Shirkoak Farm - Fishery & Bed & Breakfast — Local services in Ashford

I felt I just needed to respond to the previous review left by a guest recently. On Saturday 20th July 23 I had a visit from a mother and son from Germany who were staying locally. They asked if it would be possible to fish and I said that it was not a problem but they would need to obtain a EA fishing license online. They assured me that they had already been on the site and read the rules and regulations. The following day the father and son arrived to fish, they paid £6 for a child's day ticket. Later in the afternoon we had a call from an angler who was fishing on the lake with with his 2 children very concerned and upset because the boy was clubbing to death a large fish on the bank! My husband was very upset and annoyed and did challenge the boys father but NOT physically as is implied in the review. He did also hurl the baton that had killed the fish into a nearby field because he was understandably angry. The boys father was asked for compensation for the dead fish and he paid 50 euros (Much less than the market value of the dead fish). They were then told to leave the fishery immediately and an arrangement was made to collect their equipment the following day, which they did. Later in the evening the wife returned to demand the return of the 50 euros. This was refused. Our reasons for this, is because I know she had been on the EA website and read the rules because she had told me this the previous day, also our own fishery rules are displayed on a very large notice board on the entrance to the fishery along side EA posters. Some may question that perhaps these guests being foreign were unable to read English but all EA rules are symbolized for this very reason. We have been told that in Germany, killing fish is allowed but we are not in Germany and therefore the rules of the country you are visiting should be adhered to. We take pride in our fishery as this is our livelihood. Whilst google reviews are helpful to our visitors, I would like to point out that sometimes there are two sides to a story. Sarah Pickett -...

Absolute gem of a place in a gorgeous part of the world. We didn’t want to leave. We felt spoilt from the moment we arrived.

The accommodation space is huge, with lovely kitchen dining area and living room, the three bedrooms all have their own bathroom and the whole house was spotlessly clean.

The grounds are absolutely gorgeous with spacious front garden with it’s own little lake, stocked with fish too, as well as back garden and tennis courts, we didn’t even use as there was so much to do. The kids has fun walking around the fishery lake at sunset and enjoying the gorgeous view. They loved playing in the beautiful tree house and with Miss Figgy the most gorgeous puppy.

Sarah and Hugh were amazing hosts. Sarah’s breakfasts were generously portioned and so delicious made with top quality ingredients and we found out later that they were wedding caterers, which explained the five star restaurant quality full English.

Sarah was a wealth of knowledge about the local area and gave us some fabulous recommendations. We spent the day at the beach at Camber Sands and walking around the historic village of Rye and felt there is still so much we missed to see and do.

There is so much to do at the farm too. Sarah took the kids to feed the horses which they absolutely loved and Hugh took the boys fishing which was a total hit. The kids all loved playing in the expansive grounds and with the animals and it all felt entirely safe, so the mums could relax and have a glass of wine in the beautiful garden.

We were all spoilt from beginning to end. Everyone didn’t want to leave and I truly feel it is the best holiday you can have in the UK. We were at Centerparcs in May, it cost three times as much and it doesn’t hold a candle to Sarah and Huges wonderful holiday accommodation.

If they have availability you should book it. We will definitely be...

Shirkoak Farm Bed & Breakfast & Fishery Just had to write a review having had a wonderful stay with Sarah & Hugh. They are so welcoming, kind and generous and the four of us were made to feel like friends - we were singing their praises for the remainder of our holiday in Canterbury and wishing we were back at their lovely property. Accommodation is lovely, bedrooms really clean and spacious, breakfast fantastic. Location is good and the nearby small town of Tenterden is lovely with some excellent restaurants (especially Ozgur Turkish which has an extensive and reasonably priced menu). Our husbands really enjoyed their two attempts at fishing whilst us ladies strolled around the beautiful lake and Shirkoak grounds followed by 'Fig and 'Pye' (the dogs). We will definitely return and send our thanks to Sarah & Hugh for making the first part of our holiday so special. Diane,...