Llandrinio, Powys, SY22 6SQ
Traditional Free Range
Argae Cottage
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is there a minimum age for your courses? Courses and Days on the Farm are suitable for anyone 16 years of age upwards. For insurance reasons, we cannot accept children on our courses. We do often participate in 'Open Farm Sunday' and children of all ages are welcome to attend these events.
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What should I expect on the day? The timetable varies for each course, but as a general guide:
We start with tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival, and introductions.
The teaching will then be a mixture of 'classroom' style presentations in our teaching barn, interspersed with sessions out on the smallholding. We will visit the livestock relevant to your course, looking in detail at the housing, fencing and other management required. There is usually a practical handling session (depending on the course - there's a lot to learn about handling and treating sheep, so we spend a good amount of time doing this on the sheep and lambing courses)
There is plenty of opportunity to ask questions during the day, and group discussion is welcome.
You'll usually have a chance to wander around the rest of the smallholding, and meet any animals that haven't specifically featured on your course.
We pack a lot of information in, but the atmosphere is friendly & relaxed. We want you to enjoy your day with us.
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What's for Lunch? We get some wonderful comments about our food (in fact, we suspect that some people return for another visit partly to enjoy another of Jonathan's home cooked lunches!). Lunch will be a hot meal, freshly cooked for you, and featuring our meat and seasonal ingredients from our smallholding. There's always desert, too! We can cater for specific dietary requirements, but please let us know at the time of booking.
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How many people on a course? These are small group courses, to allow everyone to have adequate time in the practical sessions, and plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Maximum participants are:
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Introduction to Smallholding - 10 people
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Sheep, Lambing, Pigs & Cattle courses - 8 people
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Chicken and Turkey dispatch courses - 6 people​
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Do you offer a discount for groups? Yes, bookings for two or more people receive a 10% discount. This is calculated in the ticket prices.
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Can I bring my dog? We'd prefer it if you left your dog at home. Our livestock are stressed by the presence of strange dogs. If you bring a dog, he/she will be required to remain in your vehicle during the day - and in Summer it may be to hot for this to be a sensible option.
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Can I take photographs? Yes, absolutely. Feel free to share them with us on social media after the event! We may also take photos during the day, for use on social media or our website (we will ask your permission on the day)
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What do I need to bring? Warm clothing, waterproofs and wellies!
The course teaching sessions are held in our teaching barn. This is sheltered, but does not have heating. (Teaching sessions for February/March lambing courses are usually held in our house) The practical sessions will be held outdoors, regardless of the weather. Please ensure that you bring suitable warm clothing and waterproofs. You may wish to bring a change of clothes.
Footwear: Please bring welly boots, or other sturdy footwear for the outdoor sessions. Please ensure that your footwear is clean before arrival on our farm. You will also be asked to dip your boots in disinfectant before entering livestock areas.
Additional requirements for the chicken/turkey dispatch courses: if possible, please bring a cool bag and ice packs to take your oven ready bird home.
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Do I need to take notes? All our courses included a full colour printed course book, containing all the information taught during the day. You shouldn't have to spend the day scribbling notes! We're also very happy to stay in touch following the course, and answer any additional questions you might have by email or phone.
What about disabled access? We do not have wheelchair access at the farm. Paths and fields may be uneven, and we will be walking around the smallholding. If you have impaired mobility, we will try our best to accommodate you - please get in touch and we can discuss whether a particular course would be suitable for you.​​
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​​​​Anything else? If there's anything else you'd like to ask us, please feel free to contact us.
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Course Bookings - Terms & Conditions
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​​Ages: You must be 16 or over to attend our smallholding courses.
Payment: Payment is required in full at time of booking, in order to secure your place on the course.
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Refunds and Cancellations:
Cancellations more than 6 weeks prior to the event: We will offer you a transfer to an alternative date. If this does not suit you, you may instead opt to receive an 80% refund of your booking fee.
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Cancellations within 6 weeks' of the event: No refund will be issued. These are small group courses, and preparations will already be underway to run the day based on the number of bookings.
You may send a friend or family member in your place if you are unable to attend. Please inform us of this in advance - we will need to know their details, and dietary requirements.
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If we are forced to cancel your event for any reason, we will, of course offer you either a transfer to another date, or a full refund - whichever you prefer.
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You may wish to consider travel insurance to cover you in the event of being unable to attend at short notice.
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Data and Communication: We will ask you to provide contact details at time of booking. These will only be used to send you information about your attendance. If you have consented to join our mailing list, you will be sent occasional updates by email, when new course dates become available. We will not use your data for any other purposes, or pass it to other agencies.
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We will send you a confirmation email at time of booking, and detailed information about attendance approximately two weeks prior to your event date. Please feel free to get in touch if there is anything you need to ask before this.
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​Health and Safety: This is a working farm, with machinery, livestock and other potential hazards. Please pay attention the safety briefing on the day. In particular, please ensure that you wash your hands after handling any livestock or farm equipment, and before eating or drinking. Adequate facilities are provided for this. Do not handle any livestock, or enter livestock accommodation except when under direct supervision of your course instructor.
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Enjoy Yourselves: We want you to enjoy your time here. There are a lot of rules on this page, but on the day you will find a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere, loads of useful information, plenty of delicious food, and lots of wonderful animals!
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We look forward to welcoming you to Argae Cottage.
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