Farm Stay

What Farm Stay does

Farm Stay UK Ltd is a not-for-profit farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1983 that operates a two-sided accommodation marketplace connecting UK holidaymakers with farm and countryside properties. The platform at farmstay.co.uk lists more than 420 farm stays, self-catering cottages, glamping sites, and rural boltholes across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and the website receives over 4 million page views per year. The cooperative is owned by its member farms, governed by a volunteer-elected board organized into local sub-divisions, and headquartered at the National Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, with a small team of 8 employees.

The core product surface consists of three accommodation categories — Bed & Breakfast, Self-Catering, and Glamping — supplemented by a printed brochure, an email newsletter, a blog (Over The Farm Gate), curated Holiday Collections, and Special Offers and Late Deals modules. Distribution is multi-channel: SEO-driven website traffic, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, monthly email, and a UK-wide printed brochure. The platform integrates the Affinity partner program to provide discounted utilities, insurance, white goods, and telecoms to member farms.

The business model is membership-fee-based recurring revenue, with every pound of fees reinvested into marketing, promotion, agritourism, and agricultural education rather than distributed to shareholders. Critically, no commission is charged on bookings between guests and farm owners, which is the central differentiator versus mainstream OTAs. The organization has no external investors, no parent company, and no public-ticker exposure, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Farm Stay

Legal name

Farm Stay UK Ltd

Website

https://farmstay.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Farm Stay UK Ltd is a not-for-profit farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1983 that operates a marketplace connecting UK holidaymakers with 420+ farm stays, self-catering cottages, and glamping sites across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, funded by member fees and charging no booking commission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agritourism Marketplace

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Stays & Agritourism Lodges (THAMADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmstay B&Bs & Agritourism Inns (THAGAHAG), Farmstay Rooms (Working Farms/Ranches) (THAMABAG), Treehouses & Canopy Stays (THAMADAC), Agritourism Eco-Lodges & Farm Nature Stays (THAAAHAL)

Keywords

• Farm accommodation
• Agritourism marketplace
• Self-catering cottages
• Glamping holidays
• Farm B&B

Headquarters

HQ city

Stoneleigh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Farm Stay UK is a not-for-profit farmer-owned consortium. Farms pay membership fees to join and list their properties on the platform. The membership fees are reinvested into marketing and promotion of members, agritourism, and agricultural education.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Farm Stay UK is a not-for-profit farmer-owned cooperative operating a web-based marketplace (farmstay.co.uk) that connects holidaymakers with farm-based accommodation across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The platform lists 420+ properties across three core categories: farmhouse Bed & Breakfast, self-catering cottages, and glamping (pods, cabins, shepherd's huts, treehouses). Guests book directly with farm owners at no commission, while farm owners pay membership fees to be listed and access the cooperative's marketing support.

Product overview

Farm Stay UK is a not-for-profit farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1983 that operates a dual-sided platform connecting guests seeking countryside accommodation with farm owners across the UK. The core product portfolio consists of three accommodation types: Bed & Breakfast (farmhouse B&Bs with home-cooked breakfasts), Self-Catering (holiday cottages with optional hot tubs), and Glamping (pods, cabins, shepherd's huts, and treehouses). The platform is complemented by the Farm Stay Brochure (printed and digital), Special Offers and Late Deals modules, Holiday Collections (curated themed stays), the Over the Farm Gate Blog (news and seasonal content), and a Membership Program for farm owners. The website receives over 4 million page views annually and actively encourages direct bookings between guests and farm owners with no commission charged on listings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bed & Breakfast Accommodation Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast accommodation across the UK, offering guests a traditional home-cooked farm breakfast and hospitality at working farms. Bookable directly with farm owners through the Farm Stay platform.
• Self-Catering Accommodation Self-catering holiday cottages on farms, including options with hot tubs, providing guests with their own space and schedule. Bookable directly with farm owners.
• Glamping Accommodation Glamping stays on farms including pods, cabins, shepherd's huts, and treehouses offering a unique countryside experience. Bookable directly with farm owners.
• Farm Stay UK Website Platform Online accommodation marketplace and booking platform (farmstay.co.uk) connecting guests with farm accommodation across the UK, receiving over 4 million page views annually. Includes search functionality by location, accommodation type, and features.
• Membership Program Not-for-profit cooperative membership for farm owners offering listing on the Farm Stay platform, access to an online forum, additional support and training, and access to discounted supplier services through Affinity. Membership fees are reinvested into marketing and promotion of members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4 million page views annually on the website
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AffinityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffinity is listed as a partner agent providing Farm Stay members with discounted utilities, insurance, white goods, telecoms and much more.
• Rural Business AwardscoreOthersThe Rural Business Awards, founded by rural-based business women Jemma Clifford and Anna Price, recognizes excellence in UK rural businesses. Farm Stay was shortlisted and a member won an award in 2021.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sawday's: Curated UK collection of special places to stay including B&Bs, inns, and self-catering cottages with strong countryside and farm presence. Competes for the same quality-conscious rural traveler.
• Canopy & Stars: UK-based curated marketplace for unique countryside and glamping stays including treehouses, yurts and shepherd's huts. Directly competes with Farm Stay's glamping and rural accommodation offering for the same UK guest audience.
• Glamping Hub: Global marketplace dedicated to glamping stays including farm-based and rural sites. Competes directly with Farm Stay's glamping product line for nature-based travelers.
• Sykes Cottages: One of the largest UK holiday cottage letting agencies, listing thousands of rural and farm cottages. Direct competitor in the self-catering farm stay category across the UK.
• Coolstays: UK booking platform specializing in unique, characterful and rural accommodation. Competes head-to-head with Farm Stay for couples, families and groups seeking countryside short breaks.
• Cottages.com: Major UK holiday cottage marketplace with a large portfolio of rural and farm-based properties. Competes for UK holidaymaker demand for countryside self-catering breaks.

Broad incumbents

• Airbnb: Global OTA with a massive inventory of rural, farm and unique stays. Competes broadly for the same UK holidaymaker wallet, with vastly greater technology, marketing, and capital resources.
• Booking.com: Largest global OTA with extensive UK rural and country accommodation inventory. Competes for the same guest demand with dominant SEO spend and brand recognition.

Regional players

• FarmStay USA: US-based directory of farm stay vacations. Conceptually equivalent cooperative-style directory but operating in North America rather than the UK; useful concept benchmark rather than direct competitor.

Others

• Rural Business Awards: UK awards program that recognizes rural business excellence and with which Farm Stay has partnered. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but signals Farm Stay's competitive context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FarmStayUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/farmstayuk
• TikToktiktok.com/@farmstayuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farm-stay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farm Stay