CHRIS Berry talks with Robert Scaling of Cliff Farm and Cliff Farm Holidays .

Running a dual enterprise of a 150-acre arable and beef farm and holiday accommodation offering a choice of a touring caravan pitch , a stay in a glamping barn or a holiday home can be a tricky juggling act for some but for Robert and Hannah Scaling of Cliff Farm , Sinnington on the edge of the North York Moors it is simply what they do .

Robert grew up with touring caravans coming to the farm from when his grandma first set it up with a 5-caravan site and a camping barn , now the glamping barn that was added 30 years ago . Since he came back to the farm eight years ago to take over responsibility for running the family enterprise , after having worked on farms near Selby and Helmsley and having studied at Bishop Burton College , he and his wife Hannah have increased the number of caravan pitches and have recently started making changes to their suckler herd . They are clearly not letting the grass grow under their feet !

‘ It has been a challenging year for our holidays business with Covid-19 restrictions and initially the lockdown that saw us lose Easter and three main bank holiday periods until we reopened in July ,’ says Robert . ‘ We have still had a good summer as people in England have stayed in this country for their ‘ staycations ’ this year , but obviously we lost a lot of the income we would have had earlier .’

‘ In the past eight years we have taken the caravan site pitches from 5 to 30 and have upgraded the barn , that was once the granary , to glamping

status rather than camping . The site is now based over three paddocks . We have put in a road going around the site and each pitch has an electric hook up . We have to continually move with the times and we are always mindful of constantly upgrading , improving or adding to what we offer .’

‘ We ’ ve developed different lengths of walks around the farm for those who either just want to walk or run while away on holiday or walk their dogs , where they can take in the scenery with fabulous views of the Vale of Pickering and

Kirkbymoorside from where we are situated , plus the array of wildlife . If you ’ re up early enough you might catch a view of some deer and the bird population includes lapwings , skylarks and buzzards .’

‘ We have built up a great regular trade because of our location , our proximity to both the North York Moors and the Yorkshire coast ; our layout of the site , which ensures there is plenty of space between the pitches , as we are not about cramming people in ; and the cleanliness of our site which we spend so much time on ensuring is the best it can be for our guests . Looking after them is so important . People will soon vote with their feet – and their tyres – otherwise .’

‘ The farm runs to around 150 acres and we rent another 100 acres for seasonal grazing and grass silaging . Our family first came here in 1908 and I ’ m now

the fifth generation . Our sixth generation is on its way too with our son Arthur ( 3 ) and daughter Charlotte , born in May this year .’

‘ My parents , Tom and Jean , are still both very much involved in helping out myself and Hannah , who comes from Catwick in Holderness . Dad was always going to be supportive of me taking on the running of the farm . I came back in 2012 . After college I worked on a farm in New Zealand for six months before then working for the Wilsons in Helmsley where one of my main roles was crop spraying . I studied for my HNC in Crops while I was with them .’ Today ’ s Cliff Farm farming enterprise is a combination of cereal crops , hay , silage and a herd of around 60 suckler cows . It has been a mix of mainly Limousin cows put to a British Blue bull but Robert has been running a Stabiliser bull with his heifers in the past year and is