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!

Farm vehicles are monstrous nowadays -it’s not old farmer Giles trundling along on a rattly tractor - tractors are huge, fast and noisy nowadays, as is other farm machinery.

Idiots.

Actually, even within villages, some people can be comparatively ‘suburban’. We lived on the edge of a village down a short lane from the road, and one night had our childminder’s 17 year old to babysit DS while we were at a gig. Our house was probably 200 yards as the crow flies from hers but when we got home she was terrified, had pulled all the curtains and said she wasn’t used to no streetlights and the owls hooting in the wood behind the house!

(We were transplanted Londoners, but were fine with owls, darkness, combines ant all hours and dawn choruses.)

The countryside is not a theme park.

It is a living, working landscape ruled by the seasons and the weather, which is sometimes quiet, sometimes filled with the sounds of machinery and sometimes stinks to the high heaven if muckspreading is going on.

If you want a nature theme park experience, go to those Centre Parks places.

They weren’t negatively commenting.

I'm grateful for farms and farmers. Their noise means they are building the country with their labour, their time, their effort and providing food.

I would support the farmers and possibly clap for them from my tent if I thought they could see/hear me.

We live in a silly society.

Hot, sunny weather in Aug means every farmer will be harvesting ASAP

And muck spreading after the harvest! That may be the bigger test!

As a PP said, today is the 12th so that's a whole other noise to contend with 🤣

We stayed on a campsite on the Yorkshire coast when they happened to be muck spreading. All day lorry loads of muck driving along the road a short distance from one part of the farm to another. We weren't bothered, the name of the campsite had Farm in it so it was hardly a surprise farm work was going on.

Ah ok - as this is a thread about people acting negatively towards farm noise whilst on holiday I assumed yours was the same.

@HumanRightsAreHumanRights There was a whole thread recently on a Center Parcs Facebook page of people complaining about the muck spreading on nearby fields at the Whinfell site. They were saying people should complain to Guest Services so that they’d speak to the farmer, it was hilarious 😂

Hm, obviously they can't stop the noise, but I feel they should have mentioned this on the website - most sites on working farms do this, point out very clearly when booking 'this is a working farm, expect noise and smells'.

https://metro.co.uk/video/man-blocks-combine-harvester-got-dust-sandwiches-2751689/?ito=vjs-link

Is this you OP? !!

But virtually all land in rural areas is farmland. Usually the kind of rider you describe means proximity to farm buildings, milking sheds, slurry puts etc etc, but if your campsite is rural, it will more than likely be adjacent to farmland unless it’s in a village. If it’s surrounded by arable fields, sooner or later those will be harvested, ploughed, muckspread etc.

Oh no 😂

What are people’s definition of a working farm? If you holiday on Dartmoor does that whole area need to be described as working farm as there are animals grazing on it? Adjacent to a working farm means near the main hub of the farm, cow sheds, grain silos, where farm machinery is stored. Not fields. For many weeks fields can be left minding their own business with no large machinery on them, then comes planting, harvest time etc. But as explained these cannot be on set days.

Not advertise it as tranquil and put a note in about possible noise?

Surely it's common sense that fields will actually not be left and ignored for years and that they will be planted, harvested, etc! Do we really need to dumb things down so much? But then again, we do apparently need warnings on tea/coffee takeaways that contents may be hot!!

The OP was camping on a working farm but with animals not arable, did that campsite need to advise customers there may be sounds of mooing?

Whilst that was nearly a prime example of Darwinism in action, the poor farmer would have lost their whole life if they'd hit that absolute prat.

I hope that man sees himself on that footage and finally understands what a prize prick he is.

Sorry, but we're busy trying to make sure that our animals will be well-fed over winter, and for farmers who grow food on a large scale for people, I'd be very grateful to them!

Also, some of the older tractors don't come with air conditioning and it's incredibly uncomfortable in those ones when you're in a heat wave or muggy weather. Some might have to finish their fieldwork early to do milking later on.

It is a complete myth that the countryside is quiet. It's always full of birdsong, livestock noises and tractors!

disclaimer: I live surrounded by arable farms in the middle of the country. It is incredibly noisy here at the moment. Just in case any country types think they need to school me....

But. If you book an organic farm with no arable, and they advertise it as lovely and tranquil, it is a bit disingenous to then say "oh but right next door are 500 acres that are about to go through the combine harvester. Shrug. Nothing to do with us, not our farm"

That is the point. Not that farming isn't important or should be silent.

And? Most SUV drivers in built up areas could easily fit in a small car but chose to drive huge Range Rovers and the like. Tractors are necessary for modern large farms. They are work horses not vanity vehicles.

I know a lot of farmers, DH is from a farming family that goes back generations. I know an exactly the response you would receive even if you politely made that request.
It is not the farmers responsibility to text Airbnb, campsites etc. to inform them of their proposed activities.
If the campsite is bothered by complaints they just need to put a disclaimer on their website.
The countryside is smelly & noisy with crap roads and infrastructure. It’s very dark at night unless the moon is out. There is often no village pub or shop, closed down years ago due to city commuters invading and never using the village facilities.
If you want a peaceful holiday then UK countryside in August is not especially quiet.