The Drinkel Family at Canal Farm.
At the end of July this year we will have lived at Canal Farm for 20 years! However this is nothing compared with our predecessors the Burton family who had lived at Canal Farm for 99 years! In the early years of living here, we never said we lived at Canal Farm – it was always where Billy Burton lived – “Oh you are on the Canal Bank at Austen Fen then!”
Richard and I first came to see Canal Farm on a frosty but sunny October day, and we completely fell in love with it: The wonderful view out over open countryside to the Wolds, the lovely light and airy farmhouse and the Louth Canal only a few meters from our home. We could see loads of potential in the farm buildings for running a holiday business – there had been many adaptions by the Burtons to accommodate their various farming enterprises – but the traditional red brick and pantiled barns and milking parlours were still there.
Canal Farm Holiday Cottages were launched in the year 2000, with our first 2 cottages Barn Owl and Ticklepenny, and we added Kingfisher which was originally the old cart shed in 2003. We like to think we have made our mark on Canal Farm with tree and hedge planting, the creation of a lake for fishing and to attract wildlife, plus the restoration of the cottages. However have we lived here long enough for the locals to say – “You know, the place where the Drinkels live!”
We have loved welcoming our guests to enjoy Canal Farm with us, and have met so many interesting people over the years – and hope to continue to offer our visitors a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle for many years to come!
