Summer on Exmoor and why we would take a holiday here

Here in the heart of Exmoor National Park we don’t really have what you might think of the as the normal ‘tourist season’. So there are no traffic jams on the roads and it’s unusual to see crowds of people. Exmoor is a lovely, relaxing destination for all seasons and could absorb many more visitors without seeming crowded at all. I keep banging the drum about this, and for good reason: quite a few people have told us that they’ve avoided visiting in July and August because they thought that everywhere would be too busy and all the Exmoor accommodation would be fully booked. It ain’t necessarily so, folks!


Would we holiday here, if we weren’t already lucky enough to live in this beautiful area? Well yes, we would. Here are just a few reasons why:

The pace of life is relaxed – Exmoor is a real escape from everyday stress.

There is a remarkable range of excellent accommodation (including Exmoor House Wheddon Cross) and great places to eat (including, again, Exmoor House Wheddon Cross!).

Exmoor is astoundingly lovely, with an incredible variety of scenery: from wild coastline, to rolling farmland, to pretty villages, to pleasingly bleak moorland.

There is plenty to do: visit National Trust and English Heritage properties, enjoy some fantastic walking, cycling and mountain biking (you can hire an electric bike from http://www.exmoorunplugged.co.uk/ if you want to make the ride a bit easier), fishing, golf, horse riding, some great attractions (although, hooray, no theme parks – who needs them when we’re surrounded by such real-life beauty?)… and a range of festivals and other events take place during the year. For more ideas, visit http://www.visit-exmoor.co.uk/must-see-and-do 

OK, so we know the English weather is never entirely predictable – but that’s just part of the fun. You can see some of my suggestions for things to do on a rainy day at http://exmoorhousewx.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/things-to-do-on-around-exmoor-when-its.html

If you need another reason to visit Exmoor, here’s a great incentive: the Exmoor Guineas promotion. Find some excellent special offers at http://www.visit-exmoor.co.uk/guinea - including some from - er – Exmoor House Wheddon Cross.

If you’ve never been to Exmoor, now is an excellent time to visit. If you have, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Take a look at our facebook page for photos of things to see and do on Exmoor, some of our favourite walks, and more: http://www.facebook.com/ExmoorHouse/photos

More about car-free travel on Exmoor

Suggestions for car-free days out from Wheddon Cross was theme of my last blog post. Actually, it's perfectly possible (as some of our guests have done) to travel to Exmoor and all over the National Park by public transport, so that you don't need a car at all. Here's some food for thought...
For lots more ideas, covering the whole of Exmoor, check out Exmoor National Park's http://www.exploremoor.co.uk/ where you'll also find information about walking, cycling, riding and public transport, interactive maps and useful links.

A really useful service is the Moor Rover bus, which can pick you up and drop you off at any pre-arranged point within Exmoor National Park.

 
The minibuses have 8 - 16 seats and can carry bikes, wheelchairs and dogs; they can even be used to transport your luggage while you walk. From April to June the service is available for group bookings of 6 or more people. From July to September it operates every day, from 8.00am to 8.00pm and is available to individuals and groups. All journeys need to be booked at least a day in advance, by calling 01643 709701 (NB no booking service on Sundays). Visit http://www.atwest.org.uk/ for more details.

When you stay at Exmoor House Wheddon Cross we can give you details of the Exmoor walks we've done; we have lots of books and maps to borrow, plus information about walking and cycling (including cycle hire and walking guides) and the area in general. Other especially useful facilities here include a drying room and bike storage.

If you've been to Exmoor before, you'll know just what a beautiful and varied place it is - ideal for a brief escape, a short break or a long holiday. If not: what are you waiting for?



 
 

Some things happening on Exmoor soon

Here on Exmoor there are lots of good things coming up in the next month or so. Here's some brief info:

Porlock Arts Festival (9th - 12th September)

Exmoor Bike Marathon (11th September)

The Tour of Britain stage 4 - Minehead to Teignmouth (14th September)
This passes through Wheddon Cross, home of Exmoor House

The West Somerset Railway Autumn Steam Gala (30th September - 3rd October)

The Two Moors Festival (30th September - 9th Octobet)
It's the Festival's tenth anniversary year

North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival (1st - 4th October)
There's a Food Walk from Wheddon Cross, which includes lunch at Exmoor House, on 2nd October. Places are limited so do book as soon as you can.

Exmoor Food Festival (2nd - 10th October)
You can enjoy Tasting Platter lunches at Exmoor House, Wheddon Cross, each day of the Festival (advance booking is essential)

Thinking about an Autumn getaway? At Exmoor House in October and November, we're offering weekend breaks for the same price as midweek - for example, a 3-night dinner, bed & breakfast package starts from only £174 per person. Enjoy a fabulously relaxing stay and some excellent food at a bargain price.

See you soon!

August special offer

In need of a break? Come and visit beautiful Exmoor National Park, staying in a characterful, award-winning village guesthouse, where everything's designed for maximum comfort, minimum fussiness. Spend a few days walking, exploring, cycling... or just relaxing... and enjoy some fabulous food that combines lovely local ingredients with expert cooking.

Sounds good? It gets better:
We've extended our summer special offer. Book 3 or more nights dinner, bed & breakfast, any weekend in July or August (except for the bank holiday weekend starting Friday 27th August) and pay the same price as the equivalent midweek break. So, for example, a three night stay starts from just £174 per person. This offer is only available for telephone bookings directly with us (see our website for contact details).

See you soon?

Don't go abroad - come to Exmoor!

Like many other people, we had family and friends stuck at home or elsewhere because of the volcanic ash problems... and were very glad that we didn't have to fly anywhere at that stage.

With all the speculation that these eruptions could go on disrupting things for a while, and the fabulous weather we've had here, if I were planning a holiday I'd certainly be thinking in terms of avoiding flying... and discovering more of the UK maybe.

Blatant sales pitch coming up: where better to stay than Exmoor? More specifically, Exmoor House? Right in the heart of Exmoor National Park, with some beautiful countryside to explore (that never gets too crowded), fabulous food to enjoy and a lovely peaceful atmosphere.

Come on over - we'd love to see you.

Exmoor looks fab after all the rain!

Yes, we have had a bit of rain recently. Today it's sunny and much warmer, though. Does that mean the Met Office's 'barbeque summer' is here? It feels more like holiday time should, anyway.
We drove over to Taunton yesterday and going over the Brendon Hills everything was wonderfully green and lush, with that washed-clean kind of look. This spring was especially flower-full, and it looks like this is going to continue, with the rosebay willowherb looking gorgeous just now and the heather getting more purple by the day.
Another benefit from the rain is that the whortleberries are large & juicy - we made whortleberry pie last week (delicious with clotted cream). We look forward to blackberry-picking season!

Festivals of walking, food & culture on Exmoor

There are some fabulous events coming up on Exmoor later in the year.

For the first time there's an Exmoor Autumn Walking Festival - it's from 18th-21st September. Details will be available soon but if it's anything like the walking festival in April/May, there'll be some really interesting and unusual guided walks. There's a link to the festival site from our website.

The Exmoor Food Festival is from 2nd-11th October. Exmoor House is taking part: we'll be offering Exmoor tasting platters - lunch with a difference. You can try a selection of our pates and terrines, pickles and cheeses, served tapas-style, with salad and our home-made bread. There are some wonderful puddings to follow if you still have room. Booking is essential - please see our website, where you'll find our contact details.

And there'll be a feast of culture too in October (8th-18th) with the Two Moors Festival: concerts, recitals and other exciting happenings across Exmoor and Dartmoor.

Where to stay? Exmoor House of course!