16/09/2026
HELLO FROM SUMMERFIELD FARM 👋
If you’re new here, welcome. Pop the kettle on, because we thought it was about time we updated our welcome post about who we are and how our family ended up here.
We’re Ben and Kara, parents to Hamish and Angus, and owners of two rather lively labradors, Guinness and Whisky. Together, we live and work at Summerfield Farm, running our five accessible and dog friendly holiday properties just outside Whitby.
Although this part of the story began for us in 2021, Summerfield has been part of Ben’s life for much longer.
This was his childhood home, back when Summerfield was still a working arable farm. His dad, Richard, later converted the old stables and barns into holiday cottages, and it was Ben who first suggested they could be made more accessible and welcoming to guests with access needs
Many years later, Richard was ready to step back and Summerfield needed somebody to take it forward. So, in 2021, we invested everything we had, packed up our lives and moved here with Hamish. Angus arrived just two weeks later.
A toddler , a newborn, land to look after, several cottages and a business that needed an enormous amount of work pre and post Covid- We certainly didn’t choose the easy option!
When we arrived, the cottages offered a basic level of access, but along with a lot up updating and maintenance needed, we knew they could become so much more. Between us, we had years of experience in disability, SEND, care, social work and outdoor education. We understood that accessibility is about much more than ramps, wide doors and grab rails.
We wanted Summerfield to be somewhere families with more complex needs could genuinely come on holiday. Over time, we’ve added profiling beds, ceiling track and mobile hoists, better equipped wetrooms, specialist shower chairs and trolleys, and comfortable rise and recline seating- as well consideration to layouts, tables and chairs, parking and grounds and types of terrain underfoot for our wheelchair using guests.
Just as importantly, we wanted guests to be able to ask us honest questions and receive honest answers from people who understand why the small details can matter so much.
The cottages themselves needed a huge amount of time, work and investment. Since arriving, we’ve replaced three roofs, updated furniture, flooring, heating and equipment, created new accessible parking and decking, refurbished our cleaning and linen room and spent more hours than we could count painting, repairing and improving.
Then came Freedom Lodge. It had been an idea for such a long time and became our biggest project yet. Seeing it finally open and welcoming families who need a higher level of accessibility has been incredibly special.
There have been plenty of moments when we’ve looked around and wondered what on earth we had taken on. Then a family arrives who has struggled to find a suitable holiday elsewhere, or a returning guest tells us they feel at home here, and we remember exactly why we’re doing it.
Summerfield is our business, but it is also our home, part of our family’s history and the future we are building for our boys.
Life doesn’t stop at the farm gates either. Being part of our local community means a great deal to both of us.
Ben is chairman of Fylingdales Cricket Club, where he’s working hard to bring more children and families into the sport. He also coaches local rugby and is one of the founders of Esk Valley Active Travel. The charity helps people get out and explore our local area, with accessible bikes available for the public to use too.
Kara runs the day to day side of Summerfield, coaches technical climbing and is Deputy Station Officer with Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team. If you’re staying with us and see her suddenly dash off at a strange hour, there’s a good chance the pager has gone and she’s heading to a callout. All of that is fitted around being Mum, school runs, family life and trying to keep up with two boys and two dogs!
It’s busy, often slightly chaotic and very rarely glamorous, but that’s us. We don’t want Summerfield to feel like a faceless holiday business. It’s our family doing our best to create the sort of place we believe other families deserve.
Today, we have Albany, Scoresby, Cholmley, Abbey View Caravan and Freedom Lodge. Each one is different, but they are all accessible, dog friendly and surrounded by the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, around five minutes from Whitby. We have walks from the door, views towards Whitby Abbey and the sea, and plenty of space to breathe.
If you’re wondering whether one of our properties might work for your family, please ask. We know how much trust goes into booking an accessible holiday and we’ll always be open about what we can and can’t offer.
You can explore the properties, request the virtual tours, check availability and book directly at:
https://www.summerfieldfarm.co.uk/contact
To everyone who has stayed, returned, recommended us, cheered us on or followed the mayhem over the last five years, thank you. You’ve been part of this story too.
And if you’ve only just found us, welcome to Summerfield. We’re so glad you’re here and we hope we might get to welcome you properly one day.
Kara, Ben, Hamish, Angus, Guinness and Whisky x
