How Highland cows are giving a family farm a boost

More than 50 farm animals reside at Frankly Farm Tours on the Willey Estate in Shropshire.

But there's one species that is bringing visitors in droves, one more commonly seen in Scotland.

Four Highland cows have been at the site near Broseley since February and visitor numbers at the farm have already surpassed that of the entire of 2025.

"I think people have got a passion for Highland Cows just because they're everywhere," said Natalie Franklin-Hackett, one of the owners.

"I don't think there's a shop that you can walk into where you don't see something that's got a Highland cow printed on it.

"There's places that have got them but not necessarily on public view for you to be able to interact with them or get hands on like we do - and certainly not in this local area either."

Highland cows are known for their shaggy fringes, oversized horns and teddy‑bear demeanour.

According to the Highland Cattle Society, they are generally docile animals and can be found roaming free in many parts of the country, or living on farms.

Franklin-Hackett and her husband, John, started the farm about four years ago.

Originally from Warwickshire, the pair took the leap to open an alpaca farm after the coronavirus pandemic, realising they wanted a change in career.

Building up their offerings of animal experiences, the pair bought two cows in September.

In February, they started offering visitors the chance to meet, cuddle and brush the cows - something that was snapped up right from the start.

"It just kind of snowballed from there... we didn't actually have enough capacity with the two cows that we'd got, to be able to get everybody in, in a timely manner," she said.

"So we had to go and buy two more."

Visitors are led to a fenced off area of the farm where the cows live.

It is low enough for the animals to put their heads over and guests can feed them, hug them, and brush their hair.

"People are overwhelmed majority of the time, in terms of the sight that they see when the cows are there, because they've only ever seen them in pictures," said Franklin-Hackett.

"They're surprised by the size of them, they're surprised how docile they are, how loving they are and how interactive they are."

Some have travelled hours for the experience, purely because they are so passionate about the animals.

"We've gone from having two sessions a day to four sessions a day, spread out," said Franklin-Hackett.

"They are literally fully booked every time we run them."

This success has meant money brought into the farm has been reinvested to improve the site.

"We've been able to put a gift shop on site at our farm entrance. We're also just developing a playground as well," she said.

Last year, the site saw around 4,500 visitors.

This year, about 6,000 people have already passed through the gates and the couple are hoping to pass 10,000 visitors.

Thanks to the boost in income, the pair have plans for the future - investing in toilet blocks, developing pathways and its café.

"We want to develop the facilities so it makes it a place where more visitors want to come and spend more time there."

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