Red deer rutting on Exmoor

October's the red deer rutting season, and Exmoor is a great place to see (and hear) the stags in all their splendour. Here on Exmoor we have the largest concentration of wild red deer in Europe, as well as fallow deer and roe deer.
The Porlock Visitor Centre organises 'rutting weekends' each year, and there are a number of companies offering 4 x 4 safaris on the moor. The Exmoor National Park rangers also organise escorted walks.
Come and stay at Exmoor House for a few nights (being in Wheddon Cross, we're more or less right in the middle of the national park) and you can go in search of the deer herds...

Walking from Tarr Steps

Frank & I don't get out much when things are busy here at Exmoor House; but we had a free afternoon last week and went over to Tarr Steps - hadn't visited this part of Exmoor for a while. We did part of the Tarr Steps/Withypool circuit. Thought we could cross the river partway along, but in fact it's not possible so we returned the same way and came down the hill again! It was the most walking we'd done for a while... We saw deer (Bambi & his mum) and a rabbit too (must've been Thumper), as well as lots of birdlife - and sheep of course. There are the remains of some really old hedgebanks, which are very picturesque, all overgrown with moss. Some of the leaves are just starting to turn, but in general everything's still looking quite green. The heather continues to hold its own too - Dunkery Beacon, as seen from our dining room, is still very purple.

North Devon & Exmoor Autumn Walking Festival

For the first time this year there's an autumn walking festival for North Devon & Exmoor, as well as the one in May. The autumn festival is from 18th to 21st September. There are eight walks, for all abilities, to choose from each day. Some great stuff!
Why not book a few days at Exmoor House and take in some of the walks while you're here? (You need to book for the walks too - there's a link to the walking festival site from our website). September's a great time for walking on Exmoor, with - we hope, anyway - some mellow autumn weather on the way.
See you soon!

Exmoor Food Festival: try some prize-winning chutney

A reminder that the Exmoor Food Festival takes place from 2nd - 11th October. At Exmoor House we'll be doing tasting platters at lunchtime every day. We're calling it lunch with a difference - it's a chance to try a selection of our pates, pickles, home-made bread, local cheeses, salads... with some delicious puddings to follow if you still have room. And, yes, we do have prize-winning chutney: Frank's spicy tomato chutney won a first prize at the Cutcombe Fete in early August.
It's essential to book for the October lunches; please contact us (all contact info is on our website) if you'd like some more details.

Sustainable energy in Wheddon Cross

You might have gathered from this blog and our website that I'm keen on all things green.
Last night I was at a meeting in our village hall about a proposed Wheddon Cross & Cutcombe sustainable energy plan. Forum 21, our local sustainable communities group, are going to help the Parish Council and other volunteers draw up the plan. It's all quite exciting - there are lots of possibilities. Early days yet, but the initial plan needs to be finalised by the end of this month, then there'll be a process of trying to get funding for the village to help with putting the projects in place.
I'll post updates here when there's more news.

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!

Herbs & salad

Well, the rain we've had recently has meant that the salad crops I planted are flourishing! The leafy ones, anyway - lots of lovely rocket & baby lettuce leaves, and the spring onions are coming on nicely. Sadly, the tomatoes are not doing so well. They should pick up once we get more sun though.
The herbs are really vibrant: the mint's incredibly minty, the lemon balm very lemony, and the sage - well - sagey. Last year my sage was comprehensively eaten by snails, but this time it seems to be surviving much better.
Frank does a great dish of local chicken breast stuffed with our home-grown herbs and wrapped in local bacon, which we serve with a herby tomato sauce - delicious! We've also been doing some wonderful maincourse salads.
Remember that Exmoor House is open to non-residents for dinner (though it's essential to book at least 24 hours in advance, especially if you have any particular dietary requirements).
Hope to see you soon!