The History of Hollows Farm

There are records of residents of Hollows going back as far as 1614. Originally Hollows was not a farm, but a house that is thought to have been an inn/free house. Transport yourself back in time by 300 years, and the path through the farmyard was originally the main road through Borrowdale, passers by may have stayed here and been provided with food and drink for the evening. Hollows was a much smaller building to start with; between the 16th to early 18th century there were several extensions to make this house much larger and build the stone barns attached around it.

Hollows Farm has been a tenanted farm since the 19th century. More fields were bought around the house over time, making it into a small holding and then a working hill farm. For many years, the farm was a mix of fell sheep and dairy farming, with the white barn at the bottom of the yard being used to milk cows. More recently, the farm is mainly producing fell sheep, with a small herd of native beef cattle used for conservation grazing.

From 1932, Hollows Farm became one of the first YHA hostels in the area, providing hostel accommodation for 15 women and 15 men. In the first summer as a YHA, just short of 900 people stayed here. There were a range of postcards of the farm produced within the 1930’s, showing the farm and its interiors. The National Trust bought the farm in 1941, and have kept it tenanted ever since.

The farm stopped offering hostel accommodation in 1973, however over the last few decades it has offered bed and breakfast services, until the most recent tenant changeover in November 2024.  Currently the farm is let out to Matthew and Ruby a long term tenancy, on the condition that the tradition of hill farming continues to preserve the heritage of the area. There is a summertime campsite at Hollows, as well as woodland glamping pods and a self catering holiday cottage.