HF Holidays promotes century-old cooperative tourism model in Exmoor
The cooperative’s £909 per person full-board walking packages demonstrate the enduring market viability of communal heritage tourism in the UK.
HF Holidays is currently filling its four-night Exmoor Family Walking Adventures, priced at £909 per person. This demonstrates the continued market viability of the century-old cooperative’s communal tourism model.
Heritage and High Occupancy
Founded in 1913 by Lancashire pastor Thomas Arthur Leonard as the Holiday Fellowship, the company was established to give working people access to countryside walking holidays. More than a century later, that core operational structure remains largely unchanged.
The business leverages historic real estate to anchor its hospitality offerings. Its Holnicote House property near Selworthy, acquired by the cooperative in 1952, features 32 rooms, including 14 singles, and sleeps up to 50 guests.
This high-occupancy, full-board approach is central to the operator's economics. The £909 per person rate covers daily guided walks and nightly three-course dinners. To drive multigenerational bookings, up to three children under 11 stay for free with a paying adult.
Future Revenue and Retention
To secure future revenue streams, the company is actively promoting advance bookings. It offers discounts of up to £172 per person for stays in Easter, August, and October 2027.
The cooperative’s retention strategy relies heavily on repeat custom and structured communal engagement. Guests participate in organized activities, fostering a shared sense of having collectively "agreed to leave behind modern life for a few days."
The daily itineraries are carefully structured to maximize accessibility. Walks are graded in difficulty from level one, covering about 3 miles, to level four, which involves about 10 miles and the steepest ascents.
The properties also carry public historical significance that adds intangible brand value. During the Second World War, Holnicote House operated as Britain’s first mixed-race orphanage for children born to Black American GIs and white British mothers.
By maintaining this specific blend of structured outdoor activity and historical preservation, the brand remains distinctive. Its cooperative ownership structure sustains a resilient niche within the broader UK hospitality market.
