Course admin and Places to Stay
Course Administration
Whole Day and Morning courses start at 10am and finish at about 5pm. You can arrive any time from 9.30am. Afternoon courses start at 2pm with arrival any time from 1.45 pm. We meet in the newly refurbished teaching complex in the old coach house round to your right behind the main farmhouse. Coffee and biscuits will be waiting for you. We have ample parking, which is signed – please park carefully.
Please bring appropriate clothing for the course you are taking. Warm clothes are recommended, with wellies and waterproofs for outdoor courses. You should bring a change of footwear, too as we do not allow wellies or mucky shoes in the school room. We provide aprons and gloves for butchery courses. The butchery is unheated and, even in summer, it can be quite chilly, so bring warm layers. Please wear shoes with good grip for butchery courses whatever the weather. Sandals are not recommended for any of our courses.
Please let us know in advance if you have any special dietary requirements or allergies.
Overnight Accommodation
We have three double / twin bedded rooms in our holiday cottage, the Garden Lodge, that are available for overnight accommodation during the winter months (November – March). We charge £70 per room and supply food for a self-cook breakfast. The holiday cottage can be booked for long weekends and week long stays, either through ourselves or via our agent Welcome Cottages (search for property reference W40898).
Alternatively, there are a number of places to stay within a few miles of The Empire Farm if you need to stay the night before a course or your course is part of a weekend away. Our guests have stayed in these establishments which are nearest to the farm.
Toomer Farm in Henstridge
Half Moon Pub in Horsington,
The Ship Inn in West Stour
The Kings Arms in Charlton Horethorne
The Stapleton Arms in Buckhorn Weston (one of our favourite local pubs with great food, the sister pub, The Queens Arms is another option)
Stowell Farm between Horsington and Sherborne 01963 370200 Email: stowellfarm@btconnect.com
Bridge House in Henstridge
Macawber House in Wincanton
This webpage shows the location of the different establishments
Guests have also reported favourably on the Bakehouse B and B in Sherborne, The Grange at Oborne, The Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne and Hunters Inn nr Wincanton. Sadly, we cannot recommend Holbrook House nr Wincanton as two guests have had very poor experiences. The nearest Travel Lodge is on the A303 nr Sparkford, however price-wise you may find better value in the B and Bs listed above.
Arriving by train
The Empire Farm is just 800m (7 minutes walk) from Templecombe station, which is on the Waterloo-Exeter line. The service takes just over two hours from Waterloo. If you are coming down by train the night before and staying locally, then it is probably wise to book a taxi to meet your train, as there is no regular taxi stand at the station. Also, ask if they can pick you up in the morning to get you to the course. There is a bus that serves the station, running between Wincanton and Sherborne.
Click here for station information.
Taxis
Combe Cabs, Templecombe, Somerset BA8 0LG Tel: 01963 370156
Wincanton Taxis, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9EU Tel: 01963 824269
Groves Cars, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5EW Tel: 07857 791846
Bill’s Taxis, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5BW Tel: 01963 251822
Sable 200, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9JF Tel: 01963 34266
MB Private Hire, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2NS Tel: 07813 841466
Blakes Taxis, Stalbridge,Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2RT Tel: 01963 362303
Handy Cabs of Stalbridge, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2NY Tel: 01963 363714
Things to do in the area
Many people ask us if there is anything for their partner to do while they are attending the course. The answer is a resounding “YES”! In fact, people who come down for a week’s holiday complain that there is not enough time to see everything. There are many National Trust houses and gardens, museums, visitor centres as well shopping at the Clark’s village near Street, the towns of Glastonbury, Sherborne, Wells, Shaftesbury, or a little further afield perhaps Bath, Salisbury or Bournemouth. Alternatively, they could simply relax and unwind on a Spa Day at Holbrook House near Wincanton, or the Spa at Longleat Center Parc. Here is a more comprehensive list of local attractions.
Course Administration
Whole Day and Morning courses start at 10am and finish at about 5pm. You can arrive any time from 9.30am. Afternoon courses start at 2pm with arrival any time from 1.45 pm. We meet in the newly refurbished teaching complex in the old coach house round to your right behind the main farmhouse. Coffee and biscuits will be waiting for you. We have ample parking, which is signed – please park carefully.
Please bring appropriate clothing for the course you are taking. Warm clothes are recommended, with wellies and waterproofs for outdoor courses. You should bring a change of footwear, too as we do not allow wellies or mucky shoes in the school room. We provide aprons and gloves for butchery courses. The butchery is unheated and, even in summer, it can be quite chilly, so bring warm layers. Please wear shoes with good grip for butchery courses whatever the weather. Sandals are not recommended for any of our courses.
Please let us know in advance if you have any special dietary requirements or allergies.
Overnight Accommodation
We have three double / twin bedded rooms in our holiday cottage, the Garden Lodge, that are available for overnight accommodation during the winter months (November – March). We charge £70 per room and supply food for a self-cook breakfast. The holiday cottage can be booked for long weekends and week long stays, either through ourselves or via our agent Welcome Cottages (search for property reference W40898).
Alternatively, there are a number of places to stay within a few miles of The Empire Farm if you need to stay the night before a course or your course is part of a weekend away. Our guests have stayed in these establishments which are nearest to the farm.
Toomer Farm in Henstridge
Half Moon Pub in Horsington,
The Ship Inn in West Stour
The Kings Arms in Charlton Horethorne
The Stapleton Arms in Buckhorn Weston (one of our favourite local pubs with great food, the sister pub, The Queens Arms is another option)
Stowell Farm between Horsington and Sherborne 01963 370200 Email: stowellfarm@btconnect.com
Bridge House in Henstridge
Macawber House in Wincanton
This webpage shows the location of the different establishments
Guests have also reported favourably on the Bakehouse B and B in Sherborne, The Grange at Oborne, The Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne and Hunters Inn nr Wincanton. Sadly, we cannot recommend Holbrook House nr Wincanton as two guests have had very poor experiences. The nearest Travel Lodge is on the A303 nr Sparkford, however price-wise you may find better value in the B and Bs listed above.
Arriving by train
The Empire Farm is just 800m (7 minutes walk) from Templecombe station, which is on the Waterloo-Exeter line. The service takes just over two hours from Waterloo. If you are coming down by train the night before and staying locally, then it is probably wise to book a taxi to meet your train, as there is no regular taxi stand at the station. Also, ask if they can pick you up in the morning to get you to the course. There is a bus that serves the station, running between Wincanton and Sherborne.
Click here for station information.
Taxis
Combe Cabs, Templecombe, Somerset BA8 0LG Tel: 01963 370156
Wincanton Taxis, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9EU Tel: 01963 824269
Groves Cars, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5EW Tel: 07857 791846
Bill’s Taxis, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5BW Tel: 01963 251822
Sable 200, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9JF Tel: 01963 34266
MB Private Hire, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2NS Tel: 07813 841466
Blakes Taxis, Stalbridge,Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2RT Tel: 01963 362303
Handy Cabs of Stalbridge, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2NY Tel: 01963 363714
Things to do in the area
Many people ask us if there is anything for their partner to do while they are attending the course. The answer is a resounding “YES”! In fact, people who come down for a week’s holiday complain that there is not enough time to see everything. There are many National Trust houses and gardens, museums, visitor centres as well shopping at the Clark’s village near Street, the towns of Glastonbury, Sherborne, Wells, Shaftesbury, or a little further afield perhaps Bath, Salisbury or Bournemouth. Alternatively, they could simply relax and unwind on a Spa Day at Holbrook House near Wincanton, or the Spa at Longleat Center Parc. Here is a more comprehensive list of local attractions.