both! It's a seven-day-a-week operation so always lots to do and they are evidently experienced with having Wwoofers. I really enjoyed getting stuck in although I tired myself out a bit so I probably needed to be more mindful about my energy and pacing myself. We did some other nice things (fish and chips, going to the pub, visiting nearby towns, going to the Eden project etc) alongside the farm work (apple picking and processing; fire wood splitting, chestnut peeling; moving cows etc) which I really appreciated. On my hours off I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the beaver enclosure and reading my book around the farm. It was a good experience and a proper farm immersion and I would have liked to stay longer although I definitely learned the importance of taking rest days to recharge and enjoy the area. Thanks for having me!
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Fionn
Fionn
Australia • October 2024
Chris, Jannet, Felicity, Matt and the whole team at Woodland Valley Farm were a dream come true for us. Their seemingly effortless accomodating behaviour made our whole family feel beyond welcome. We felt engaged and, after gentle instruction, were entrusted with numerous tasks, all of which we enjoyed. We cannot recommend Woodland Valley Farm enough. After only a short stay (10 days) we genuinely felt a part of the family. With any luck we'll be back again, and hopefully we can return the favour for them to stay with us in Australia. :) x
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