Over Farm, a cherished farm shop and adventure park near Gloucester, is encouraging visitors to continue coming this summer despite facing frustrating challenges beyond its control.
Managed by the same family for nearly a century, Over Farm has evolved into a popular destination. Since opening its farm shop in the early 1980s, introducing “pick your own” fields in the late 1980s, and launching the Countryside Adventure Park in 2018, it has become a hub for families and local visitors alike.
The site also features Over Barn, a wedding venue refurbished in 2021, which hosts weddings, parties, and festive Christmas Ceilidhs annually.
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CEO Rees Keene estimates that trade has declined by approximately 50% this summer compared to the same period last year, attributing the drop primarily to two significant issues.
One major concern is an illegal waste site located just 300 metres behind Over Farm. This site has expanded over several years and has been the focus of numerous responses from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service due to frequent fires. Rees describes the situation as “pretty much constant” over the past year.
Sky News recently investigated this and other large waste sites in the UK. Over Farm emphasises that the waste site is not connected to or accessible via its land.
Despite this separation, some customers have complained to Over Farm staff about the site. Rees, who has served as CEO for the past decade, shared:
“It is a frustration for us, which is a weak way of putting it. It’s a bit of a nightmare, really. We would like it not to be there as much as anyone else.
But it is something that is not under our control. The tip is not on our land, the access to it is not via our land. Lots of people are aware of it, lots of officials are dealing with it.
It has been a huge concern for many years, and there are many different ways in which it has impacted both us and our customers.
The waste site was initially a licensed tip in the 1960s, then became illegal in the 1990s. Since 2018, it has continued to grow, with an increasing number of lorries every day.
A public access lane runs near our land to the site, with 30 to 40 lorries passing daily, which is very unpleasant.
We’ve had customers come into the farm shop complaining about their behaviour and some inappropriate things said to them.”
Rees also addressed the issue of unpleasant odours from the site: “It doesn’t smell on its own, only when it is on fire. Unfortunately, these fires have been quite frequent - on average once every ten days over the last year. Sometimes the fire brigade is called out multiple times in a short period, then there might be a lull before it starts again.”
In addition to the waste site problems, significant traffic disruptions on the A40 are impacting visitors. National Highways is undertaking essential maintenance works on the A40 Bridge, a route used by up to 5,000 vehicles per hour during peak times.
Until March 2027, the slip road connecting the A417 Over Causeway to the A40 westbound remains closed 24/7. This closure, situated just half a mile from Over Farm, is causing longer and more complicated journeys for those driving to the farm. Some customers have described the situation as “too much hassle”.
In response, Over Farm recently posted a video plea on its Facebook page, asking for visitor suggestions on how to improve access - from adjusting opening hours to potentially establishing a satellite shop.
Additionally, the Over Farm website features a live traffic camera feed that updates approximately every two minutes, displaying eastbound and westbound traffic alongside live journey times.
Despite these challenges, Rees urges visitors: “Please do try and brave the traffic to get to us. We have a summer full of events for families, including our pick your own strawberries and foam parties every day during the summer holidays.”