What a great way to spend a sunny afternoon! A friend and I met at Berry’s Farm Shop and Cafe  at Swinithwaite and enjoyed the Meadow Walk created by the Thornton-Berry family. This walk passes through their farmland to Redmire Falls.  At the beginning there was a feeling of “follow the yellow brick road” – while a Swaledale sheep kept watch on us.

Above: towards Redmie

Above – Redmire Falls
Below:  Looking towards the farm, the farm shop and Penhill

We spent an enjoyable hour in the very restful, welcoming cafe enjoying afternoon tea . It is a gentle, half a mile walk from the Cafe to the scar above the river. The steps make it much easier to access the Falls. The uphill walk back to the Cafe is not difficult – and, of course, there are good facilities and good food at the end.

The chairs and much of the new buildings have been made from timber from the Swinithwaite Estate and a wood burning boiler provides the heating and hot water.  All the water comes from the roofs of the buildings. This same sustainable approach applies to the café and the shop with the meat, vegetables, cheeses, oils and preserves being procured locally.

Mrs  Bridget Thornton-Berry said: “By having a farm shop and café we realise a dream of sharing the views and the land with more people and in so doing help people to understand that food comes from this landscape. We see ourselves as care takers for a beautiful part of the dales, and we feel very privileged to live here.”

Other old farm buildings at the hall have been developed to retain their traditional features and to provide modern facilities for  local businesses.

Below: Bridget and Adrian Thornton-Berry (send and third from left) after the official opening of the farm shop and cafe in April 2012

The cafe is now run by Fairhusts. For more information click here