Saturday, 9 April 2011

Falconry and Farming on Exmoor

On Tuesday this week the Exmoor Owl & Hawk Centre, near the picture-postcard village of Allerford, held an open day. We went along, and really enjoyed looking round.

The Centre has a good collection of owls and other birds of prey, but also alpacas, mini-pigs, ponies and miniature donkeys. There was an owl-flying demonstration and an opportunity for people to take a glove and some bait to try this for themselves (although the owls can be quite choosy about where they want to fly, and whose arm they want to land on!). It was a wonderful sunny day; although Rod Smith of the Centre says that their particular micro-climate means it's often sunny there when the weather is poor elsewhere in the area.

Other activities available include spending half a day or a full day getting to know the birds of prey and owls; also horse riding. There's an interesting display about the history of the farmstead, and about falconry, in the barn. The Centre also has a cafe selling drinks and snacks. A great day out for families.

Wednesday saw us in Porlock for the final Exmoor Awareness session this season (run by Exmoor National Park for tourism-related businesses). It's the first one we've managed to get along to, although every year we look at the programme and think how good all the sessions sound. Luckily they could fit us in at the last minute.

The theme was farming heritage, so there were presentations on how farming on Exmoor developed (I found the archaelogical perspective fascinating); local food production and how farmers are diversifying; a very entertaining personal view from a lady who married into a farming family, and discussion of how things could go in the future. As native townies now living in the country, we learnt a lot.

Unfortunately the planned post-lunch field trip to a local farm had to be cancelled but National Park staff organised a walk through Hawcombe Woods instead; we saw how the landscape has developed its unique characteristics through a combination of natural events and human activities - again very informative, and it was a great day for walking. It was also good to meet and network with other accommodation providers (and possible suppliers too).

We'll certainly try and make a few more of the Exmoor Awareness sessions next year!

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

Working together for tourism on Exmoor

We were at the Exmoor Tourist Association’s annual general meeting last week, at the Tithe Barn in Dunster. Always good to catch up with others involved in tourism; it’s rare to have an opportunity to network face to face. Many of us accommodation providers seem to have more bookings this year than last so far, which is good news.




Antony Brunt, the ETA chairman, and others of our hard-working officers, do a lot of work in promoting Exmoor (for example by representing the association at the Outdoors Show, BoBI and other travel-related exhibitions). We’re lucky to have an excellent administrator / secretary / membership secretary, Rachel Kelly; and our president, William Theed, is another fine ambassador for the area.



MP Ian Liddell-Grainger was at the meeting to give us a talk before going off to the House of Commons. He’s also very enthusiastic about promoting tourism on Exmoor – though I wasn’t sure about his description ‘like Dartmoor, but with more people’! If we’re to compare the two Moors, then I prefer the definition that has been doing the rounds on twitter: Exmoor is the thinking man’s Dartmoor. Nothing like stirring things up a bit…



Dan James of Exmoor National Park updated us on what’s happening with the park authority and with the Exmoor Tourism Partnership: plenty of positive developments there. I was pleased to note that the National Park has some more new ideas in the pipeline about helping green businesses promote themselves.



A highlight of ETA meetings is always the catering! We had melt-in-the-mouth shortbread biscuits with our coffee before the meeting, and as usual there was a very good, imaginative selection on the lunchtime buffet. (Well, if you’ve been following our blog – indeed if you’ve seen our website – you’ll know that we’re constantly thinking about food, one way or the other).



After lunch Ross Edwards of EDF gave a presentation about the proposed nuclear development, Hinkley Point C. This is something that raises concerns on many levels, and Ross made it clear that, as a PR person, he is not an expert on the safety (or otherwise) aspect of the project. However, he gave us some interesting details about how EDF proposes to minimise adverse effects on the surrounding area during the building work. It’s early days yet, and there’s a lot more to be said on all sides; no doubt the consultation will run and run. I’ll make no further comment for the moment, but you can find the relevant documentation here:



http://hinkleypoint.edfenergyconsultation.info/Preferred_Proposal_Documents/Stage%202%20Update/Stage-2-Update-Consultation-final.pdf

 
If you're involved in tourism on Exmoor and aren't already a member of ETA, I'd urge you to consider joining. There are many benefits, including some good marketing opportunities, and we think the fee is very good value. For more details, visit
 
http://www.exmoor.com/join_eta.htm

Friday, 18 March 2011

A green celebration at Wheddon Cross on Exmoor

Dick Strawbridge, of  the TV series 'It's Not Easy Being Green' (and, more recently, Celebrity Masterchef) fame was the star speaker at a Carbon Neutral Exmoor Celebration last night. 

Over a hundred people filled the Moorland Hall at Wheddon Cross to hear about green projects in six villages on Exmoor, which have been funded through the Low Carbon Communities Challenge. Exmoor National Park has an ambitious target: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.

Representatives from the communities of Roadwater, Parracombe, Wootton Courtenay, Porlock, Dunster and Wheddon Cross shared their experiences of the various projects, which included low carbon energy installations at village halls, a community-owned shop, an information centre and a sports ground.

We had a look at the Moorland Hall's newly installed wood-burning boiler, which keeps the building toasty warm. The hall now also has sheepswool insulation and a state-of-the-art heat recovery system. At our local pub, solar panels and a solar photovoltaic system have been fitted, also with the help of funding from the community project.

In fact Wheddon Cross may well hold the record for the widest range of green energy technologies on Exmoor: the new houses currently being built for local people have solar panels and the development will include some air source and ground source heat pumps. Some of our neighbours built their own eco-homes a few years ago.

Dick Strawbridge was very entertaining and down to earth; he and his family practise what they call 'practical self-sufficiency', which makes excellent sense. Many of the people at the meeting already try to be as green as they can, but I hope he wasn't only preaching to the converted. I think, though, that the celebration evening will have the desired effect of inspiring people to go that stage further and look at generating their own power or using more sustainable alternatives. It helps to know that others locally have been down this road and can offer the benefit of their experience.

The final part of the event was a visit to the Rest and Be Thankful pub, where Eric and Julie provided a great buffet and there was some Irish music (it was St Patrick's day after all). It was too dark to see the solar panels properly, but we've been able to see the installation as it progressed. Some networking and general good company finished the evening off nicely. A big thank you to all at Exmoor National Park who've worked so hard to help bring everything to fruition, against a very tight deadline.

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Exmoor walks, a lovely little museum, a good pub and an auction

We've had some lovely spring weather these last few days. The daffodils are coming on nicely, the herbs are growing well and there are ladybirds and bees in our garden. Good omens for the summer to come, we hope...

The West Somerset Rural Life Museum, in Allerford, had an open day this week and we went along to have a look. Several of our guests have been to the museum and really enjoyed it: we did too. The main room contains an exhibition of household items (much exclamation of 'oh, my mum used to have one of those!' as we looked round) as well as equipment from farms and other local businesses, all giving a good insight into day-to-day life in this area in years gone by. In the Schoolroom, children (and adults) can try their hand at writing on slates and look at Victorian textbooks, playground games and toys. There are even Victorian clothes so children can dress up for the full experience. Finish your visit by looking at the archive of local photographs and the outdoor display area. The museum is run by volunteers and they're always looking for more people to help, so if you live in the area and can spare some time, they would be delighted to hear from you.

While in Allerford (by the way, if you imagine the quintessential idyllic English village, it might look very like Allerford) we walked up through the woods towards Bossington, stopping to have a look at Lynch church. There are a good number of trails round here, for anything from a short stroll to a full day's hike.

Another walk we've done recently is from Challacombe over to the church at Barton Town: a good mix of woodland, fields and views of Exmoor hills and combes. Part of the reason for our visit to Challacombe was to visit the Black Venus pub for lunch, and we'd thoroughly recommend it: friendly atmosphere and good food in generous portions; a nice variety of things on the menu.

And speaking of food (which I often do): dinner for two at Exmoor House was one of the lots at an Auction of Promises held at the Wheddon Cross village hall on Friday. The auction was great fun, and raised money for the Golden Horseshoe endurance ride and the Dorset, Somerset & Devon air ambulances. We look forward to seeing our neighbours who won the dinner!

Saturday, 5 March 2011

North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival, April - May 2011

This is the 11th year for the very successful North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival. In 2011 the festival's split into two parts: from 29th April to 3rd May it will focus on North Devon, then from May 4th to 8th it covers Exmoor and the Quantocks.

I'm going to concentrate here on the second half of the festival, as it covers our home turf. The nearest walks to Exmoor House start from Webbers Post (Walk 5B High Beacons and Cairns; Walk 7D Flora and Fauna Discovery); Carhampton (Walk 6C: Dunster Breakfast Walk); Dunster (Walk 7A Vistas of Dunster and Dunkery; Walk 8A All Things Bright and Beautiful) and Allerford (Walk 5E Beacons, Look-outs and Coastal Combes).

In fact, though, we're more or less in the centre of the National Park here at Wheddon Cross, so the whole of Exmoor is within easy reach.

Wimbleball Lake is about 8 miles from Wheddon Cross and the Festival includes a Wimbleball Nature Discovery (Walk 7C). The nine-mile trail around the lake, part of which is included on this walk, is one of the few flat(ish) walks on Exmoor!

Wherever you walk on Exmoor, though, you really can't go wrong. There's wonderful scenery - and a huge range of it at that, from coast, to hills, to woodland, to farmland. Walking can be as challenging as you like, and with luck you might even see Exmoor ponies or red deer.

The Walking Festival gives a great flavour of the whole area, from meandering along the Barle to striding along the South West Coastal Path, from high open moorland to deep combes, from searching for deer to visiting ancient monuments and discovering the smallest church in England. Come along and see for yourself!

You can book walks, and find out lots more information, at http://www.exmoorwalkingfestival.co.uk/

With the extra bank holiday falling during the Walking Festival, you might find it easier to take a longer break, and explore this beautiful area further. See you soon maybe?

Thursday, 24 February 2011

Spring is on the way on Exmoor

After a long cold winter, it seems spring is definitely on the way (or maybe I'm tempting fate by writing that!). These last few days have been much milder, and the daffodils are coming along well in our garden. The herbs are starting to wake up from their hibernation too, and soon we'll have beautiful fresh lovage, marjoram, chives and fennel (to name a few).

The snowdrops in Snowdrop Valley are still looking wonderful. Park & ride buses from Wheddon Cross continue for the rest of this week; the last day is this Sunday, February 27th. Do remember though that the road down to the valley will remain closed to traffic until March 6th - so between Feb 27th and Mar 6th, the only way to the valley will be on foot. Our dining room at Exmoor House will be open as a tearoom on most days until March 6th, serving cream teas (of course!), homemade rolls with a choice of fillings, hot soup, a selection of cakes, and more. Everything's homemade, including our delicious teacakes. Do remember too that you can book lunch at Exmoor House at any time of year (subject to availability) for groups of 4 or more people; we'll plan the menu to suit you.

In my last post I mentioned the Exmoor 4 x 4 Jaunt and Challenge, which is centred on Wheddon Cross during the weekend of March 19th and 20th. This popular event raises funds for the rugby charity Wooden Spoon. The off-road vehicles follow carefully planned routes, where the landowners have given them permission to go. You can see more detail about the event at  http://www.4x4onexmoor.co.uk/

Also on March 19th and 20th, as well as March 24th - 27th, is the West Somerset Railway Spring Steam Gala. This year the Gala celebrates 35 years of the West Somerset Railway running along the former Taunton to Minehead Branch of British Rail. There'll be many visiting locomotives (including new types not seen before on this line), and plenty of attraction around railway to visit, including sheds and workshops. You'll find updates about the gala at http://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/ssg.html
Whether you're a rail enthusiast or not, a trip on the railway is highly recommended. It's a scenic, tranquil journey between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard. Each station has something interesting to look at, and there are some good walks from the stations also.

At Exmoor House we have a special offer during the rest of February, and March: weekend dinner, bed & breakfast breaks are the same price as midweek breaks. Currently there are some rooms available for most dates, including during the events mentioned here. There's more detail on our website. Why not treat yourselves to a spring getaway?  To make a booking, just give us a call!

Sunday, 6 February 2011

Exmoor: have your cake and eat it

We love living on Exmoor. Beautiful scenery, friendly communities, great local food...

Exmoor is truly a place where you can escape and get away from everything. The countryside is very unspoilt, with some extremely wildernessy areas; the roads are uncrowded and the pace of life is relaxed.

Yet, we seem to have it both ways (or have our cake and eat it too) because there's always something going on. Just to give you a few examples of things happening in the next few months:


Right now, it's snowdrop time, and each year there's an amazing spring display of these fabulous flowers, almost on our doorstep. Snowdrop Valley is just a mile or so from our village, Wheddon Cross. It's a pretty (but steep & sometimes muddy - appropriate footwear advised) walk down to the valley and back, or there are park & ride buses from the village car park.

And speaking of cake again: at Exmoor House we open our dining room as a tearoom during the day during Snowdrop Valley time, serving snacks, light lunches, hot & cold drinks and more. The park & ride, which runs until 27th February, is run by our local parish council, with support from the Exmoor National Park Authority and the Badgeworthy Land Company. Exmoor House tearoom will be open until 6th March (although after then we can still do prebooked lunches or meetings for groups of 4 or more people: just contact us if you'd like more details).

Later in March (19th & 20th) is Exmoor 4 x 4 Jaunt and Challenge, which raises money for charity. The West Somerset Railway's very popular Spring Steam Gala is on the 19th & 20th also, and then from the 24th - 27th.

April 29th sees the start of the North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival. It continues until May 8th, and includes a fantastic variety of walks that cover most of Exmoor. The extra public holiday, which will mean many people can extend their Easter break, fits in nicely with the Walking Festival.

More in May: the famous Golden Horseshoe ride, an endurance ride across Exmoor National Park, is an exciting spectacle. Many people come back year after year to watch or to take part. It's centred on Exford (5 miles from Exmoor House), is on May 15th - 17th and also includes social events, trade stands, demonstrations and a sponsored pleasure ride.
 
There are links to these events (and more besides) from our website http://www.exmoorhouse.com/  
You'll also find lots of information about our award-winning guest house accommodation - including current special offers - and pictures of the snowdrops too.