Down Burrow Lane: Life and Love on the Farm

by Michael Morpurgo

'I really do think that one day can change a whole life - whether you are standing by a river looking at a heron, or watching a buzzard soaring over a hillside, or learning about friendship away from home for the first time.'

There are 18,250 days to be lived in 50 years - each day with the sun rising and setting on a small village in Devon called Iddesleigh.

Fifty years ago, Michael and Clare Morpurgo put their young family in the car and moved to Nethercott Farm, deep in rural Devon. This magical farm was where the young schoolteacher Michael became a writer, and it would become the backdrop and inspiration for many of his books, including War Horse and Private Peaceful.

Michael and Clare raised their family here, and grew up themselves. They also invited some 100,000 children from towns and cities to come to the countryside and experience life on a working farm as part of their charity Farms for City Children.

This is the story of the ups and downs of Michael and Clare's remarkable life on the farm over the last five decades. A journey through the seasons and years that have shaped the land around them, and the remarkable children who have been forever changed by their experiences.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2026

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Roisin]

This is a very enjoyable book to read and as always a wonderful story by Michael Morpurgo. It's an amazing account of how he and his wife set up a charity and how this dominated their lives.

At times is does drip with casual privilege, the dream of the farm for the city children, the network and connections that enabled all of it, none of which is ever really acknowledged.

However, overall this is a great testament to the life of Michael and Clare Morpurgo

[Ellie]

A lovely, calming enjoyable read. I know some have marked down due to the memoir come diary, but I think if you are a fan of Morpurgo and enjoy his work you’ll be interested in his life and that of his powerhouse of a wife. What a joy to read about how their charity came about has helped others and them.

[Johanna Elsener]

It was okay to listen to it - it is informative and gentle

I Actually liked the intro of the couple on YouTube best

[Mrs Kárren]

Beautifully written!I would recommend.

[Gail]

Sheer joy! By far my best read of 2026 to date. Michael Morpurgo is a national treasure, I could not put this down - heavenly

[Hayley]

I absolutely loved this book. I listened to it on audible read by Michael himself which just added to its charm.

A beautiful story of love, family and wanting to make a difference in the world.