The Smith family first opened its farm gates at Byres Farm in 2019 and now welcome hundreds of other families to the 400-acre unit near Fochabers every year.
Helen Smith, along with her husband Bill, and their children Marshall and Louisa, moved to the Crown Estate unit five years ago, with plans to open an educational and play area for children.
The farm, situated three miles from Fochabers, is run as part of the wider family business JW Smith, which is home to 900 acres of malting barley, 180 suckler cows, 450 breeding ewes and 6,000 pigs.
‘The response was incredible’
Helen is a rural chartered surveyor but was always keen to do something closer to home alongside a busy life as a farmer’s wife and mum of two.
“We previously stayed on another farm two miles along the road and after realising how little my non-farming friends knew about farming, I decided to do something educational for parents and children,” said Helen.
“I converted our falling down garage into an area safe for hosting craft days for children. The first event was available for 10 children and I ended up with a waiting list of over 100 children.
“The response was incredible and that’s when I decided that we needed to expand the project when we moved to Byres.”
Fast forward five years and the farm now hosts two sessions per week of ‘Muddy Meet-ups’ for pre-school children and is open every weekend for the general public, with extended days throughout school holidays.
Byres Farm welcomes ‘visitors from all over’
Seasonal theme open days are also held throughout the year, with more than 1,000 children and parents having just recently attended an Easter egg hunt over the Easter weekend.
“We welcome visitors from all over including Dingwall, down to Aviemore and even Aberdeen,” said Helen.
“There are pre-school children who come to us twice per week every week as part of their routine as we also offer block terms. Some parents take their child out of nursery to attend a session each week as an alternative.
Admittedly, the whole project has been self-financed, with the success of one part leading onto the next.
“Our first conversion was the original cart shed on the farm which is now used as a meeting place for visitors to gather,” said Helen.
“We installed a wood burning stove and the room still has all the heritage attached so it’s cosy spot to be in when the weather is horrible outside.
“Our Muddy Meet-up sessions take place in there where we always link a craft activity to a theme along with information sheets. It’s a play session but the children are always learning through fun.”
The old 1950s chicken shed was replaced with two poly tunnels which are used as a picnic area and can be available to hire out for birthday parties.
When visiting, children can enjoy feeding animals in a double fenced paddock with feeding tubes, an enclosed play garden, a football skills area and the straw bale climbing frame.
Archery area on the way
A new outdoor archery area is also coming to Byres soon.
“We’re always trying to introduce new parts to the farm for our visitors and to suit all ages as we welcome tourists as well,” said Helen.
“Our three circular walks on grass margin strips around the farm are very popular. We’ve installed QR codes on signs which allow people to scan and watch a seasonal YouTube video about what’s going on at Byres. There is also a self-service coffee shop for walkers.”
Along with hosting workshops for other local businesses, Byres Farm hosts corporate events with catering and WiFi provided in the meeting place.
They also hosted the first wedding last year.
All visits must be pre-booked on the Byres Farm website by clicking the BOOK NOW button and its highly advised that visitors book early for the themed events as they are usually a sell out.
Conversation