12 Simonds Hill Road Hubbardston, MA 01452

cauldronfarm@hotmail.com (978) 928-4198

Directions & Guest Information

Cauldron Farm is a small homestead in Hubbardston, which is just south of Gardner in Central Massachusetts. You can see a map for 12 Simonds Hill Road, using Mapquest. (The road may be listed as either "Simond" or "Simonds", but it is the same road.) We welcome visitors, but ask that you please call ahead. If you are coming for an event, leave plenty of time for travel.

Driving Directions:
To get to Cauldron Farm, take your best route to Rt. 2. Take Route 2 to Rt. 68 south to Gardner. You'll go through the rotary, then pass a Stop & Shop and then a Wal-Mart. Continue south on 68 and you will enter Hubbardston and civilization will abruptly drop away. Mind the 35mph speed limit! Go south until you pass through the center of Hubbardston, or what passes for it - post office, gas station, fire station, library, etc. It won't last long. Go through the blinking yellow light, the only light in our town. Go down the hill and look for a billboard on your left that says "Wachusett Lumber", shortly after the speed limit goes back up. Take the left at the billboard onto Old Princeton Rd. Bear right at the first fork. Continue past little farms and houses until you come to a sign saying, "Dangerous Interscetion" (spelled incorrectly). Do not turn into the housing development just before the sign. Instead, take the right fork at the "dangerous intersection" onto Simond Hill Rd. We are the first house, a little ways down on the right. It is a red house with green trim and murals on the garage and barn. You will see a paved driveway alongside the house, past the gate for the north parking field and the small pink and purple chicken house which is painted with dinosaurs.

You can come via 62, but finding the turn-off (Ed Clark Rd.) can be tricky if you don't know the turn. It is poorly marked. Better to take 68 North into Hubbardston, past 62, to the Wachusett Lumber sign. (If you hit the blinking light in Hubbardston when heading North, you've gone too far.) Turn right at that billboard, and continue as described above.

If you know the area well, 62 can be a slightly shorter route. Coming down 62 from the West, where 62 crosses 68, you will pass Asnacomet ("Comet") Pond on the left, then on the right is Upper Intervale Road (which may be shown on your map as River Road). Ed Clark Road forks off to the left. Take it past the horse farm, and Simonds Hill Road curves off sharply to the left. We are up a ways down Simonds Hill Road, on the left. Coming from the East on 62 there is really not much of a landmark to spot Ed Clark Road by, as it is a fork going the other direction. It comes up fairly quickly after you cross in to Hubbardston. You have been warned. If you miss it, just take 68 North, as above.

Parking:
Aside from Beltane, you can always park in our North field, unless it has three feet of snow on it or you've got low ground clearance. For small gatherings or classes, you may be able to leave your car in the driveway, but please ask when you arrive. For large camping events, we will have a shuttle that will bring you and your car to the nearby (free) parking lot. Unload your stuff in the driveway, and we'll direct you from there. DO NOT PARK IN THE ROAD!

Camping Information:

Please pack sensibly for campouts. All guests should bring basic camping gear. Please do not plan on meeting someone here who will invite you to share their tent, stove, food, etc. If you are lacking some vital piece of equipment (such as a tent), please contact us. We do have spares you can borrow, but we need to know ahead of time to save one for you. Pets and other animals are welcome if they are leashed or otherwise contained and pose no hazard to our land, livestock, staff, guests or wildlife. KEEP IN MIND: The ritual field and camping area are a five-minute walk from the road, down a somewhat uneven and occasionally muddy path. No cars or RVs are permitted down this path, and you are responsible for bringing yourself and your gear to and from the site. We often have small vehicles to assist you, but these are older vehicles and sometimes down for repairs. Also, they do not run after dusk. Please plan and pack accordingly.

This Weekend's Forecast Today's Hour-By-Hour Forecast

• Tent: Know how to set it up, and make sure it is in good repair and has all its parts.
• Sleeping bag: or other bedding. The ground is hard, and the nights can be chilly even in warm weather.
• Flashlights: Most people decide they don't need one of these, or don't bring sufficient batteries, and then ask to borrow one of ours. Fewer than half of the flashlights we lend to people during campouts ever get returned to us. Please bring your own flashlights and batteries.
• Bug repellent & Sunscreen: Again, many people feel they can do without these things, and then borrow ours. We've got a good deal of swamp around here, so bugs can descend with unexpected ferocity. Hats, sunglasses and covering clothing may be a good idea.
• Clothing: Bring clothing appropriate for a range of possible weather conditions. Camping can be messy! If you want to bring something fancy, put it in a garment bag, and bring casual clothes as well. An extra pair or two of dry socks is often a good idea in even slightly damp weather.
• Sensible Shoes: While some people can make it down to the field in high heels, I would not recommend it. Bring shoes appropriate for being in the woods.
• Food: Please bring sufficient food for the event, and the means to keep it chilled if needed. Keep in mind that camping food can be more than just franks & beans, smores, and "energy" bars. Consider what you'll actually want to be eating for three or more days, especially when the guy in the tent next to you is grilling salmon steaks and steaming fresh veggies. Being outdoors all day and night often makes folks much hungrier than usual. We can generally provide milk, oatmeal, fresh eggs, and perhaps even soup or PB&J sandwiches to those who really need them, but if you anticipate not having enough to eat during the event due to financial hardship, please let us know ahead of time. (You can help out in the kitchen in return.) Guests can drop by the grocery store in Gardner on their way in. If you will need to drive to the grocery store during the campout, let the staff know ahead of time.
• Cooking Gear: What you bring depends on what you'll be cooking, but think it through. Do you need a pot or frying pan? Cooking or serving utensils? Forks, spoons, sharp knives? Paper towels or napkins? Cups, bowls, and plates? Many people bring propane stoves and occasionally hibachis, but there is also a very small woodstove in the cooking area, and of course, the fire pit. We have a number of older coolers you can borrow, but you will need to provide ice!
• Potluck: Most of our campouts have a potluck feast on one of the nights. A very limited number of people may use our kitchen to reheat a fully prepared dish, if they let us know beforehand. We do not have the space for ten people to cook in our kitchen at once. Please bring a substantial dish to potluck, rather than snacks. Alcohol is welcome, but it is NOT potluck.
• Possible Other Gear: Folding tables or chairs. Air mattress or other bed. Drums and other musical instruments. First Aid supplies. Medication. Supplies and food for any animals you might be bringing.

If you have any mobility impairments, please let us know ahead of time and we will make every attempt to accommodate you. Outdoor events are held in a field a ways back into the woods, down a rocky, uneven (and occasionally muddy or icy) path. During daylight hours, we can generally offer you a ride down and back on our electric golf cart during the warmer months, and perhaps an exhilarating snowmobile or tractor sled ride in the winter if you are brave! But these are older vehicles, so do call ahead to be sure the vehicles are in service and we've got someone to drive them. If you would like a chair to sit in during the ritual, or a large print copy of any program or ritual text we might be handing out, Joshua is likely to be able to provide these.

There is no electricity in the camping area. If you require a CPAP or other electric device while sleeping and do not have battery power for it, we may be able to let you sleep in the guest room in the house. (It is up a flight of stairs.) Please contact us well in advance so we can reserve it for you.

Lodging:
Individuals are nearly always welcome to camp in our back field, and for special purposes visitors may stay in our guest room or one of our outbuildings. (We have a small treehouse with a rope bed.) For more comfortable accomodations, you may want to stay at one of the many nearby Bed & Breakfasts. If you prefer to stay in a hotel or motel, these are a few of the closest. We're not endorsing any of them, just saying they are nearby.

Public Transportation:
There is no local bus. We are a more than half an hour drive from regional bus and train lines in Fitchburg and Worcester. Unfortunately, not generally able to pick people up from the bus or train station. There is some possibility that another guest will be coming from your direction and be able to give you a ride, but we cannot guarantee this and we have limited ability to set up rides for people.

In the area:
We are roughly 2.5 miles from the center of Hubbardston, which has a gas station (limited hours), convenience/liquor store, and pizza shop. We are roughly 10 miles from Gardner. If you take 68 back towards Rt. 2, you will find a Walmart. Beyond that is Timpany Plaza, with a Stop & Shop grocery store, Citizen's Bank, Sovereign Bank, liquor store, chinese food, dollar store and Big Lots. Further into Gardner, past the rotary, there are a number of restaurants, gas stations, fast food, and other stores.

Information for Long-Term Guests and Interns

Our farm occasionally takes interns in the spring-to-fall season. We've had them in the winter, but don't intend to do it again. When we really need the help - and when people learn the most - is April through November. We've taken interns for as little as a week and as long as six months. We discuss what you'd like to learn, and what of that we can teach you. The program is quite flexible. We will not pay you, because we don't have the money. If you are staying for more than a few weeks, we appreciate a small contribution towards food and utilities, but do not require it if you cannot afford it. We do require that you help with household chores. We will also arrange with groups to do one-day workshops on specific skills, such as soapmaking, dyeing, butchering, herbalism and spinning. Please see our General House Rules, and our list of things we wish we'd asked past guests & interns.

Questions? Email us at cauldronfarm@hotmail.com or call 978-928-4198.

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