Summer is on its way...

As we move into summer, Exmoor is looking more beautiful with the heather just beginning to turn purple and come August, the moor will absolutely vivid. The foxgloves are magnificent this year with whole hills being covered in a pink haze. Already some of the fields of winter corn is beginning to ripen and starting to turn a golden colour – all the crops look healthy and it looks like being a good harvest.

The birdlife is getting more frenetic with parents constantly on the hunt for food for their growing broods. This year we have 2 pairs of house martins nesting under the eaves of the house. By quietly looking out of the bedroom window, our bed and breakfast guests can peer up and watch them flying in and out of the nests and catch glimpses of the young as they look out.

There are always a large flock of sand martins nesting in the banks down at Cloud Farm in the Doone Valley. This is one of our favourite places to go for a walk or a swim – the river is beautiful with lots of deep pools. ½ mile up a track you come to the farm where they provide pony trekking and camping. We like to follow the river into Badgeworthy Water and then walk back over the moor to the farm and enjoy a cup of tea in the tea garden. It is a wonderful spot just to sit and relax in the heart of Exmoor.

Although we have been busy this week with bed and breakfast guests, we managed to grab half a day and meet my mum and sister down at Tiverton and The National Trust house of Knightshayes. It’s great to have so many lovely places to visit within such a short drive away.

Some of our guests decided to walk from Porlock Weir up to Culbone Church, nestled in the woodland setting above the cliffs. This is a remote but very beautiful area having the atmosphere of a time gone by and was featured on Sunday evening on the BBC programme Countryfile. The programme also included an article on the wild Exmoor ponies at Ashwick near Dulverton, their history and near demise during the war. Now under careful management and a breeding programme, a beautiful thriving herd can be seen on various parts of Exmoor. It’s a wonderful sight to see this years crop of foals already becoming adventurous and curious!