Fashionable Farming: The Irish Hoteliers Tapping Into the Agritourism Trend - The Gloss Magazine

Fashionable Farming: The Irish Hoteliers Tapping Into the Agritourism Trend

Why farm stays and rural experiences are the next big travel trend …

Post-pandemic, holidaymakers are seeking a more responsible, sustainable holiday, that’s according to expert websites such as Booking.com. As a result many existing hotels are adapting and rethinking their offering. “The interest in this type of holiday has skyrocketed in both the US and UK,” says Bill Lee, chief executive of Yonder, which specialises in rural accommodation that provides guests with access to nature such as cottages, lodges, glamping sites and treehouses.

Kay Barriball, chairman of a not-for-profit cooperative of rural properties, Farm Stay UK, has also seen an increase in people looking for short breaks in the countryside, to connect with food and farming.

Next year, visitors to the design-led Inis Meáin, on the Aran Islands, can look forward to the opening of its very own Island Farm, which spans 100 acres, grazing up to a dozen cattle, and keeping native bees, in addition to the hotel’s existing hens and vegetable growing. The farm, whose fields stretch like a broken chain along a line from the north coast to the south coast of the island, will be at the core of its new hospitality offering.

Inis Meáin Farm Stays will be based around longer stays in nature, enhanced by a farm deli service. This means that from 2023 its restaurant will no longer be available and its design-led accommodation will be remoulded for longer stays for groups of up to four and eight guests at a time. As a result, the Inis Meáin Farm Stay guests will be able to enjoy a more in-depth biodiversity experience than before, with off-road access to the various terrains of the farm, guided by a specially commissioned ecological study; www.inismeain.ie

Likewise, one of Galway’s most-loved restaurants Ard Bia is expanding to The Burren. The restaurant, which has always placed an emphasis on community experiences, has acquired 32 acres of land with uninterrupted views of The Burren and an extensive hazel forest. The Ard Bia Burren project is about a simple and slow pace of life, allowing nature to take centre stage. “We see this as a space for regeneration, reflection and creativity or nothing-ness. A space/place that doesn’t ask much of us and instead asks us to STOP. Since coming here years ago, I knew this place was so special, now that we have it, we are going to do all we can to foster the spirit of The Burren and bring people and place together,” explains owner of Ard Bia Aoibheann McNamara, who is also co-creator of The Tweed Project atelier which specialises in handmade, one-off pieces.

Part of the plan for Summerage burren (at Pulnabrone Dolman, The Burren, Co Clare) is to adapt low intervention methods to make the space habitable in a modern ecological way. In time, McNamara hopes to create retreats that bring people together through connection, creativity, well-being and finding a place of calm in a very busy world. For now, though, its residents are two miniature ponies who are overseeing the developments. @Summerage_burren

At Ballymaloe House, Co Cork, the Allen family have continued to research and embrace green initiatives throughout every aspect of the guest house, restaurant, shop and café, as well as gardens, cookery school and farm operations since opening 57 years ago. In 2004 the Ballymaloe farm planted ten acres with 5,300 trees on the estate, now equating to over 1,000 tonnes of carbon stored, and the farm recently installed 147Kw of PV solar panels, making Ballymaloe House independent of the ESB national grid, when the sun shines. Biodiversity walks and talks have been a successful part of its offerings this year – when head groundsman Tobias has taken residents on a complementary tour of the estate, highlighting the conservation initiatives implemented; www.ballymaloe.ie

Food and farming connect harmoniously, and in great style, at the Station House Hotel, Co Meath. The boutique hotel has partnered with one of its neighbours – the Dunsany Nature Reserve – owned by naturalist and film maker Randal Plunkett. Guests who book a two-night stay at the hotel can completely switch off and enjoy its peaceful, tranquil surroundings. A visit to the Reserve, the first Irish project to be recognized by the European Rewilding Network, is also organised.

The rewilding project at Dunsany has led to increased biodiversity, including sightings of rare local bird species not recorded in the area for a long time such as red kites, woodpeckers, barn owls, long-eared owls, herons and sparrow hawks, along with red deer, foxes, otters, badgers, pine martens, hares and stoats. As part of this collaboration, and to tie in with its sustainability mission, The Station House, donates funds to Dunsany Nature Reserve to plant a minimum of seven trees per outing; www.stationhousehotel.ie

In Kerry, Killarney Urban Farm is a sustainability initiative of the O’Donoghue Ring Collection of hotels. As Ireland’s first hospitality hydroponic urban farm, growing for bars, restaurants, and hotels in Killarney, it has launched an Urban Farm & Taste tour – something to pre-book if you are on holiday in the region this summer. Participants have a guided tour of the farm which explores the technology that powers the reclaimed space that is now host to the hydroponic towers. There’s also a chance to savour the hyper-fresh ingredients in the form of canapés and later experience a three-course menu at The Tan Yard (€65 per person). Each of the dishes on this menu features ingredients produced in Killarney Urban Farm paired with local farmers and suppliers; www.thetanyardkillarney.ie

For more eco-friendly staycations see here

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