'Glamping props up our traditional hill farm'

The Benson family farm at Great Langdale in the Lake District

A family of hill farmers say uncertainty in the sector made them turn to glamping to prop up their traditional business.

Jonathan Benson was born and raised in Great Langdale in the Lake District, and like his father and grandfather before him, he farms the fells with his flock of 800 sheep.

Dwindling subsidies in the wake of Brexit and changes in the industry meant Mr Benson and wife Nicola decided to invest £250,000 in three glamping pods on their land.

"In this valley, it's probably letting people sleep on your land or feeding them," said Mrs Benson.

"We're definitely making more money from glamping."

The couple's children are drafted in to help run the glamping business alongside the farm - two activities they treat with equal importance.

Mr Benson said: "[Farming] is in your blood, I suppose, it's a hard way of life, but also it's rewarding and every day I do something I enjoy."

Jonathan Benson's family have been sheep farmers for generations

Figures from the National Farmers Union (NFU) show nearly two-thirds of farms in England have looked for alternative sources of income.

The government said it had invested nearly £12bn in this parliament in sustainable farming and food production and it was slashing red tape to help with exports to Europe.

'We need stability'

Mrs Benson said subsidies "helped prop up farms" and uncertainty in the sector made it difficult for traditional businesses to plan ahead.

She said: "It's so hard to try and run a business in this climate at the moment, because with farming you try to be 12-18 months ahead to know where you're going and what you're doing, so I think the glamping has probably given us some stability."

She added: "It's been a brilliant journey and we're really lucky with the customer base we've got, as well."

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it remained committed to supporting sustainable farming.

"Upland farmers have too often been ignored and our reformed sustainable farming incentive offer will reward them for sustainable grazing practices," they said.

The spokesperson said Defra had also appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to recommend reforms to boost farmers' profits.

They added: "We're ensuring farmers get a bigger share of food contracts across our schools, hospitals, and prisons."