Usually, the hotels I stay when I travel for work have a type. Well located, reasonably comfortable and more often than not, just a bit bland. The Bed and Breakfast that I write about today completely broke that mould. I came across Blackmore Farm on a work trip, but I loved it so much, we went back there again on our trip down South last year.
Blackmore farm is located near Cannington, about 3 miles from the town of Bridgwater in Somerset. It is a Bed and Breakfast (B&B), Cafe and farm shop. The main attraction is the grade 1 listed manor house, which dates back to the 15th Century.
As you enter the manor house through the front door, you feel as you have stepped back in time. You step into the great hall, with its large fire place and a dining table that can easily sit 20. There are several suits of armour, and other medieval curios.
After years of falling into dis-repair, the manor house has been lovingly restored by its current owners, Mr and Mrs Dyer. Off the Great Hall, you can see several other rooms, which have been restored.
We arrived at the farm after our day in Bath and were warmly welcomed by the owners, Mr and Mrs Dyer with tea and biscuits in the guest lounge.
We were then shown to our bedroom upstairs. We were staying in the West Bedroom, which had a lovely four poster bed complete with thick curtains, and a large on en suite bathroom.
The West bedroom is one of three B&B rooms in the manor house. There is also the Solar room, and the Gallery bedroom which has large sitting and dinning area in addition to the bed room.
Blackmore farm also has 3 other B&B accommodation, called the Cider Press, the Wagon House or the Retreat, which are more suited to groups. These are barn conversions and are very comfortably and beautifully furnished.
Tip: If you are planning to stay at Blackmore farm, I would highly recommend staying at one of the bedrooms in the manor house. Whilst the Cider Press and the Wagon house are beautiful, the manor house rooms are in a class of their own.
In the evening we headed over to the nearby Malt Shovel pub for dinner. The Malt Shovel is less than a 5 minutes walk away and the food here is excellent.
The next morning, breakfast was served in the great hall. A lot of the breakfast was from the farm itself or locally sourced. The Bacon in particular was excellent!
Before we headed back, we also visited the farm shop. It stocks everything from Bacon and Cheeses to fruits, vegetable and cake, all locally source.
If you are going for a break in Somerset or heading down to Cornwall, I would highly recommend a stay at Blackmore farm. A 15th century manor house with luxuries of the 21st century coupled with a warm hospitality makes Blackmore farm a rare find. You can book rooms here.
About Great Hotels: As a rule, I try to avoid staying in the same hotel twice when I travel. But, every now and then, I come across a hotel for which I would happily break this rule. Some are well known hotels, topping best hotel lists on every travel website, some are hidden gems. Either way, these hotels have made it to this list because of something special – location, architecture, food, service or a combination of any of these things. I started this series of “Great Hotels” posts to share my findings with you. I only blog about a hotel if I truly like them and have no affiliations with any of the hotels in these posts.
Diary of a Tourist 