When Julia (my English friend and host when visiting the UK) and I discussed what we should do with our time in the Cotswolds, we frequently kicked around the possibility of visiting Jeremy Clarkson’s concerns – The Farmer’s Dog Pub and Diddly Squat Farm Shop. Both of us are fans of the show, and we were going to be right in that neck of the woods. Our only hesitation was the tourist attraction factor. Neither of us wanted to wait in lines and mingle in crowds, but we kept it as an option.
(Before I get further into our visit, let me add a disclaimer. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Jeremy on his journey into farming, documented on Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime. There are some beautiful moments on the show that celebrate hard work, productivity, and the miracle of nature, champion the plight of the family farm, and explore other heartwarming themes. Everyone on the show seems to put their whole heart into their work, which is a pleasure to watch. All of that good and wonderful stuff is mixed with excessive cursing and sometimes crass humor that earns the show a TV MA rating. I just want to mention that, because the show isn’t for everyone, and while I really love the show and the people involved, there are moments when I put my head in my hands and wish they would rise above the lowest common denominator humor and keep their speech a bit more family-friendly.)
Well, fresh off the plane, as we were driving to visit a village or two before checking into our Airbnb, Julia pulled into a parking lot. “This is the Farmer’s Dog.” Ah yes! In my jetlagged state, I recognized it even before I spotted the signage. The thing is, everything was closed on that particular day, but the parking lot happened to be open for deliveries and workers, so we were able to park for a few minutes, get out, and walk around a little bit without the usual crowds.
The view from the picnic area is truly stunning. I stood there for several minutes, just taking it in.
After walking around and snapping a few pictures, there wasn’t much else to do, so we walked back to the car to continue with our day. As I opened the car door, I saw a familiar face walk by. Julia and I both spotted him. There is Alan, Jeremy’s general contractor!
Julia encouraged me, “You should go say hello.”
“Oh no. I don’t want to be that person. He’s working, and I don’t want to bother him.” I sat in the car and felt conflicted. I’ve always felt very awkward about the celebrity/fan dynamic, so I usually shrink back or just offer a brief hello or handshake. I hesitated, though. I flew across the ocean, and I should take a minute to say hello. Stop being silly about it.
So, I hopped back out of the car and raced over as Alan was getting in his work van to drive away. I tentatively waved at him, and he stopped. I told him I was a fan of the show and just wanted to say a quick hello. He put his van in park, got out, and leaned on the hood like he had nothing else to do. He asked where I was from, and we had a delightful conversation. He was so gracious and genuine. We took a quick selfie (with my cracked camera lens), and each went on our way.
A few days later, we were driving by the pub and shop when it was open, so we decided to stop in to buy a souvenir.
I am going to say this with every bit of admiration for all the people involved in the farm, pub, and shop, but everything was just as you would imagine if you watch the show. The parking was a challenge, the women’s loo was not operational, the milk machine had an “out of order” sign on it, and the shop employees at the pub decided they were going to close an hour early because things were slow (meaning people who perhaps drove to visit the shop at the end of the day during business hours listed on their website, would find it closed.)
I had to laugh about it all because, in a way, it’s what I expected from watching the show. It seems to me that Clarkson’s Farm is a victim of its own success, and they are rolling with the punches as best as they can. (Now that season five has started airing, I received even more insight into their struggles with success, constantly putting out fires, and striving to make improvements.) They are supremely popular and just can’t keep up with all of the fans who want to support and experience a bit of the show in person. Just from watching the opening of the original farm shop in season one and the pub in season four, you can see all of the problems and headaches that popularity has caused, from traffic jams in quiet villages to not having enough (or functional) bathroom accommodations for the crowds.
I share all of this because it is how our experience unfolded and because, on a smaller scale, I can sympathize. There have been some pretty stressful moments at the Lucketts Spring Market when both the venue and our tent weren’t fully prepared for the crowds that descended, and there were issues with parking, long lines, selling the same piece to two different people at the same time, and weather wreaking havoc… Running a business is stressful and messy, and perfection is impossible. What endears me to the Clarkson’s Farm team is that they are willing to try new ideas and struggle through them, while genuinely caring about what they are doing. Any inconveniences we experienced were completely forgivable in that light, and I found myself rooting even more for their continued success.
Before they closed, I was able to get a t-shirt to take home for Jeff and browse around the shop.
I also got to pop into the pub and see the famous chromed tractor hanging from the ceiling. It really is cool! They were fully booked, so we couldn’t get a reservation to eat there, but we ate at other wonderful British pubs while we were in the Cotswolds.
As I was walking back to meet up with Julia and my mom, a young man walked along beside me. I could see he was bubbling over with excitement. He started chatting with me about being a fan of the show, how cool it was to see the pub and shop in person, and how amazing it would be to meet someone from the show… He talked my ear off, and it was further evidence of the show’s charm and appeal.
Despite some of the issues, I could see all the progress they had made and the hard work they had put in since the end of season four. They were planting herb gardens and hedges and continuing to make improvements to beautify the spaces and address the issues that came along with success.
We stopped by the Diddly Squat Farm shop at the end of another day of touring just to snap a quick photo. It was late in the day, so the shop was closed, but I enjoyed seeing the original shop and the surrounding farmland. They had also planted hedges and made improvements at that location.
I shared this shot on my Instagram stories, and the Clarkson’s Farm Instagram account reshared it. Basically, I take that to mean I’m best friends with Jeremy and the gang now.
If you’re an average tourist heading to the Cotswolds, there are other places we visited and experienced that I would recommend over visiting the Diddly Squat Farm Shop or The Farmer’s Dog Pub. The reason you want to visit one or both of those places is if you’re a fan of the show and want to support them and see those locations in person. Even though it wasn’t a must-see on our list, I’m so glad we stopped by.
You can read more about my trip to England in these posts..
Arrival & Burford | “gateway to the Cotswolds”
Cirencester, Seasalt Cornwall, and Bourton-on-the-Water
The Thatched Cottage in Chipping Campden
Hidcote Manor | National Trust Home & Garden
Plein Air Painting at Hidcote Manor
Daylesford, holding history, and dinner at the Village Pub in Barnsley
Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire
25 Responses
My husband and I were in the Cotswolds for a week in May of this year. Visited both locations to get a tshirt for our son-in-law who is a fan of the show. We didn’t know anything about the show until we returned home and started watching Clarkson’s Farm. Now I am ‘hooked’ and want a t-shirt too. lol. The show is not only hilarious, but educational. I’ve learned a few interesting things about farming. What a lot of work!
Yes, it is hilarious. They really stumbled upon a bit of magic with the first season.
We were in the Cotswolds at the same time as you last fall. We also stopped at the Farmer’s Dog and ate hamburgers in the picnic area. We are fans of the show, as well, but have the same feelings about the language.
Yeah, I wish they would bleep it out and/or clean it up a bit. I do think it’s a bit of a cultural thing. As I understand it, the f-word isn’t as offensive in the UK as it is in the US.
Fuck sake, you know why the Puritans left england? Deal with it, cunt.
lol😂
The “C” word is TOTALLY UNNECESSARY!!!
You might think your language and attitude is acceptable but it isn’t. You should be ashamed.
Oh stars! We LOVE Clarkson’s Farm. Can’t wait to see season 5. What a fun stop it would be on a trip to the Cotswolds. Well done, you!
Yep, it was a fun stop. As we’re watching the show, I’m pointing things out to Jeff. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this! My husband and I LOVE Clarkson’s Farm and hope to someday visit.
I’m glad I got to see it all in person!
Tonight I am watching for the very first time Clarkson’s Farm. I’m starting at the beginning with series1 and I’m loving it! Thank you!
I feel like season one was the best. They hit on something magical, and it is so fun to watch the dynamic between Jeremy and Kaleb.
As I read this , I’m also watching season five of Clarkson’s Farm. Ironically, my favorite person is Charlie Ireland. The expressions on his face are priceless.
Oh my dosh, I know. He was sort of an adversary in season one, but he’s shown he is an ally who wants to make sure things are done properly to achieve the best results. They really found the perfect “cast” of characters.
Oh what a thrill.
Jeremy Clarkson is not a Farmer. He is a millionaire and highly disliked by many in England. He purchased agricultural land as a tax evasion measure, along with others including Nigel Farage. This is because until recently the value of agricultural land in a person’s estate was not included in Inheritance Tax calculations, hence millionaires buying it up to evade taxation. More recently rules have changed to now include its value in assessing Inheritance Tax, albeit at a much lower rate than us ordinary people have to pay. JEREMY CKARKSON is a Tax evaded and does not deserve the type of hero worship given by tourists. He led a huge march protest over the regularisation of tax to include the value of agricultural land.
Yeah, I know he is a controversial figure, but I think I have a different perspective. I’m not sure if you’ve watched the show, but he often states that he does not rely on farming as a livelihood, but wants to advocate and raise awareness for people who do. He certainly doesn’t do it perfectly, though. While I’m sure some of what is done is for the cameras, he does seem to get a lot of enjoyment out of farming, the animals, the harvest, and working in the farming community.
Were you by chance on the West Oxfordshire District Council? Heaven forbid a local farm shop be a success benefiting a whole community of farmers, new rules and awareness put in place so farming can include more than the large industrial farms.
No-one cares if there are loopholes and he is smart enough to use them. I doubt he would have covered the losses made anyway. I love the program and sharing the beautiful countryside of the UK. He appears to be an incredibly genuine person with a love for the animals. We cried for Lisa when the little piglets died and saw how much heartbreak was suffered. I read last year the other farmers were very jealous of his success which is really silly. He has positively promoted the UK, farming communities and is a model of work hard to achieve which is rare these days. Love him.
I grew up on a farm and worked with my dad following college for many years here in Tennessee and I LOVE watching Clarkson’s Farm. I also appreciate Jeremy Clarkson and what he has done for British farming – and, for that matter, all farmers. He has never pretended to be a farmer or farm for a living and has always maintained that he was wealthy and his farm was a tax tool. That being said, he does a really good job of depicting the plight of many farmers – the effects of drought, flooding, the gamble one takes with animals and how just keeping them alive can be a struggle, those sorts of things. Dad retired and I went to work as an educator because we were not earning a living wage farming. I still live on a small farm but it is truly a hobby farm. Over the years, we have also seen folks like him who are ignorant about farming come in and try to farm and not have great success at first and we shake our heads and chuckle. While, the language used is not a barrier for me, it would have been when I had a young family, but the most important thing is that he is willing to help lift his fellow neighbors up and is genuinely interested in agriculture and how to improve it in his own way. After all, isn’t that what we all should be doing? Lifting others up! I’m glad you had the opportunity to visit his digs and see things for yourself. I also wish more of the wealthy folks here in the U.S. would take opportunities to lift farmers up and try to improve their livelihood. Farmers are truly a dying breed and are uber important for the rest of us.
So well said, agree wholeheartedly. Thank you.
You are just a daft cunt. Just sell feet pic on of like the other whores
I love Clarksons Farm. Learned so much about farming issues – drought, rain, crop failures and then of course Diddy Squat Shop and The Farmers Dog. I so enjoy the repartee between Jeremy and Charlie and Kaleb. Love the interactions with all the animals. Could do with less of the coursing, but not a problem for me. I do not care how or why Jeremy bought his farm. I just enjoy watching him deal with his farming equipment. Charlie is a real gem. Kaleb is amazing for one so young. I hope the show lasts many more seasons. Sadly, I cannot get across the pond to visit.