Busy times!

We have had a very busy couple of weeks at our B and B. Last weekend we had a party of 14 walkers staying for 3 nights for bed, breakfast and evening meal. The weather was lovely and they were able to walk about 14 miles a day and really enjoy the moor under the guidance of Richard who has spent many walking holidays on Exmoor and knows all the best places to go.

On Sunday afternoon I nipped down to Porlock and spent a very happy couple of hours being kitted out in 3 beautiful outfits but unfortunately they weren’t for me to keep (as I pointed out a beautiful red and black check tailored jacket, black skirt, tights and high heels aren’t really suitable for changing beds and walking the dogs – but I can dream)! Jane owns a superb ladies wear shop in Porlock and every 2 years puts on a fashion show to raise money and this year it was for Save the Children and Porlock Visitor Centre. So for a couple hours on Thursday and Friday I got to ‘strut my stuff’ along with 10 other ladies and we had a ball!

Running along the front of the house there is a lovely old veranda and everyone loves to sit there and enjoy the views with a cup of tea. The garden is starting to loose some of its colour although the fuchsias are still going strong and the lawn still needs mowing! Derek has started tidying the garden and planting some wallflowers in the beds.


We walked over to Anicombe the other afternoon and there were hundreds of Fieldfares all eating the holly berries. Earlier in the week we went over to Ley Hill above Porlock. There are some fantastic views across the valley to North Hill and Wales and over to Stoke Pero church and Dunkery Beacon in the other direction – a real panoramic view!

Lovely walks and rides

Julie and Helen came last week and despite the weather not being brilliant every day, they had a great time and took loads of photos (well I think Julie takes the photos and Helen carries the gear)! Julie is sending them down so I should have some great ones to put on the blog. David and Carol stayed for the week and found plenty of different things to see and do.

We have a new addition to the family. He is called Sailor, is 16.1hh and is a flea bitten grey. So far, he seems to be very well mannered and has settled in very well. Derek and Lucy rode Paddy and Sailor up onto Robin Howe yesterday evening and had a lovely couple of hours watching the deer and enjoying the wonderful views.

Ron came up for the weekend and we went on the West Somerset Steam Railway. We took Soda and after her first encounter with a steam engine she settled down and spent a happy hour either on my lap or just sitting on the seat staring out of the window. All was OK until she saw a couple of pheasants out the window and she started to howl! Ron pretended he wasn't with us, Derek was getting more cross and embarrassed and telling me to stop her - the whole carriage was in disarray by the time we got to Bishops Lydeard! The journey home was a little more refined and funnily enough we had the carriage to ourselves (the moral of this tail(!) is if you want to get a carriage to yourselves - get a Jack Russell)!

A perfect walk

Yesterday was a beautiful day and the garden still looks lovely.

I went on what had to be the best walk of the year – the scenery, colours, sights and sounds seemed to be even more acute. The weather was unbelievable with hot sun tapered by a slight autumnal feel. Derek dropped the dogs and myself at the bottom of Aldermans Enclosure and we walked over Wilmersham Common to the foot of Dunkery and then along the path which hugs the side of the range of hills to Webbers Post and from there along the carriage path to Wootton Courtenay. Abby, Soda and I covered approximately 8 miles while the 2 young springers covered about 38 miles!

There were so many herds of stags and their harems of hinds that I almost became blasé about seeing them until looking over the valley, I saw and heard a stag roaring. With no other sound apart from the breeze in the bracken, it is the most evocative of sounds and sent a shiver down my back. The colours of the trees are staring to turn to a lovely yellow, golden and orange glow and the view from Webbers Post over Horner Woods is fantastic. Soda discovered her first adder sunbathing near the footpath and decided that this was worth investigating further. Not sure whether it was her mistress’s slightly panicking voice or the hissing that made her decide to come away!

Autumn is a busy time of the year for the farmers - fields being ploughed ready for planting, bracken being cut and baled for bedding and hedges being cut. Around our lanes, it looks as though a spirit level has been used to get the hedges so neat and square – it is really the work of a craftsman.

Walking at Hawkridge

The dry, warm weather has been beautiful and our B & B guests have taken full advantage of the wonderful walking. A couple of weekends ago, our son Tim came down from the big smoke to see his aged parents. We had a lovely walk from Hawkridge down the Danesbrooke to Castle Bridge where its meets the Barle River below Tarr Steps.

The dogs loved it – in and out of the river the whole time and Soda was in her element. In this photo you can almost see her determination to find her stick!

On the way back we passed a rowan tree (mountain ash) growing out of an ash tree stump. Derek can remember when this was just a very small seedling (he really doesn’t get out a lot)! This walk takes approximately 2 hours and covers some of the most beautiful countryside – river, valley, moor and fields. Julie and Helen (2 of our bed and breakfast guests) are planning to do this one tomorrow and hopefully get some great photos (which we maybe able to use on the blog for a small fee)!

Walking on Exmoor

At The Dunkery Beacon, we are ideally situated for walking and as a result we have quite a few walking parties come to stay for bed and breakfast. Last week we had Pauline and Mike and their friends come to stay for 4 nights. With wonderful weather and walking, they had great time exploring Exmoor and visiting many of the lovely towns and villages in the area.

I couldn’t resist the beautiful sunshine yesterday so with the dogs for company (Derek was visiting his mum) I went off to Cloutsham Ball.
The 2 photos below are taken from the Ball in the trees towards Stoke Pero and looking towards Porlock Bay.

It was so warm and the heather so inviting, that I had had 10 minutes dozing in the sun. My thoughts on the meaning of life and what I was to cook for tea that evening were rudely interrupted by Soda frantically digging right by my ear and covering me in soil. She clearly felt bored and it was time to move on! We meandered over the top and onto Stoke Pero farm and church and then followed the river down through Horner woods. The dogs divided their time running about the woods on different scents, getting too hot and then wallowing in the water. Soda spent her time chasing sticks – as you can see she really does love the water!

It was surprising how much water was in the river considering we haven’t had any rain for best part of a month. Then it was over the bridge and back up the valley to the truck. A lovely afternoon spent just enjoying the beautiful countryside.