Who doesn’t know the farmer… FarmCamps De Bosrand

This is Martijn, Naduah, and Dayo. Martijn is from Groningen, Naduah from Friesland, and Dayo was born in Drenthe. Martijn and Naduah run horse farm De Bosrand in Ellertshaar, Drenthe. But there are many more animals on the farm!

How did you meet?
We met at Naduah’s old job. Martijn was there as a guest at a meeting. We started talking, and it was immediately great!

How many animals do you have on the farm?
We have the following animals on our farm:
31 ponies
4 donkeys
7 alpacas
3 deer
6 Chinese runners
4 chickens and 1 rooster
3 goats
2 pigs
4 cats
And 2 retired dairy cows

Why did you become farmers?
We love living in nature with all these beautiful animals around us. This place gives us a great feeling, and we want to share it with all our guests. That’s why we chose this place.

What does a typical workday look like?
In the morning, Naduah feeds the animals and cleans all the stalls so that the animals have a clean place to stay in the evening. Often something needs attention in the animal care, and Naduah takes care of that at the end of the morning. With so many animals, there’s always something to watch out for. In the afternoon, Naduah prepares for the new season or takes care of Dayo when he’s not at daycare. Martijn spends most of his day fixing up the campsite. Sometimes something breaks or a space needs renovation, and we have plenty of time for that in the winter.

What do you enjoy most about your job and what do you like least?
We love working with the animals the most. We also enjoy welcoming all the guests. It’s wonderful to experience this beautiful place, and we want to share it with others.

Sometimes an animal gets sick, and you don’t know exactly what’s wrong. This can be challenging because you want to do your best. The least enjoyable task? Clogged toilets! (Haha, you can probably guess why...)

Why did you want to become a FarmCamper?
When we took over the farm and campsite, these lovely glamping tents from FarmCamps were already set up on the property. We immediately thought it was a great concept, and we couldn’t wait to start and welcome guests. It’s fantastic to be able to offer everyone an experience in nature and with animals. That idea gave us a lot of energy.

What is the best thing you’ve experienced with FarmCamps guests?
Together with the guests, we witnessed the first foal births at De Bosrand. It was beautiful to see everyone helping to prepare the stable and how everyone enjoyed the youngest foals of Bosrand.

The funniest part is that many dads secretly love driving the go-karts and have the kids chase after them!

Martijn and Naduah’s Favorites

Favorite holiday
Enjoying the sun with the family in a cozy place! Feet up and relax.
Favorite hobbies
Martijn loves everything related to John Deere (a tractor brand) and enjoys working on that. Naduah loves working with animals and taking care of them. She also enjoys reading a book. Together with Dayo, we love going to the forest or visiting friends.
Favorite food
Martijn’s favorite food is kale mash (stamppot boerenkool), and Naduah’s favorite food is lasagna. Dayo loves bell peppers.
Favorite animal
All farm animals! We can’t choose... ☺

Our FarmCamps farms are located all over the Netherlands. Curious? Visit our handy farms page to find them all.