• dew pond at Hoe Grange Farm
    hoe grange blog posts

Browse through our blog posts to find out what life is like at Hoe Grange Holidays along with some great ideas for days out in the Peak District.

VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2016

March 9, 2016
March 9, 2016 - VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2016
-Older

Entering the Empress ballroom at The Winter Gardens in Blackpool for this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Can you believe it was 32 years ago that an apprehensive young farmer nervously asked a clothing studies student to dance at The Young Farmers Christmas Ball in the very same room?

Visit England Awards for Excellence 2016

Little did we know then that all these years later we would return to the place we first met for such a successful evening. We thought the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence venue was a good omen for us and that certainly proved to be the case; a fabulous double celebration winning both the Gold Award for Access for All and the Silver Award for Sustainable Tourism! Here we are with both our awards which were presented by VisitBritain Marketing Manager and Sponsors Barclays.

Blackpool Illuminations Chinese DragonThe whole evening was an amazing experience. On entering the Winter Gardens we were ushered into the world’s largest indoor illumination experience which blends traditional Chinese lantern crafts with the latest in lighting technology, and sparkling 3D effects. It was incredible and definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Blackpool.

Of all the Illuminasia halls my favourite was the "Land of the Giants", which made you feel like Alice in Wonderland after she has drunk the potion, and there before our very eyes was an enormous Jack Russel dog just like our own Fudge, and even wearing a blue collar. Look at the pop up banner in the foreground and you can see just how big "Fudge" was.

After a delicious 4 course dinner the suspense and waiting were finally over and our VisitEngland Awards for Excellence were announced. We were absolutely thrilled and delighted to receive, not just one, but two of the top awards.

Returning home with both the Gold Award for Access for All and the Silver Award for Sustainable Tourism was incredible. To be recognised as one of the top businesses for two national awards makes all our hard work worthwhile and is also due to our dedicated staff and most importantly to you, our guests.

BBC Countryfile Presenters John Carven and Adam HensonLook who we also bumped into in the bar - Countryfile presenters Adam Henson and John Craven. VisitEngland awarded the accolade "Outstanding Contribution to Tourism" to the Countryfile team for the programme’s contribution to raising awareness of England’s rural tourism offer.

To round off an excellent evening we sneaked up onto the balcony to take in the atmosphere and hold hands as if we were 21 again!

Although you'll laugh at this - we nearly didn't bring the Gold trophy home!! Felicity decided she wanted to take a photo of the trophy with the Blackpool Pleasure beach roller coaster in the background as our hotel window overlooked the “Big One”. She placed the award on the stool in front of the open doors  - great arty photo shot for our social media she thought.

What happened next? She picked up the camera and turned back horrified as the award went tumbling out through the window - which was bad enough, but we were on the third floor!

Double celebrations turned into double trouble! How to break the news to David that his prized Gold Award was lying on the gravel at the base of the “Big One” and how to get it back as it was not even in the hotel grounds!

VisitEngland Trophy dropped on fllor

Luckily the trophy wasn't made of glass and being a VisitEngland high quality product it survived the impact intact. A big sigh of relief and thanks to the hotel staff who kindly retrieved it for us. After all our hard work we honestly didn't mean to throw it away.

An amazing night to remember - 32 years on and 32 years still going strong!

David and Felicity


Blackpool Tower Illuminations

in the press

our farm

our environment

View our accommodation...

Contact us or book direct online to avoid disappointment

Hoe Grange Holidays Tripadvisor Comments...

  • star rating  Recently spent a week in "Pinder" and had a lovely time. The location is stunning - the site is nestled in a beautiful valley on the edge of the Peaks... read more

    Peachey167
    July 16, 2019

    star rating  We spent four nights at Hoe Grange and had a lovely time. The location is fantastic and right next to the High Peak Trail. The cabin was very clean and... read more

    Big_Al_0000
    July 16, 2019

    star rating  What a lovely weekend away! We stayed in the lovely gypsy caravan, which was a wonderful and really unique experience. We took along our two horses, who also had a... read more

    rachelthomas2015
    June 18, 2019
  • star rating  We stayed for a night in one of the cabins . The cabin was spotless and very well equipped , lots of extra touches were added like fresh eggs and... read more

    Ajtravels14
    February 3, 2020

    star rating  For the second year running, we have had a great family holiday at Hoe Grange. We had one cabin for the week, for two sisters and our elderly wheelchair-using... read more

    EJYork2013
    June 25, 2019

    star rating  What can I say?
    Absolutely superb!
    We have just returned from a family weekend staying in Daisybank cabin and the Skylark pod.
    It was our first trip away with my... read more

    Wheelieuser
    June 13, 2019
  • star rating  On arriving at Hoe Grange in a downpour, we doubted if we’d made the right decision to go glamping, but after the warm welcome from David and a quick tour,... read more

    karenmD4738KD
    June 25, 2019

    star rating  What a wonderful find. As our first experience of needing accessible accommodation we could not have wished for better. Beautiful well equipped lodges in lovely surroundings. We stayed in both... read more

    L9943KBlesleym
    April 3, 2020

    star rating  We stayed in the Skylark pod last October (2018) and had a lovely time. There was homemade, rustic goods (bread, biscuits etc) when we arrived. Felicity and David who run... read more

    KBarry
    September 15, 2019
  • star rating  lovely surroundings real farm country with chickens paying you a visit nice decking area to chill at the end of the day accommodation very good plenty to do nearby... read more

    vincent s
    July 28, 2019

    star rating  We stayed in Pinder cabin and had a lovely stay, the cabin was spacious and comfortable, nice and warm after cold days out. The children loved meeting the animals and... read more

    Tiggywinkle15
    November 5, 2019

    star rating  We stayed in Rainster cabin for a long weekend 6 th to 9 th September. This was my 5 th visit to the amazing Hoe Grange. I had visited before... read more

    Jan Horsman J
    September 17, 2019
  • star rating  Arrived and was shown to our pod, fantastic location and the pod was very good indeed plus we had home made bread and milk and tea and coffee. A... read more

    mickvfr
    July 28, 2019

    star rating  Stayed last week, from 6th to 13th September in the log cabin called Hipley. This was amazing, it was our first visit but certainly not our last. Gold standard disability... read more

    548julie
    September 14, 2019

    star rating  We had a lovely time staying in one of the incredibly well equipped pods. I bought my pony along and we had some great rides on the high peak trail.... read more

    plopster1
    June 7, 2019
  • star rating  Lovely place to holiday near to interesting locations and easy access to the High Peak trail and Carsington Water. Part of a working farm with fresh produce to enjoy during... read more

    Angie B
    August 3, 2019

    star rating  We stayed in Skylark, one of the two glamping pods available at Hoe Grange in February 2020.

    Felicity & David welcomed us when we arrived to show us around... read more

    HelenLCarter
    February 6, 2020

    star rating  Another great holiday at Hoe Grange - such a great place for us all to holiday as a family - this time with a baby, a 3 yr old, a... read more

    Thesamps
    October 4, 2019
  • star rating  A beautiful place to stay! Amazingly run family business! Everyone were very welcoming, friendly and cozy! The skylark pod we stayed in was very clean, cozy and well equipped! The... read more

    sophiee249
    January 2, 2020

    star rating  We wanted a complete break and some peace and quiet and this was perfect. The caravan was secluded with beautiful views over the countryside. Everything was spotlessly clean and well... read more

    joanne B
    June 4, 2019

    star rating  We love this place. Very wheelchair friendly, really well equipped and comfortable, with easy access by car to lots of places of interest particularly Crich Tramway Village, Chatsworth, Bakewell and... read more

    David H
    October 25, 2019
  • star rating  Loved every minute of our stay, and so did the family and friends that came to stay. Excellent facilities in our cosy Hipley log cabin. By far the best... read more

    krimpenijssel
    October 25, 2019

    star rating  Second visit to the accessible holiday cabins at Hoe Grange. David and Felicity were as helpful and friendly as ever. We had a welcome pack of freshly baked bread, butter,... read more

    Charlotte M
    August 7, 2019

    star rating  It's been three years since we last visited but once we arrived it certainly didn't feel like it!
    We stayed in Hipley again which had had a refurbished wet... read more

    ElizabethA717
    September 21, 2019
  • star rating  We've just returned from our second visit to Hoe Grange. The suggested riding routes with stunning scenery were enjoyed by my daughter and I while the menfolk were delighted with... read more

    Jdrichie12
    July 11, 2019

    star rating  We love this place. Very wheelchair friendly, really well equipped and comfortable, with easy access by car to lots of places of interest particularly Crich Tramway Village, Chatsworth, Bakewell and... read more

    dghiggs61
    October 25, 2019

    star rating  We have just returned from a short stay in one of the pods on site at Hoe Grange Holidays. We couldn’t recommend them enough. The pod has everything you could... read more

    Catboy86
    August 17, 2019
  • star rating  Myself and my sister travelled to Costa Rica and Panama via Viva Holidays Ltd. The holiday was exceptional and one to be treasured forever. Andrew at Viva Holidays... read more

    Paula C
    July 4, 2019

    star rating  Felicity and David made us feel very welcome right from our booking. The pods are well equipped and spotlessly clean. The area is very peaceful with great views and we... read more

    Adventurer_12121
    January 30, 2020

    Join our mailing list