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Canterbury Farm, ‘a treasure to the Berkshires,’ closes after 40 years
"It was a lot of fun," said Linda Bacon about running the Berkshires business for four decades.
It’s the end of an era for Canterbury Farm, a bed & breakfast and nordic center in the southeastern corner of Berkshire County.
After 40 years of hosting cross-country skiers and lodgers in the small town of Becket, Linda and Dave Bacon, both 72, announced their retirement on Facebook on Oct. 10, writing, “Thank you to all our patrons, staff, family and friends who have made 40 years a joy!”
The response by the community was immediate and heartfelt.
“Canterbury Farm was a treasure to the Berkshires!” wrote Cindy Kaplan.
“Thank you for making Canterbury Farm the special place that it is,” wrote Suzanne Bronski.
“Thank you for all you did to add joy to our lives,” wrote LD Mitchell.
“You folks are the best and I’m going to miss the trails and fellowship,” wrote Bill Pierce.
“It was so nice getting all those positive comments from people,” said Linda. “It’s touching my heart.”
The Bacons had a motto that served them well over the years.
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“My husband Dave, one thing he would say is, ‘One customer at a time.’ And it’s true. You just make them feel good one at a time,” Linda said.
Their historic home on the 200-acre property, a former sheep farm, was built in 1780 and Linda’s parents bought it in 1942 and used it as a summer home. Linda, from Wilton, Conn., inherited the property and she and Dave married there in 1985, moved in, and launched their business the same year.
“We put together a business plan and started the B&B lodging, which was beginning to take off in the United States,” Linda said. “We started cutting trails. The trails were cut by my husband and some of his friends. We renovated one of the bedrooms, cut a new trail. It was a process.”
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All the while, they were starting a family: their sons were born in 1986 and 1987.
“We had a lot of energy back then,” said Linda with a laugh. “I don’t know how we did it.”
The couple ultimately created 22 kilometers of groomed trails where guests could cross-country ski alongside beaver ponds, stone walls, lakes, fields, and mountains. During the summer, visitors could hike, bike, swim (in the property’s pond), and enjoy landscaped gardens. Community events and weddings were also welcomed.
The Bacons shared their kitchen and dining room with overnight guests from June to October and December to March. Travelers could choose from six rooms and a trailside cabin. Linda enjoyed making her guests breakfast and cooked omelets, French toast, bacon, and home fries. Travelers came from across New England, Europe, and some faithfully returned year after year.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said.
She served lunch too — soup, chili, and sandwiches — even though it wasn’t very profitable.
“It kept people here and kept them happy,” she said. “A lot of things you do in business is not [about] making money but it’s having goodwill and good experiences for people that come,” she said.
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A traveler named Sue, in a testimonial on the business’s website, called the destination “one stop shopping for a great vacation,” where her family could conveniently sleep, eat, and ski all in the same place.
On a busy winter day, Canterbury Farm would welcome nearly 250 skiers and snowshoers, Linda said, and saw about 100 to 120 skiers on a typical day.
They employed six people for tasks such as working the rental equipment, helping in the kitchen, housekeeping, and grooming trails. Local friends also donated their time helping out on the farm.
The skiing conditions were dependent, of course, on the weather, which made the business a challenge at times.
Linda fondly remembers getting 24 inches of snow one year. Last year, they had about six inches of snow and ultimately cut the season short — again, she said. Their ski season, which used to run for three months, ran about 30 days for the past three years due to weather that was not ideal, she said.
“Although it was a difficult decision to decide to retire, there were other reasons such as the warming climate,” she said. “After doing this for 40 years, we have seen a definite warming and less snow and more ice storms.”
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She said they had to work twice as hard in recent years to even open because the weather was so difficult.
“You do your very best to groom ice or wet slushy snow and people aren’t happy because of the conditions but there was nothing we could do about it,” she said.
There was a challenge, too, in recent years with the lodging side of the business, she said.
“Another thing that hit us was the Airbnb explosion,” she said. “In this little town there are 150 Airbnb establishments. So we did feel a pinch on the lodging.”
No matter the ups and downs, their love of the land and the people who enjoyed it is what made the business so rewarding, Linda said.
She remembers the ice storm of 2012 when they lost power for eight days and faced a massive cleanup on the trails. She remembers puzzling over a man who kept falling over during his lesson until she realized he was carrying an entire gallon of water in his backpack. She remembers cooking breakfast at 4:30 a.m. for lodgers who were hunters. And she remembers when a busload of 200 students arrived for a day of winter fun.
Running a business popular on holidays and weekends doesn’t allow much time for travel, Linda said. Therefore, the couple is looking forward to their freedom in retirement.
The Bacons can now visit their young granddaughter who lives three hours away. They can go skiing (somewhere else!). Linda is still an active figure skating coach and judge. Dave is a lifelong piano player. They will continue those passions and look forward to more outdoor adventures with family and friends.
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While many folks their age retire in the south for its mild weather, the Bacons have no intention of leaving Canterbury Farm.
“The Berkshires is a great place to live. We love New England. We want to stay in New England,” she said. “We’re hoping we can age in place. We put a lot of renovation into this 250 year old house and it’s very comfortable at this point.”
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