Its been a while since I posted on this blog but thats because its been super busy at the camp in the early part of 2022.  We have had lots of lovely guests and some wonderful weather with a very dry April which has helped us to build our new barn at the yurt camp. The barn will be used for storing our yurts in over the winter and will have its own laundry too.  Its also been a damp sort of May which has helped the fields and hedgerows grow amazingly quickly, but June has started with some glorious days on which to celebrate HM Queen's platinum jubilee, and including the hottest day of the year so far, yesterday 17th June.  The swallows at the camp have managed to raise and fledge their first brood and they are so cute flying in and out of the stables with their parents.  The Canadian geese managed to hatch 4 goslings but sadly due to predation there is only one remaining but the parents are now more vigliant and very protective.  Our resident Swan Ethel has remained on our lake since the winter months and is maturing nicely now, she is getting her orange colouration on her beak rather than the immature grey.  The summer months are such a beautiful time to visit our yurt camp with so much wildlife flora and fauna to enjoy.

The weather has been kind to us over the past weeks since Christmas and its been relatively dry January after a very wet December.  The bookings are starting to come in now, and our 2 person Plym yurt and shepherds hut have been proving to be very popular with most of the low season dates already virtually full.  I am wondering whether our guests are still reluctant to travel abroad due to Covid, or whether they are just wanting a wonderful glamping experience in rural Devon.  It will soon be time to put our yurts back on the field again, and we are hoping that the lovely dry spell will continue at the beginning of March so we can get our yurts ready for Easter time.  The shepherds hut is still proving popular during the winter months with lovely guests staying over the past few days.  They have been treated to a beautiful sunny frosty morning today.  In other exciting news work is going to be starting soon on our new barn.  This is going to provide a larger and better storage area for all our sundry yurt items, as well as an on site laundry and will be connected to the electricity supply too.  We are hoping this will be completed well before the busy season at the camp and hope we can show this new facility off to our guests this year.  

Christmas has seemingly come around so quickly this year and its been a busy autumn and winter with lots of lovely guests staying our shepherds hut during the months since we took our yurts down for the winter.  The shepherds hut is available all year round and has a small wood burning stove which keeps the hut aired and cosy during the cooler nights.  We have had good news and our planning application for a new storage barn has been approved and work will start on this in the new year.  We have welcomed over 1000 guests in 2021, despite only being able to open fully from May.  We are hoping to welcome back lots more in 2022 too.  The new barn will mean that we will be adding some electricity to parts of the camp.  December has been a warm and relatively dry month with some lovely views of the annual meteor showers.  Star watching is always great on a clear night as we have very little light pollution in our rural setting.  Its not going to be long now before we think about putting our yurts back on the field in time for Easter.  Hopefully there will be no further pandemic restrictions - fingers crossed!  Stay safe :)

Its that time of year when we take our yurts down for the winter.  Its been an exceptionally busy season and we have been fortunate to welcome around 1000 guests to stay with us during the past few months.  This has been a wonderful tonic after the pandemic reduced our season in 2020 and in the early part of 2021.  The weather has been glorious and over the past few days our yurts have been taken down and all the various parts, canvasses, frames, beds and furnishings have been decanted into various places in our home - its a very tight squeeze in our house to get everything stored safely and to keep all the mattresses, bedding, duvets,  pillows, carpets, drapes, and ancillary items warm and dry during the winter months.  Every year for the past 10 years we have moved virtually everything from the yurt camp to our farmhouse 3 fields away which is a hug undertaking.  However this year we have finally taken the decision to ask for planning permission to erect a storage barn next to the stables and yard area at the camp so that we can store everything on site as opposed to having to transport most items to our house about 1/2 mile away by road.  We asked South Hams Council for advice prior to our application which was useful and we have already been given in principle approval and we are very hopeful that our request will finally be approved around the beginning of November.  It is slightly disappointing that the Parish Council have made an objection, but we are ever hopeful that their objection will be mitigated by the large amount of information already submitted in our application.  Who knows! I guess we will have to wait and see!!!  Please feel free to check out our plans here: 

http://apps.southhams.gov.uk/PlanningSearchMVC/Home/Details/213351
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They say that time flies when you are enjoying yourself and this summer has flown by and I only just realised today that its been a long time since I updated this blog.  The summer has been exceptionally busy at the camp.  The weather has been on the whole pretty good, with warm temperatures and lovely clear nights.  This week has seen some drizzle and humidity and with sunset around 8.30pm the nights are drawing in.  We have been very fortunate in having some lovely guests staying an enjoying camp fires, views over the meadow, and lots of wildlife activity with plenty of birds, insects, bats and of course our horses and poultry.  We have had to date around 900 people stay with us since we were able to reopen fully in May and we are still taking bookings for the rest of this season.  The swallows are starting to gather on the telephone wires and they usually depart for their journey back to Africa for the winter in the last week of August.  The climate change we have been experiencing may dictate their departure date and its been lovely and warm today with some hot sunshine when the cloud breaks.

We are still waiting with baited breath for the annual return of the swallows to the camp.  Every year since we built the stable block in 2008, has seen the arrival in the first week of April of flocks of swallows to the yard.  They are amazing creatures that make a journey to Africa for the winter and then journey back to breed in the UK each spring.  However we have had a very settled period of dry weather with very light winds and I am really hoping that this has delayed their return.  Last year there were several nests in our stables and each nest had up to 3 broods during the summer months.  The swallows are tiny birds but nevertheless noisy and I love hearing their chattering as they build their nests and feed their young.  Fingers crossed they return soon ! 

We are very fortunate to be in a beautiful picturesque part of South Devon where the number of cases of coronavirus have been very small.  We are currently preparing the camp and putting up our yurts once again and we have had a lovely surge in bookings over the past couple of weeks.  Everyone is keen to book a break to have something to look forward to especially with the unlikely prospect of any foreign holidays.  The picture above was taken very recently by a local man, Alan Letcher who is highly respected for his wildlife photography and particularly kingfisher pictures.

Yesterday Boris Johnson announced his roadmap for the relaxation of the lockdown restrictions.  We are so happy to say we are going to be able to reopen from the 12th April partially.  We have 2 kitchen an 2 bathroom areas so we will only be taking bookings for our shepherds hut and one of our yurts during the time from 12th April until the 17th May when we intend to reopen fully.  This is such positive news that the vaccination programme is working and the numbers of cases and deaths have been reducing in response to the government measures.  We will be very happy to be welcoming back all our guests particularly with the rise in popularity of staycations.  We are hoping for some lovely spring weather now, and some warmer temperatures.  We are also looking forward like most people to being able to see our family and friends.  My husband and one of my sons have already had their vaccines and I am hopeful that I will be receiving mine in the next cohort.  Its so lovely to have some positive news now as this winter and lockdown has seemed to be very long!

So we have been in yet another lockdown since the beginning of January with the pandemic accelerating in the UK, however we have still been taking some bookings for the summer months.  We are happy to reassure our guests that we will give refunds if we are unable to reopen due to any lockdown restrictions.  January has been a cold and wet month in Devon with even some snow falling which is quite unusual for our camp.  We are relatively near to the coast and hence why its quite unusual for us to see any snow and for it to actually lay on the ground.  There are now some lovely signs of spring with plenty of snowdrops and primroses emerging and we are delighted to have a new broadband connection using microwaves and a mast.  The previous broadband connection was on old copper phone lines, and was virtually like dial up, however since our new connection was established a few days ago its very promising that we will have some excellent speeds bringing us into the 21st century!!!

November the 5th is usually the time for bonfires and fireworks, however 2020 has been a very unusual year and we find ourselves in the grip of a second wave of Coronavirus.  The government have quite rightly decided to advise another lockdown and we have sadly had to postpone all our bookings in our shepherds hut for the next 4 weeks until the 3rd December 2020.  Our yurts are now taken down for the winter and will be put back up around Easter 2021 all being well.  We are very hopeful that these current measures will ensure that the NHS is not overwhelmed and we hope all our guests will stay safe and adhere to the rules.  Whilst we are unable to accept guests at present we are really happy to take bookings for 2021 when we are hoping that the pandemic will be under control and a vaccine may be available.  So if you fancy booking early to beat the rush and would like to stay in 2021, please give me a call or email and we can get your staycation holiday booked in.