Showing posts with label holiday cottages in Exmoor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday cottages in Exmoor. Show all posts

Friday, 18 May 2012

What’s your favourite excuse to take a walk?



Often the best excuse to go for a walk is that there is something at the end of it, like a cosy country pub, or a spectacular view, or even just a welcoming bench!

We thought we’d look into some of the reasons people go for walks, and pick out some sights, stopping points and cottages along the way...

1. Stretch your legs
Sometimes you don’t want anything too strenuous, just something to gently remind your legs what they are there for! Try the circular route upriver from Lynmouth to Watersmeet and then to Rockford, then back along the river via Contisbury Common. Stroll back to The Dairy.

The Clock House
2. Climb to a high vantage point
Dunkery Beacon is Exmoor’s highest point (1,705 feet), and, if the weather is fair, boasts stunning views of the coast and mountains of South Wales. Come back down to earth at The Clock House.

3. Give the dog some exercise
A route from Seaton up river to Hessenford provides a welcome outing for man’s best friend. Stop for lunch in The Copley Arms, a beautiful 17th century coaching inn by the river Seaton in Hessenford (dogs on leads are welcome in the bar area) before heading back to base at 6 Lyme Mews.

Fiddlesticks Cottage
4. Take a physical challenge
The 18-mile Camel Trail runs between Wenfordbridge, Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow, and follows the route of the old railway line, winding alongside the spectacular Camel Estuary. The route comes to an end near the moorland village of Blisland. Tom, Dick and Harry are waiting in Blisland to welcome you.

5. Give your eyes a feast
You can gape at towering cliffs and stunning rock formations if you take a route from Lulworth Cove, past iconic Durdle Door and along the coastal path. Don’t forget your camera! Rest your eyelids at Fiddlesticks Cottage.

What’s your favourite excuse to take a walk?

Top photo credit: Namlhots

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Get classical at the Two Moors Festival…

The Two Moors Festival is the South West’s most prestigious classical music festival. Made up of 30 concerts and talks held across eleven towns and villages on Dartmoor and Exmoor, the ever-expanding festival runs each October and attracts BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and many keen concert-goers from outside the area.

The concerts, which run from 13th to 22nd October, feature a variety of both established global performers and young, local musicians. The festival’s patron is HRH Sophie, The Countess of Wessex, and past performers have included Julian Lloyd Webber.

Ksenija Sidorova
We’re supporting the festival through a part sponsorship of one of the events - a celebrity recital in Widecombe-in-the-Moor on Monday 17th October at 7.30pm. The recital comprises Mozart Adagio and Rondo, Stravinsky Concertino, Schnittke Revis Fairy Tale, Nunn Escape Velocity and Astor Piazzolla Tango Sensations performed by accordian player Ksenija Sidorova and the Solstice String Quartet. Tickets are £16.

The aim of the festival is very much to support the local community and expand musical culture in the South West. Festival-goers and visitors to the region inject much needed out-of-season funds into the local economy, while revenue raised by the concerts helps the charity to continue its work beyond October. One of its goals is to introduce music to children in rural primary schools and since 2003, 38 schools and over 3000 children have benefited from music workshops.

The festival also operates an annual Young Musicians Platform competition, a unique opportunity for youngsters aged 18 and under who live or go to school in the South West. Past winners include professional musicians, undergraduates at major universities and those studying at recognised conservatoires. The festival headquarters on Exmoor also offer young professional musicians a much needed haven to rehearse throughout the year.

If you decide to visit the festival while you’re in the West Country, do let us know what you saw and how much you enjoyed it!

Need somewhere to stay? Take a look at our holiday cottages in Dartmoor and holiday cottages in Exmoor.