A beautiful (and romantic) Easter

We had a great Easter with a houseful of guests, friends and family but with a little planning and a lot of help the weekend flew by. The gorgeous weather really made everyone wind down and get into a relaxed holiday mood so nobody wanted to go home! The stay vacation that everyone had was a winner.

We had a lovely family staying who came to celebrate a friend’s birthday. With packed lunches on the moor and barb-b-cues in the evening, they had an idyllic time. Other b&b guests spent their days exploring Exmoor by going down by the rivers at Lanacre, Cloud Farm in the Doone Valley and Withypool, walking up over Dunkery Beacon or pottering around Selworthy, Dunster and Porlock.

Exmoor really is a special place – peaceful, tranquil and so far removed from the rush of everyday life. So we can quite understand why one of our guests choose Exmoor as the place to ask his girlfriend to marry him this weekend – it was so romantic!

Our nephew Neil and his wife Sally came for the day with their 2 boys Noah (3) and Rory (1) While Rory quietly sits and takes everything in Noah lost his shyness in about 10 minutes and was into everything. Tim then produced his birthday present to Noah – as Sally’s face fell, Noah’s lit up as he unwrapped a pump action water pistol. It is amazing how quickly he learnt the correct stance and how good his aim was – no one was safe (or dry)!

Bex’s dad and family came for the weekend and we all had a wonderful time - eating, playing and chatting.

Derek has seen his first swallows and up over Cloutsham the other day he saw a pair of cuckoos who were obviously engrossed in their mating rituals. This was a real treat as they are usually such timid birds.

We went over to Snowdrop Valley the other evening and the bluebells almost took our breath away with their colour and scent. While the dogs pottered in and out of the stream, Derek got quite carried away in his David Bailey moment and the results are pretty good (especially the one of the elf on the log)!.

Beautiful weather

The fantastic weather continues – it’s going to be hard accepting the rain when it comes! Mum is staying with us at the moment which is lovely – I get all the ironing done plus we have her company! It was so hot the other day that we took the dogs down to Landacre Bridge for a picnic, walk and swim. They love the water – Soda continually swimming for sticks while the spaniels pottered in and out busy doing nothing, something they so well. At the moment they are collapsed out on the lawn and we won’t take them out until this evening when it cools down.

We have a busy week with some of our bed and breakfast guests returning for another ‘fix’ of Exmoor and others coming to the area for the first time but all saying they will come again. A neighbour dropped a beautiful trout in that he caught that morning and I was debating on how I should tackle gutting it when one of our guests called Rob mentioned that he used to catch and gut trout all the time when he was young. Not one to waste an opportunity, 5 minutes later I had a beautifully prepared fish courtesy of Rob!

The weather has certainly shown off the moor to its best – it looks stunning at the moment with all the trees coming into bud and the bluebells, primroses and wildflowers filling the hedgerows. Derek has been busy in the garden and although the daffs are past their best, there is still loads of colour.

Spring visitors

We have had a flurry of friends call in to see us. I think the wonderful weather we have been having has made everyone want to get out and experience beautiful Exmoor (and have a cup of tea with us)! Angela and Paul came up from Woodbury, Liz, Dave and Chris from Sidbury and Payhembury, Dawn and Mike from Yeovil.

I was in the drive when a very large motorbike turned into the drive. When the helmets were removed I saw it was our neighbour and friends from Woodbury – John and Nina. John had had a bonus and instead of putting it into savings they had decided to enjoy it by buying a bike. I did ask if the male menopause had come into play!

Lucy has moved back to Exmoor - missing the countryside, the horses and the dogs but no mention of missing her mum or dad (no change there then)! Lucy starts work on Friday in her job so she has been taking the opportunity of riding Paddy when she can. Derek has sold his other horse as he just didn’t have the time to look after two. However now that Lucy is back I wonder how long it will be until they start searching for another one!

The garden is really starting to come into its own – with yellow rhododendrons, vivid tulips and the cherry tree is in full blossom. The dawn chorus is as beautiful as ever and the veranda is alive with sparrows, wrens and wagtails all nesting in the roof. A blue tit has nested on top of the ‘exit’ light giving it a certain amount of warmth but also 24 hour light! Our friend Ron phoned at the weekend to tell us he had just sighted the first swallow of the suummer in East Devon. No sign of any up here yet but I suspect it won't be long now.

We popped up to London for a couple of days to see Tim and Bex in their new flat which is really lovely – light and bright with plenty of room. It was great to see them looking so happy and well. On the Saturday they took us to where Bex works – she is a history teacher at North London Collegiate School (a very good girl’s school where my mum and aunt used to attend – small world). It was beautiful and strolling around the grounds I can see why Bex loves working there.

We then drove over to Harrow School where Tim now works as Operations Manager – a very full on role I gather but he has taken it in his stride and again enjoys it very much. Tim was able to take us around the grounds and some of the buildings – a far cry from where we used to go to school! It was fascinating and so steeped in history that I could have stayed there for a lot longer but the train beckoned and we were soon on our way home. Our trip was so quick and we packed so much into it we almost felt jet lagged by Saturday evening!

Experiencing Exmoor

With winter a distant memory(!) thoughts now turn to getting out and about and exploring beautiful Exmoor in the spring either on horse, bike or by car. An even better way of seeing the moor is by air. A neighbour of ours very kindly took me up in his 2 man plane a couple of years ago. Eddie keeps the plane in a barn and his field is where he takes off. Prehaps not the smoothest of runways and when I looked at the plane and saw how fragile it seemed, I did wonder whether my life insurance was up to date! However once we were in the air and flying across the moor and down the coast to Lynton (as opposed to Rio), everything was forgotten. The views were stunning and I think it was one of the best 2 hours I have ever spent.

However, if you don’t have a plane, walking is a wonderful way to spend a day. Derek took the dogs over to Molland Moor on Saturday and the photos are looking towards the distant hills of Dartmoor and some of the hounds and riders of the Devon and Somerset.

The Exmoor Perambulation is Exmoor's longest one day walking event and is held each year in June. The following information about the event is taken from Active Exmoor website.
This circular long distance walk, the Exmoor Perambulation, is a traditional walk dating back over 725 years. It's one of the most challenging walks in the Exmoor annual calendar and during the 31 miles of cross country walking you will be taking in breathtaking views and accessing parts of the National Park not normally open to the public. You will also be participating a bit of history!
Every June hundreds of people from around the country come together to tread the boundary of the old Royal Forest of Exmoor and pass through some unique areas of Exmoor not normally accessible to the public.
Started many years ago by Exmoor Youth Association, this event has been faithfully supported by a significant number of loyal volunteers without which the Perambulation would simply not exist.
Today the Perambulation of Exmoor Forest is organised annually by the Exmoor Tourist Association and the Exmoor National Park Authority.
This 31 mile walk is very challenging so training is highly recommended for the event, but it's well worth it as the views are spectacular across Exmoor National Park.
It's a huge achievement to complete the Perambulation but if it sound too much don't worry, there is also a half distance option. It starts at the same time and place as the main event but terminates at Check Point 5 (Picked Stones Lane) where you can enjoy our BBQ while waiting for our free mini bus service to take you to the finish at the Pinkery Centre.
For full details and to book your place visit www.exmoorperambulation.co.uk