A historic farming estate in Ellesmere is opening its farm gates on June 8th for Open Farm Sunday. The Oteley Estate is a 2,000-acre farm with Beef Shorthorn and Highland cattle, sheep, and pigs, based on the shores of the eastern side of the mere.
Since the first Open Farm Sun¬day in 2006, over 2,000 farm¬ers across Britain have opened their gates and wel¬comed over 3.25 mil¬lion peo¬ple onto farms for farm¬ing’s annu¬al open day.
The open day will give the public the opportunity to visit the Oteley Estate and get a glimpse into how their food is produced and what the farming estate does to manage the environment, plus see some of the farm machinery up close.
Clare Mainwaring from the farm team said, “Come and learn about life on a farm in our beautiful surroundings. We’ll be joined by local businesses, including Liz Johnson from Frontier who works closely with farmers to market their grain to the global market.
“It’ll be a great day out, with refreshments available in our old stable yard, a range of stalls, our farm shop selling homegrown produce, and lots to see and do.”
The event will be open on June 8th from 10am until 4pm. Entry to the Open Farm Sunday is free, although visitors are asked to register in advance at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/open-farm-sunday-tickets-1381733354659.
The estate’s 10-acres of private gardens will also be open to explore, where visitors can see features such a clock tower, Swiss Cottage, walled kitchen garden, woodland, rhododendrons, azaleas, and views across the mere. Garden entry is £6 for adults, free for children, and dogs on leads are welcome.
The Oteley Estate’s café and farm shop will be open on the day, and Thursday to Sunday every week from 10am – 4pm.
