By the end of September all our yurts are safely stored away in our barn and our lives become slightly quieter during the autumn and winter months.  There are still some lovely guests staying in our shepherds hut which is perfect for a quiet break outside of busy holiday seasons.  Our shepherds hut is a cute little space with a double bed and bunk beds so suited to couples and families alike.  The hut has a highly efficient wood burning stove so is always toasty even during the cooler months.  The hut has electricity inside, and access to our superfast wifi so is ideal for those looking for a winter break.  Locally there are many lovely markets held during the festive season so plenty of opportunities for Christmas shopping - is it too early to mention Christmas?  We always decorate our shepherds hut over the festive time so expect some tinsel and baubles if you stay during December!  The local pubs offer fantastic seasonal produce in the Tally Ho Inn at Littlehempston, the Sea Trout Inn at Staverton and the Pig and Whistle at Littlehempston - we are so lucky to have these wonderful pubs on our doorstep!

Autumn is a wonderfully peaceful time to visit South Devon, when the school holidays are over but the weather is still nice and warm and the hedgerows are full of blackberries and the orchard full of apples.  This September has had some lovely clear cool evenings just perfect for sitting outside around the camp fire watching the starry skies.  Our shepherds hut is available all year round and provides all the home comforts with superfast Wifi and electricity and a quirky wood burning stove inside to keep the hut lovely and cosy.  The morning mists have been rising across the river Hems and the harvest festival will be held this Sunday at Littlehempston Church.  

The weather has been glorious over the past few days with high humidity and stunning clear dark nights with a fabulous full moon.  The Barn owls have been hunting in our fields over the evening until dusk and the lake is looking amazing with an array of water lilies and the usual moorhens with chicks, mallards with ducklings and the Canadian Geese whose 4 goslings are reaching full size and will be flying off in the next couple of weeks for their adventures.  The swans, Ethel and Beau, have failed to nest this year and we are not sure why.  Perhaps because last years brood didnt fledge until April and that has left little time for the adults to start their courtship again.  Ethel has had a problem with her balance when not on the water but Beau is a superb looking adult male and is very protective of her.  We are so privileged to have these elegant birds living with us and we cherish their company.  We always advise our guests, if walking in our fields, to give them plenty of space as they are wild creatures and can be unpredictable at times.  We still have some availability for the summer holidays which will be starting next weekend when our local schools break up so please get in touch if you would like to stay.   Our recent guests have enjoyed all our lovely improvements for this season with our superfast Wifi and internet and we are now also able to offer everyone conventional electricity in a dedicated kitchen/fridge room with microwave, kettle, toaster charging points for gadgets, phones and ipads, and even an air fryer.  The shepherds hut is also now fully equipped with electricity.

Its been the wettest winter on records for most of the UK and for us here in South Devon we had seen around 100 days with rain and the sun was a stranger to us.  However our yurts are now built and ready for guests and the sun has been shining.  Everything is looking so green and verdant and the temperatures are rising.  Recent guests have been treated to some lovely clear nights with great views of the stars and in the next week we will hopefully have some views of the Lyriad meteor showers.  The Aurora Borealis has been seen over some places in Devon too, although we have yet to see this amazing spectacle.  The swans on our lake are looking to nest again and the Canada geese have already been sitting on their nest.  The female mallard has been parading her 13 babies in the lake field and they are growing fast now having been born on Easter Sunday.    Weather is set to be very warm towards the beginning of May and we are looking forward to having a great season. 

We are ever reliant on technology these days, and so there has been lots of progress since first opening our camp in 2012. 

We are really pleased to now be able to offer, superfast fibre broadband at our glamping site.  We have waited for many years with poor dial up service and we are really delighted that we have been able to have the fibre to the premises installed at our barn at the camp in December 2023.  So if you are going to be staying in 2024 then you will be able to have free access to our superfaast wifi whilst you are on holiday.  

In addition to the upgrade to superfast broadband we are now able to offer an online booking service using card payments.  We have used an online booking service Q-book and hopefully the new addition to our website will be easy to use.  Any feedback is gratefully received but if you prefer our old fashioned method then just get in touch via email or give us a call on 01803 762774 or 07779 800703.  You will still need to get in touch by phone if you want to use a voucher from our partners, Virgin experience Days, Buy a Gift, Red Letter Days or Wonderdays.

The other improvement we have made for 2024 is the addition of an electrical supply option for our guests.  There are individual fridges available for each yurt and shepherds hut, and there are plug sockets for hair dryers and mobile charging and an electric kettle and small microwave.  These are in a separate "fridge room".  If you want to use these please tick the box on the booking form for these.

We are looking forward to the spring weather too having had a few storms in quick succession recently - roll on summer!!!

January has started with some very wet and soggy weather and more recently, this morning a tiny smattering of snow - very unusual in South Devon to have any of the white stuff, but this morning a few flurries were coming down and the temperature was pretty nippy.  My husband, Alan and I are making the most of our down time and have just been to our lovely local pub, the Tally Ho Inn, at Littlehempston for lunch.  Its just a short walk being only 3/4 of a mile away from the camp and the food is wonderful.  The fire was roaring and the range of local ales and beers is impressive.  Its always worth paying a visit when you stay with us, Kelly and Mike the landlord and landlady will always offer a very warm welcome.  This time of year is our down time with all our yurts safely stored away until Easter and we only operate our shepherds hut during the winter months.  The shepherds hut can sleep 4 persons and has a lovely little wood burning stove and is very cosy during the cooler months.  Even when the weather outside is miserable its nice to snuggle up with the evocative smell of the crackling logs in the stove. We are already taking bookings for the spring and summer of 2024 and if you would like to come and stay with us please get in touch.  

Our yurts are now stored away safely for the winter and October and November have been rather wet months with a series of winter storms coming to Devon, with the latest Storm Ciaran impacting on the south west particularly the Channel Islands.  Guests have however been enjoying the comforts of our shepherds hut during these autumn and early winter weeks.  We are able to offer our shepherds hut all year around, whilst the yurts are only available from Easter to the end of September.  The shepherds hut can sleep up to 4 persons and has a lovely little outside seating area and fire pit, and a wood burning stove inside. Its perfect for a quiet peaceful and private get away during the quieter autumn months.  We have recently been able to offer our guests Fibre broadband and a kitchen room with electricity, fridges and kettle.  In previous years we have encouraged our guests to embrace a digital detox away from these luxuries of home, but we have moved forwards and can now offer all the little extras of home from home even whilst glamping!!!  

Global warming is rising and with this comes the hottest day of the year in 2023 during September.  Its a shame for all the families with children who have stayed during August this year when the weather has been rather soggy at times with a few unseasonal storms, with high winds and accompanying rain.  However its wonderful for our current guests who are having lovely warm temperatures and clear nights to observe the wildlife and the stars.  Apparently its a heatwave when the temperature is over 25 degrees for 3 days running.  With September also comes the darker evenings and as I write this blog its currently getting dark around 8pm.  The best time to enjoy a camp fire is just as the sun is setting and the stars appear and the owls start hooting.  The tawny owls are particularly noisy at this time of year when the young and out and about looking for their own territory.  

Its been a while since we updated this blog - time flies when you are busy!  The camp has welcomed many guests this spring and summer and they have been enjoying the wonderful sunshine and clear nights.  In June the weather was very hot for a prolonged period of time and the fields are dry and parched with low levels of rainfall.  Global warming and an El Nino year are to blame for the changes we are observing and our wildlife and livestock are fortunate in that we have a spring fed lake and River Hems on our land which means there is always a water supply available to them.  This also means that our guests are fortunate to be able to observe nature and wildlife just happening right outside the door of their yurt. We are always in the process of developing our site and upgrading our facilities to meet the needs of our guests and this summer we are going to be able to offer fridges for keeping drinks and food cool, and in addition some mobile phone charging points connected to the electricity.  There will be a small additional charge for this, however if guests want to keep things natural and off grid then ice blocks and cool boxes will still be supplied along with use of the solar charging points in the camp.

February has proved to be a rather dry month which is quite surprising and its been a little chilly too.  Not too much frost but a nippy wind today.  The daffodils and snowdrops are rather late here this year, but still a lovely display.  Next week we are going to start putting our yurts back on their bases ready for the beginning of the season.  Lets hope the weather stays dry for the yurt building.  We always welcome help from anyone who would like to know how to build a yurt - give us a call if you would like to come and help!  Lots of bookings coming in now.  Sometimes people ask me for ideas of interesting things to do when staying here and I can recommend all sorts of activities including beautiful walks, visits to Dartmoor and the local beaches, local towns and villages and tourist attractions,  However if you are interested in something a little more sedate why not try a workshop making a mosaic.  Check out this website for bookings: www.mosaic-workshops.co.uk .  The lady who runs these is delightful and offers really fun days out making wonderful works of art in mosaics.