We are delighted that Alison and Duncan Waller have joined the Exmoor Holiday Group. They have a lovely self-catering cottage which sleeps two people. It's called The Freight Shed, because that's what it was in the good old days when there was a railway line over the Brendon Hills. The Freight Shed is a cosy hideaway for one or two people, with a woodburning stove in the bed/sitting room, and a separate kitchen and shower room. Dogs are allowed by arrangement.
The Wallers also have a very popular Land Rover safari business, called Barle Valley Safaris. They take guests on a fascinating trip around Exmoor in a spacious 110 Land Rover, often using little-known off-road tracks and ancient byways. In the ten years they have been providing safaris, they have gained a tremendous knowledge of Exmoor and its wildlife. The safaris start from Dulverton, Dunster and Minehead.

This year, the Dunster and Minehead safaris are allowed (under a special agreement with the Crown Estate) to use tracks in the Dunster Forest, which is an area of about 9,000 acres of woodland and moorland. For further information about the Freight Shed and Barle Valley Safaris please see http://www.exmoorwildlifesafaris.co.uk/

John and Penny Adie at Barkham http://www.holidays-exmoor.com/ are hosting a garden party on 28th and 29th June, in aid of the Two Moors Festival . There will be wine and Pimms, food, croquet, table tennis and (of course) music, which will be in the garden, weather permitting. On the Sunday there will be the grand finale of Beethoven's Choral Symphony conducted by Tom Poster.

The Garden at Barkham
No pre-booking needed but call 01643 831370 if you would like further information.

Margaret Rawle owns Winsbere House B&B, on the edge of Dulverton (which is where the Exmoor National Park Authority has its headquarters). Margaret has been busy over the winter. The house has been painted and the two double rooms have been re-decorated. Winsbere House has just been awarded Visit Britain 4 stars, so the hard work has been worthwhile! Margaret is a keen photographer. This is a photo she took of Dulverton:

At 3pm ans 4pm every Sunday during July and August, plus August Bank Holiday, there will be 'Dulverton Proms' in All Saints Parish Church, Dulverton. There will be a programme of popular organ, piano and choral music. Admission is free, but visitors are welcome to make a donation towards church funds. 'Come when you can -- go when you must!'

Also, on Sunday 10th August 11am to 5pm, several private gardens will be open to the public in and around Dulverton, to help raise funds for St Mararet's Hospice and The Riverside Youth Centre. Cream teas will be served in the Vicarage Garden.

Margaret advises anyone wanting a good view of Exmoor ponies in their natural habitat (open moorland) to look out for the 'Anchor Herd' on Winsford Hill, near Tarr Steps. She writes: 'Over 40 mares and around 20 foals are living along the full stretch of the moor from Mounsey Hill Gate to Comersgate this season. Do drive slowly, especially after dark, as they sometimes graze near the busy road.' She took this photo of a mare and foal on Winsford Hill:

If you see free-living ponies, please don't attempt to feed or stroke them. Most of them have never been handled, and you could get hurt. Also, ponies who associate cars with good things tend to hang around roads and car parks, where they could get run over.

Here's some summertime news from the Exmoor Holiday Group http://www.exmoor-holidays.co.uk/

Tortie Eveleigh at West Ilkerton Farm says that her Exmoor ponies have four foals so far: three colts and a filly. The Eveleighs are providing Landrover Discovery Tours round their farm this year. The tours take about 1 1/2 hours and are entirely off-road. Visitors will see North Devon cattle and their calves, Exmoor Horn sheep and their lambs and (of course) the Exmoor ponies and their foals. Another highlight for many visitors is meeting Basil the Shire horse, who is enjoying a well-earned retirement. For further details please see http://www.westilkerton.co.uk/


Sheila Gibbs at Wick House http://www.wickhouse.co.uk/ says that on Saturday 28th June there is a 'Foray into Faure' concert in St Mary's Church, Stogumber at 7.30pm.
Works will include Faure's Requiem and his Cantique de Jean Racine, Mozart's Laudate Dominium, and orchestral pieces by Walton and Delius.
Soloists Keith Jones and Jackie Butterworth
Tickets £10 (include refreshments) available from the Central Stores and the Old Vicarage, Stogumber (01984) 656634

Joan Atkins, who owns Stilemoor http://www.stilemoorexmoor.co.uk/ has been busy refurbishing the kitchen. It now has a dishwasher, larder fridge and electric cooker. A new patio area is nearly finished in the garden, so that guests can walk out through the French windows in the dining room and sit outside in good weather.

Apologies for no news during the summer, but it's the busiest time of year for accommodation providers.

Exmoor is now bathed in sunshine, and it's difficult to imagine the endless rain we experienced in July and August. Luckily, all our summer visitors made the best of it and enjoyed Exmoor whatever the weather. There's a surprising amount to do on Exmoor in the pouring rain, including a variety of all-weather attractions. The photo is of Beetle, the West Ilkerton Farm sheepdog, wallowing in a cool muddy puddle after a hard day's work this summer.

Autumn is a time for festivals and fun on Exmoor. The CAMRA Real Ale Festival is in Minehead next weekend (15th and 16th September), Porlock Arts Festival takes place from 20th to 23rd September, and The Exmoor Food Festival is from 6th to 14th October. Other major events in October are The Two Moors Festival (12th to 20th October) and Bampton Fair on 25th October.

Several Exmoor Holiday Group members have special events and residential courses in the autumn.

Sheila Gibbs from Wick House, Stogumber, http://www.wickhouse.co.uk/ , says that following the success of upholstery courses held in the spring, more are planned this autumn. The first one will start on October 22nd and will run over five days, so it will be an ideal opportunity to tackle a large (within reason!) item of furniture. Accommodation will be available in Wick House, and the course will be held daily from 10am to 4pm in Stogumber Village Hall. The tutor will be George Parsons. Please ring Sheila on 01984 656422 or e-mail sheila@wickhouse.co.uk

Tortie Eveleigh is running a residential course, on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st October, for people wanting to learn how to handle previously unhandled Exmoor ponies. The course Tutor is Vanessa Bee http://www.positivehorsemanship.co.uk/ .The residential places are all taken for the course, but there are limited places for spectators. The cost is £25 per day, which includes ad lib tea and coffee, and a light lunch. Places must be booked in advance. Please see http://www.westilkerton.co.uk/ for further details, or contact Tortie by phone 01598 752310 or e-mail eveleigh@westilkerton.co.uk

The photo is of (L - R) Philip Bee, Tortie Eveleigh, Chris Eveleigh and Vanessa Bee with three previously unhandled filly foals and one young stallion (who had been handled a bit but wasn't keen on the idea!) outside the barns at West Ilkerton Farm after a two day course in 2006.

The website www.whatsonexmoor.co.uk has a usefull list of all the events and guided walks on offer in the Exmoor area this autumn.

Exmoor Holiday Group members provide a wide variety of high-quality farm and country accommodation www.exmoor-holidays.co.uk

For self-catering vacancies information please ring Tortie Eveleigh on 01598 752310

For B&B vacancies information please ring Tricia Vellacott on 01398 323722

At Wick House www.wickhouse.co.uk Sheila Gibbs' Jack Russel, Jackie, has had four puppies. They are (from left to right) Buster, Daisy-May, Bramble and Poppy. They are four weeks old in this photo, and Sheila will send more photos as they grow up.

The puppies are in the willing hands of Alice and Frankee, who have joined the Wick House team to help with bed and breakfast, morning coffees, light lunches, cream teas, Sunday lunches and anything else which needs doing.

Wick House is in Stogumber, which nestles between the Quantock and Brendon Hills in Exmoor National Park. It provides a high standard of bed and breakfast accommodation, while maintaining a friendly, informal atmosphere.


Oh, and if anyone is interested in gardens and looking for something to do this weekend, Stogumber has 14 gardens open (16th & 17th June).

The other big event this weekend is the UK Ironman triathlon at Wimbleball Lake, which is expected to attract around 1,300 athletes from all over the world. There are still a few accommodation vacancies for this weekend, so please contact Tricia Vellacott or Tortie Eveleigh if you need somewhere to stay(contact details below).

Vacancies amongst Exmoor Holiday Group members www.exmoor-holidays.co.uk are filling up fast, especially for the summer holidays and October half term. To avoid disappointment, please book early.
For up-to-date information on vacancies and prices within the group, please telephone:
Tricia Vellacott on (01398) 323722 or e-mail stay@springfieldfarms.co.uk for bed & breakfast vacancies
Tortie Eveleigh on (01598) 752310 or e-mail eveleigh@westilkerton.co.uk for self-catering vacancies

Spring is a lovely time of year on Exmoor, with new leaves on the trees, wildflowers on the verges and new life wherever you look.

Elaine Goodwin at Lodfin Farm Bed & Breakfast www.lodfinfarm.com was delighted on 23rd April when her mare gave birth to a beautiful filly foal called Sky. As you can see from the photo, mother and baby are enjoying the lovely sunny weather we've had recently.

Children and pets are welcome at Lodfin. There are fishing lakes and a summer house for guests to use, and all guests are treated to a hearty Aga-cooked breakfast made with local produce.

At Twitchen Farm, near Challacombe, they have just completed a variety of clearly marked walks round the farm, from quick dog-walks to a Challacombe village walk. There is also a fascinating nature-trail round the farm, complete with an information sheet, which passes by old wildflower meadows, ancient hedgerows, coppiced woodlands and wetlands. These are habitats for an amazing array of mammals, birds, insects, plants, fungi and lichens. Jaye and Helen from Twitchen Farm say that in creating the walks they have learnt a great deal about their farm and its wildlife, and this has encouraged them to manage the farm for wildlife in various ways, like providing nesting boxes and cutting wildflower meadows only after they have seeded. The walks have been produced with financial help from the Exmoor National Park Sustainable Development Fund.

Bluebells at Twitchen Farm

Please see http://www.twitchen.co.uk/ for full details of the accommodation on offer at Twitchen Farm.

To see all the accommodation provided by the Exmoor Holiday Group, please see our website www.exmoor-holidays.co.uk

For bed and breakfast vacancies and information, please ring Patricia Vellacott on (01398) 323722

For self-catering vacancies and information, please ring Victoria Eveleigh on (01598) 752310

The new stable block at Stockleigh Lodge

Several members of the Exmoor Holiday Group offer accommodation for guests with horses. Some of these are bed and breakfast establishments and others are self-catering. Please look at our website www.exmoor-holidays for details of each property.
For bed and breakfast vacancies information, please ring Patricia Vellacott on (01398) 323722.
For self-catering vacancies information, please ring Victoria Eveleigh on (01598) 752310
One place which specialises in offering quality bed and breakfast accommodation for guests with (and without!) horses is Stockleigh Lodge, which is owned by Mike and Myra Ellicott. A brand new stable block has just been completed at Stockleigh Lodge, thanks to gales last December which brought three beech trees crashing down on the old stable block. Luckily, no humans or horses were hurt.

Stockleigh Lodge, near Exford in the heart of Exmoor
To view details of Stockliegh Lodge please visit the website www.stockleighexford.freeserve.uk