Farm machinery noise!

[SameKeyThough]

Currently staying on a gorgeous campsite in Dorset. Only 3 pitches for tents, no caravans/hook ups, and 4 unfurnished bell tents. We've stayed before several years ago. It's a beautiful setting and the owners have an organic farm next door. So there is a lot of (entirely acceptable) sounds of nature - geese, chickens, cows etc. Occasional tractors. It's very much advertised as a haven of peace and tranquility - no music, quiet activity after 8.30pm, no noise after 11. Eco and organic etc etc. Lots of rules about this.
BUT. From 6.30am this morning LOUD farm machinery in neighbouring field. Continuous droning noise for 2 hours now, sort of busy city road level. London bin-men loud. Even with ear plugs it's loud. I accept that camping does not equate to quiet. I've stayed at a few campsites here and in France and not had anything like this. But can I say anything to the owners without sounding like an idiot townie? It's not their field so I know not their responsibility. But they must know and I feel a bit, I don't know, misled? cheated? I'm tired and cross so may be over reacting! I'm thinking I'm more concerned for teen DS and his friend in the other tent who have been completely quiet and respectful and loved chilling out in nature but now have this!!! I don't know if I can face it for 2 more nights.. Talk me down!

It’s harvest time. They are harvesting your food. In the countryside, where is grows. They have to do it when it’s ready and it’s dry. Yes you will sound like a silly townie if you complain.

Is it Lytton Lakes OP

What do you expect the campsite owners to do about it, though? It’s harvest.

I agree with the above.It’s the countryside where food is grown and has to be harvested. It’s not a playground. Maybe in future go to non agricultural areas.

What do you expect them to do? Watch Clarkson’s Farm, that shows you the small window farmers usually have to get the harvest done. They can’t put it on hold whilst you camp

Absolutely not.

This is their business. It's how you get fed. It's how the country gets fed.

If you don't like it, it's ok to go home or find another campsite.

Plenty of times in the year the poor bloody farmers are out there all night trying to rescue the crops.

Go and look at the field and see if they look like they will finish today? I think it's just an accident of timing as some harvests are early this year.

Farmers have a job to do. Don’t go camping in the countryside at harvest for quiet!

They might not have been able to do anything about the noise but I think it’s unreasonable that they didn’t warn you it would be noisy, given they advertised it as quiet. It’s not like every part of the countryside is going to be affected because not every field is crops that are being harvested at this time of year, so there’s no way you could have known, but they did.

I would be surprised if it goes on for a further 2 days/nights, they'll be gone as soon as they can and in to another field.

I mean this,

It doesn't seem likely that you will have to put up with the noise tomorrow and the next day. I think that generally a contractor's vehicle will do whatever they have to do to a field in a few hours and then it is left alone for a while.

(That's not a guarantee, of course, since they may decide to (eg) harvest one day and then plough the next).

I do understand how upset you feel. The absolutely worst thing about camping is the lack of sleep. But I think you just have to put it down to bad luck - that you happened to be there just as the harvesting operations were underway.

I don't think the campsite owners are at fault at all. It is agricultural land, and occasional agricultural noise (out of their control) isn't something that needs to be pointed out.

I think you just need to accept the inevitability of poor sleep and not brood on it. The brooding is as wearing as the actual not-sleeping in my experience.

Oh dear. We have it at 3 in the morning here, so 6.30 is a lie-in! They may well be finished today. There's only so much you can get out of a field.

You could ask the question - 'gosh, that looks like hard work. Will they be at it all day?' kind of thing. That might give you some feeling of control over your next move?

Tbh, I thought it was a given that camping is bloody knackering and sleep is a lottery, but equally, I get that it's disappointing if you dreamed of calm and got combining.

It's all done in a day where I am. 6 30 is a good time to start the day if you're camping and have gone to bed early.Id have put the stove on, had a tea and gone to watch.

But it’s surely not that surprising to a habitual camper that a rural site at this time of year is likely to be in the vicinity of fields with crops being harvested?

You say yourself that it's not the owners field so why would they know what someone else doing?

I get that 06:30 is early but it's not horrific. Why not turn a negative into a positive e.g. go for a walk on what's normally a busy beach and have the place to yourself before the crowds get there.

What do to expect the owners to do about it?

It's the countryside in August, what did you expect (not that obviously)?

At harvest time it is not uncommon (over our way) to hear the combines working all night and the tractors constantly towing huge trailers through the village.
Farmers have a window to get the crops in and have to make the most of it.

If you say anything, yep you’ll look like an idiot townie and more than likely get laughed at.

Sorry. Food comes before leisure.

You are lucky its not all night with floodlights.

It's not the campsite owners, it's the neighbouring farm. Should the farm have warned the campsite so the campsite could warn the campers?
No. People must expect that other people have to work while they are on holiday. You could be in the quietest place on the planet and then there's an ambulance siren at 3 in the morning, or something. It's tough but we share this planet and the only people who can buy real quiet are billionaires.

It's harvest, the crops have to come in. They'll work as many hours as it takes because it's weather and time sensitive. My brother used to manage a farm, blooming hard work all year and relentless at this time of year. Could you go somewhere quieter and have a nap this afternoon? As others have said they'll move on as soon as this field is done.

@yonem but the camp site owners won’t know what day harvest will be. It’s not the same day every year, depends on the weather and not just today’s weather but the weather throughout growing season

Oh dear. We have it at 3 in the morning here, so 6.30 is a lie-in!

Yep, they go all night here when they have a window of opportunity. 6.30 is fairly civilized! It's generally only 1 night where they're close enough for the noise to be really intrusive.

They could not rent out their pitches during that short window, though?