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In August we were lucky to be invited to spend a long weekend experiencing a Feather Down Farms holiday at Hoeve den Overdraght in Belgium, and what a special experience it turned out to be! This is an idyllic spot, just 30 minutes from the wide beaches and attractions of the Belgian coast, 15 minutes from historic Ypres and under an hour from Calais. The closest town, Poperinge, is 8 mins away and is famous for its beer production and military history as an important garrison town during World War One.
Having spent a fun-filled week in the Netherlands visiting waterparks, safari parks and attraction parks, this farm stay was to be the perfect wholesome end to our summer and a great way to slow down the pace before the start of the new school year.
As we drove through corn fields, passing some cyclists and various signs for local beers on our way, excitement bubbled about what would be awaiting us at the farm. The children were excited to be sleeping in a luxury glamping tent and were eager to discover what their bedrooms would be like and whether they would get to roast marshmallows!
Hoeve den Overdraght is a working dairy farm run by Ann and Filip and their 3 grown up children. They told us they have 100 Jersey cows as well as sheep, chickens and 2 pigs! My 9 year old son also spotted an extremely cute kitten when we arrived. The animals all seemed to live together harmoniously and it was lovely to see one of the cats had joined one of the cows and her baby calf in their barn! Just a few hours after we arrived word had got around that one of the cows was about to give birth and we were very lucky to witness this!
Families sleep in spacious, luxury glamping tents and can get involved in farm life, helping the farmer feed the animals and learning about the workings of the farm. It’s both an educational and relaxing type of holiday where you can connect with nature and get up close to the animals.
Farmer Ann gave us a warm welcome and set about explaining the Feather Down concept, where to get ice packs (frozen hot water bottles) for the cool box in the tent and she told us how the honesty shop worked. We had to make a note of everything we took and pay in cash on our check-out day. The honesty shop stocked soft drinks, a selection of locally brewed beer (ranging from 5 % strength up to 12%!) fresh meat and snacks, including marshmallows for roasting. We could also make use of the coffee machine and borrow games. Ann explained that we could order bread and fresh milk for breakfast the following morning and showed us where to note this. We were also shown where to plug in our phones if we needed to charge them in the farm shop (although the emphasis was to be on a digital detox as much as possible!).
Ann showed us where to get our wood from for the wood burning stove and BBQ and to my son’s delight he discovered that we had to chop our own wood and during our stay he frequently asked us if we need any more wood “boshing” (this was one of his favourite activities!). I think by the end we had a wheelbarrow full of wood which he had chopped which we shared with our neighbours.
We were told about Willy and Marie Janne the 2 pigs who’ll gratefully devour any food left-overs. The excitement of taking down our compost tin and throwing any left-over food to the pigs was to be a highlight during our stay!
We signed up for the pizza evening on the Saturday night and confirmed our attendance on Saturday morning at 09h30 to help feed the animals and learn about the history of the farm.
Excited to explore our accommodation we loaded our luggage into the wheelbarrow and made our way up to the area where our Canvas hideaway tent was located.
And what a tent it was! The Canvas Hideaway tents are very spacious glamping tents with a wooden decked floor stretching out to the front of the tent, complete with table, chairs and 2 deck chairs. There is also a BBQ grill for outside cooking.
Inside, the fully equipped kitchen has a sink, a wood burning stove for cooking, a comfortable sofa and large dining table and chairs. We loved the cosy feel of our living area as when the sun set over the corn fields behind us we lit candles and fired up the stove. The kids loved roasting marshmallows on the stove on our last night!
Leading off from the main living area are 3 bedrooms and a bathroom with an amazingly powerful and hot shower! The kids had a brief discussion about who was having the bunk bed and who was having the secret cupboard bed! My 10 year old daughter won the cupboard bed. It was like a secret den. “It’s so cosy” she said.
There are 5 canvas hideaway tents at Hoeve den Overdraght, which all look out onto the farmer’s play area with its swings and trampoline, beautifully positioned so you can watch the children play. On our first evening we were also treated to some hot air balloons floating overhead as we settled down to our BBQ.
On the Saturday we woke up bright and early to the sound of the cockerel cock-a-doodle do-ing and the cows mooing ,and after breakfast made our way down to the barn to meet farmer Ann and the other families. Ann explained how often the cows needed feeding and the children took it in turns to give them their food and milk. Ann told us how they birth 25 calves a year and that the cows are mainly used for milk production.
Saturday afternoon was spent relaxing and enjoying the calm, farm setting while the kids played. This farm also has a “farmer’s pool” where you can enjoy a refreshing dip on summer days. The kids quickly discovered this and had lots of fun trying to get from one side to the other on the giant floating rubber ring!
We also popped into Ypres, just a 15 minute drive away, for a Smurf ice-cream (when in Belgium..) and to visit the Menin Gate memorial. This is an area steeped in history and war memorials.
We were then back in time for pizza evening which was a great success. We got to make our own pizzas while enjoying one of the local beers and getting to know the other guests.
On the Sunday, we decided to venture up to the coast as it was such a beautiful day and really not far at all. The closest beach from Hoeve den Overdraght is de Panne (a 35 minute drive) but we ended up driving 10 minutes further to Westende where we rented family bikes, had an ice-cream and enjoyed a drink in one of the beach bars overlooking the sand dunes. The Belgian coast has such a cool vibe, and you don’t have to wander far to see sculptures and other works of art dotted about. On our way we stopped off for an impromptu lunch at the ‘De Oude Kaasmaakerij’ cheese factory and restaurant in Zonnebeke, a stunning spot with mini golf, children’s play area and large outdoor terrace. We sampled the local cheeses and the kids made music on the milk churns!
There is a lot to see in this area. Had we had longer we could have also visited Bruges which is an hour away, Plopsaland (35 mins) or Bellewaerde theme park (20 mins).
Our weekend at Hoeve den Overdraght was a great success. We all felt really relaxed and happy here and honestly didn’t want to go home; it felt like such a special place. It was lovely seeing the kids enjoy a simpler life, playing in the farm fields and on the farm playground with sheep and pigs just a stone’s throw away. They hadn’t had an experience like this before and they loved it. They thrived on the freedom of farm life and the independence to pop down and see the kittens or cows on their own before racing back up to join us on our outdoor terrace area. Fresh air and freedom in bucket loads and a simpler life away from the busy-ness of life at home!
We actually didn’t miss not having electricity and the trips to the shop to charge our phones meant we felt quite freed from them (it’s the whole point) and could instead enjoy the scenery, watch the kids play on the farm playground and the occasional hot air balloon which floated past. It could be a handy tip to bring battery power packs to charge phones, but we managed just fine without.
“Can we come here again?” my son asked as we were packing up to drive back to Calais. Our answer was a wholehearted yes- and next time we’ll stay for longer. I think the kids have got a taste for this sort of holiday now!
Hoeve den Overdraght is perfect for a standalone stay or as a long weekend or midweek stay, perhaps combined with a holiday park stay. Prices for 2 adults and 2 children is currently £493.20 for a Friday to Monday stay arriving on 28th August 2026.
Feather Down Farms have a selection of farms across the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. We currently feature 4 of their farms in Belgium and the Netherlands. We plan to add more farms soon!
This was a press trip and we would like to thank Feather Down Farms for facilitating our stay.
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