Award-winning Northumberland farm shop up for sale

Jul 9 2009 by Jane Hall, The Journal

SOMEONE could soon become the region’s very own Natasha Wylde as an award-winning Northumberland farm shop has been put up for sale with a £650,000 price tag.

Herding Hill Farm near Hadrian’s Wall was started three years ago by Charles and Debbie Rayson. But the business championing local food has become so successful the husband and wife team have found themselves unable to spend enough time with their eight-year-old son, William.

Now the couple who moved to Herding Hill near Haltwhistle seven years ago have reluctantly decided to put the farm up for sale.

On offer is a traditional four bedroom stone house, the shop and its working 40 acre farm which comes with a starter pack of rare breeds which includes one Berkshire pig, one Dexter cow and one Shropshire sheep. Further livestock is available to purchase by separate negotiation.

But just like the Wyldes in Emmerdale, there is plenty of room for expansion for a budding rural entrepreneur. One suggestion is developing a farm park as an add-on attraction for the tens of thousands of visitors who flock to Hadrian’s Wall every year, as well as a caravan park.

Debbie says: “The numbers of visitors going to Hadrian’s Wall is increasing every year and people are coming with their kids and finding there is nothing else for them to do after they have toured the wall.