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!

Don't go to the countryside if you don't want countryside noises/smells.

They could be spreading slurry on the next field I'd imagine you wouldn't like that either.

The countryside isn't there to provide your personal summer retreat.

They wouldn't know until the day that that was the right day. Its to do with air temperature, moisture etc.

Which is why they work through the night as well, as sometimes its a very short window.

But they don’t know when that short window will be. It will vary annually with crop rotation, crop type weather etc. And different fields will be harvested at different times. The campsite owners don’t have a crystal ball. This year has been so dry here that everything is early.

The time a harvest comes in can vary depending on weather as discussed already. No way of knowing which week this may happen.

With the size of machinery these days, they will be out that field and into another one before too long. Just a part of country life.

Lol. If you know when that window is, be sure to tell farmers. I’m sure they’d love to be able to plan accordingly.

So it would be more appropriate to cancel the holidays of multiple people at the last minute?

My kids came home from London this weekend, all ready to breathe in the fresh country air. Except it's fertiliser time, and the fields have been liberally sprinkled with eau-de-shit which wafts gently through the open windows.

So I do sympathise. The teens make all that effort to get off TikTok and commune with the countryside (look! they are engaging! See how they frolic!) and the countryside sticks two fingers up in return. Rude.

😂Fair enough! That's why I asked! I shall be super tolerant of hard working farmers!

I agree with this, the countryside is also workplace usually early /late not 9-5 and visitors should respect that,

No you can't say anything, 6.30 isn't that early when you are camping, it's not the sort of holiday for lie-ins. It is just part and parcel of camping in farming areas (we've had it at night with floodlights).

Farmers can't actually predict long enough in advance when the crop is going to be ready to arrange to shut the campsite for that weekend? 🤷🏼‍♀️

have you not watched clarksons farm (fascinating BTW)
are you not interested in how/where your food comes from (you should be)
do you not realise that this extended drought period we've had has made 2025 one of the worst harvests for years in terms of crop yields? (Those shortages are going to have a further impact on already rising food prices).

Surely you know it's harvest time? Or are you a townie? Make hay whilst the sun shines! The harvest takes priority in any agricultural area. Combines and night time work on the fields near where we are too. There'll be done in a day or two. Earplugs all the way!

I’ve deleted my first post because I would probably have been banned. People have completely lost touch with agriculture and food production.

Imagine having a tiny window to make your entire year’s income. It is completely dependent on the weather, the government seems to despise you. Then idiots like you complain about you making a noise. Do you think he wants to be up at 6:30am? He’s probably working 16 hours a day at the moment, 7 days a week. I know my husband is.

Don’t worry. There’ll probably be a housing estate on that field in 10 years because he had to sell up. Hopefully that’ll be less noisy for you.

See my earlier reply! I will fully appreciate hardworking farmers from now on. . No, I don't have a huge interest in farming, I spent quite a lot of my childhood on a family farm, not arable though. I do appreciate where my food is from, hence being vegetarian and eating organic and growing my own vegetables in my tiny London garden. I will make sure i am fully aware of agricultural aspects of future holidays!!!!

In answer to your question - no, you cannot say anything without sounding like an idiot townie.

You are on a campsite in an agricultural area at harvest time. Probably one of the busiest and most stressful times of year for farmers. If it's being harvested by a contractor, then they come when they come, around the weather.They are extremely busy. They will be finished soon enough. If it's the farmer who owns it, then he will be finished soon enough too.

So, respectfully, get a grip and realise that the countryside is a working environment and not just there for you to "chill out". You have not been misled or cheated. If anything you are actually seeing what the countryside really is.

You ARE an idiot townie.
You're in the countryside at harvest time.

I live next to and surrounded by fields.

They have to get the crops in at the right moisture level and that involves big noisy machinery and big tractors with trailers full of grain going back and forth.
It will pass, please don’t complain.

Maybe as you are leaving comment that the harvest was early this year, but there is f*ck all the campsite can do about it. Its pretty obvious that if there are crops growing they have to be harvested.

We once spent a week in a very isolated cottage where there were a field of dairy cows that had just been separated from their calves, that was noisy (and quite sad).

Also, the countryside is hardly EVER quiet actually. From birds, bloody rooks and pigeons, deer, other animals, mowers, hedge trimmers, tractors and combines, church bells, steam engines, wind. It’s a complete racket. Please don’t come here.

The small harvest window is weather dependent.
IIRC from Clarksons Farm they even sometimes delay a day or so to get the wheat / barley (?) a tad dryer. It's all in the hands of the weather and nature Gods.

What are they doing? It will be noisy as long as it takes to harvest the grain over whole field or cut the silage grass over whole field. They have headlights on their equipment and work into the night round here. It’s weather dependent and they need to get it all in Before it rains.

Lol. Be glad you've not encountered contract harvesters as they'll be out until 2am gathering the harvest!

I agree that it sounds like the advertising didn't tell the whole story. I experienced similar when the "dog friendly exercise field" turned out to be next to a field of sheep and the only separation was three strands of barbed wire. I think it might be problematic to complain but a comment that "silly you, you weren't expecting noise from the harvesting" might be in order?
I don't think anyone is saying that the bad wicked farmers shouldn't make noise while growing our food (I live rurally although not a farmer) but people shouldn't be advertising a peaceful setting when it isn't!

but surely the campsite owner shouldn't misrepresent?

Nowt you can say.
We stayed at a place where there was some kind of automatic bird scarer that sounded like gun fire that went off every 4 and a half minutes dawn to dusk.
Thems the breaks!

Hilarious. You can't guarantee year in year the exact time you'll harvest.
It depends on if the crops are ready then the weather. They need to dry out so a few dry days when the crops are ready is perfect.
If they're cutting for hay they need dry time after the cut to turn it then bale it.