Terry is a rather handsome Exmoor Horn ram, with an impressive set of horns, and he has just had a short holiday in Cumbria visiting the massive Woolfest show. He was there with Lindy on her Exmoor Horn Wool stand and did a wonderful job of demonstrating wool on the hoof, in a super cool way, completely unfazed by the crowds passing his pen. Many stopped to chat to him and took photographs, although he did put his hoof down at selfies. The only time he got a bit mouthy was when it got close to his tea time, and he could see that Lindy and Julian, another Exmoor farmer involved with Exmoor Horn Wool, were so busy talking to people the thought of feeding him had completely gone out of their minds.
The Exmoor Horn Wool project is all about promoting and adding value to the Exmoor Horn sheep by selling their wool. Of all the hill breeds of sheep, Exmoor Horns have some of the finest wool. A group of Exmoor farmers, in partnership with the Exmoor National Park, got together a couple of years ago to form the Exmoor Horn Wool company and try and capitalise on the quality of the wool. Part of this involves taking stands at various shows, the most important of which is Woolfest, so important in fact that it required the presence of Mr Terry himself.
Exmoor Horns have been on Exmoor for over a thousand years, and are well suited to the extremes of climate often experienced on the high moor. Their wool reflects this, in that it is very robust, springy and with great thermal properties. The sheep themselves survive partly because they are very stubborn and wilful, can be quite aggressive, and will often see a dog off. Our sheepdog, Bruce, has had many a stand-off with a Horny. They can also be quite particular as to how many lambs they decide to raise. At the moment we have a Horny that had a triple and is raising all three, in spite of our attempts to help out by getting one on the bottle. On the other hand, we sometimes get a ewe that has two lambs, decides which one she will raise, and hands the other one over to us to feed. One year we had such trouble getting a Horny to feed any of her lambs we put her in a restraining crate, but she just got her horns under one edge of it and stomped off with it on her back.
In contrast, the rams are more relaxed about life. For rams generally this is unusual, and trying to stop rams fighting each other is a constant problem. Terry lives with two Suffolk rams, who will fight over nothing. When Terry was first introduced to them we feared the worst so we had them penned up tight in the sheep shed, not allowing them room to take a run at each other. We need not have worried. Terry turned to face one of the shed supports, rammed it furiously with his horns until the whole shed shook, then turned to face the Suffolks. The two Suffolks both became very interested with something on the ground. They have got on ever since.
Our spring crops have been planted and are thriving in the warm sunshine. The grass has been growing so well that it is now time to cut it and store it to feed our sheep and cattle through the winter. We have recently made some round bale silage. This involves cutting a field of grass and leaving it to dry. We generally leave it in situ for a couple of days, turning it twice a day to reduce the moisture content. When it is ready a local contractor comes to the farm and in farming terms ‘rues up’, which basically means a racking machine puts it into neat rows for the baler. Afterwards, another tractor and baler compacts the grass into round bales and wraps it in black plastic – the bales are stored in plastic so that the grass ferments into silage. The cattle love to eat this in the colder months of the year. While we were baling this year, a friend came along with his drone and took some wonderful photos of the field and our farm.
Killerton House is a particularly elegant 18th century building, surrounded by eighteen acres of landscaped and parkland gardens. They boast a wide variety of unusual trees and shrubs, collected by some of the great Victorian plant hunters. There are also wonderful herbaceous borders, a Victorian laundry, ice house, bear hut and chapel.
The interior of the house reveals a warm and welcoming Georgian family home, with a colourful history. On the first floor you can browse the renowned historical fashion collection, which is changed annually. During a visit you will be able to learn the history behind the many family portraits and listen to the country-house organ, still played every day.
Budlake Old Post Office – A stone’s throw from Killerton House you’ll find a 1950s post office that served the community until 1976. Fascinating vintage items fill the shelves and don’t miss the beautiful cottage garden with rose border, herb and vegetable plots.
Markers – An intriguing medieval hall-house with smoke blackened timbers and a rare 15th century cross passage screen, intricately painted and depicting St Andrew and his boat.
I had put her back in calf to a Blonde Aquitaine bull and was very excited at the prospect of new life on the farm. A cow is in calf for about 283 days, similar to us in the region of 9 months, so I was fairly certain that the day was soon approaching when another beautiful calf was to grace our farm.
I had her in a field near the house so that I could keep a close eye on her and it wasn’t long before the day arrived and she was showing sure signs of starting to calve. It is so important that the cow remains as quiet as possible, but, after a while with no visible progress, I started to feel concerned that things were not as they should be. She was getting very agitated and clearly not getting on with the job as in previous calvings. A very good friend of ours was an excellent cowman and I was soon on my mobile calling him from the field and describing what was going on. I explained that Daisy has started calving and I felt slightly worried.
Clearly Daisy didn’t much care for this idea! She let out this almighty bellow, gave one enormous push and the calf’s head appeared. A beautiful golden coloured bull calf was born and seemed none the worse for his journey into the world. Daisy turned slowly and began licking her newborn and within no time the calf was up and searching for the milk bar. A truly wonderful sight!
The remainder of the route covers a wide variety of landscapes, including wooded river valleys, moorland, coastal cliffs and sandy bays. Walking varies from easy through to moderate and strenuous, depending on the location, but, in general, it is comprehensively waymarked.
The trails are a popular tourist destination and bicycle hire businesses are available for those who wish to cycle along suitable sections of the Trail. A section of the Trail is part of the National Cycle Network’s route number 27 and forms part of the route known as the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route. This is a route of 102 miles stretching from Ilfracombe to Plymouth, largely using former railway lines.
Your first glimpses of the village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor is of a picturesque little hamlet that nestles snuggly between the rolling green hills of Devon farmland. It is set off by a spectacular backdrop of granite tors and moorland. The village has a coach and car park as well as the usual collection of craft shops and tea rooms, serving refreshments.
Next to the churchyard is Church House, built in 1537 as a brew house for the production of church ales. Church House is now managed by the National Trust, having also been a school house and alms house at various times in its history. The old Sexton’s cottage is also part of the complex, currently being utilised as a National Trust and Dartmoor National Park Information Centre and shop.
Catering facilities are available in the competitors paddock (admission FREE of charge) where a selection of food and beverages are available, both hot and cold, including breakfast rolls etc. A licenced bar is also open at the appropriate hours offering a range of alcoholic drinks, including beers from the local Otter Brewery. You can also enjoy an ice cream whilst you relax and watch the action.
The majority of motor sport in this country would not exist if it were not for the volunteer force of marshals, and Wiscombe park is no exception. The fact that these individuals are volunteers in no way compromises their skills and expertise, but do not let this wealth of experience deter you if you are a ‘rookie’ marshal or have yet to ‘step forward’. At most events the chief marshal ensures that there is a balance of experience on each post so there is usually a mix of experienced marshals working alongside those who are ‘learning the ropes’.
The floral exhibition takes place Saturday 4th June – Thursday 9th June at 10.00am – 6pm, except Sunday at 11am – 6pm. This is one of the premier events of its type, attracting visitors from all over the South West. View fine floral displays, presented in an entertaining, colourful and creative exhibition, designed with familiar blooms, as well as more exotic species.
The Cuckoo is a dove-sized bird with blue grey upper parts, head and chest and dark barred white under parts. With their sleek body, long tail and pointed wings they are not unlike Kestrels or Sparrowhawks in appearance. However, their behaviour could not be more different. Sexes are similar and the young are brown. They are summer visitors and well-known brood parasites; the females laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, especially Meadow Pipits, Dunnocks and Reed Warblers. Once hatched by their small, adoptive parents the fledgling Cuckoo evicts their hosts’ real offspring from the nest to avoid having to compete for food. Their recent population decline makes this a Red List species and means you are sadly less likely to hear their distinctive call nowadays.
The Italian Garden is a stunning blend of formality and colour and is Bicton’s world-renowned centrepiece. It provides the park’s most famous view across vast terraced lawns to a tiered fountain, standing directly in line with a distant obelisk and framed by a sunken avenue, originally excavated by French prisoners of war in 1743. The Italian Garden, so-named because its style originated in Renaissance Italy, was inspired by the French designer Andre Le Notre (1613-1700), who created the gardens at Versailles for Louis XI. Le Notre worked on at least one commission in London, and it has been suggested that he visited Bicton to draw the plan used by Henry Rolle when he laid out the Italian Garden in c.1735.
One of the world’s most attractive garden buildings, the Palm House was built in the 1820s to a daring curvilinear design using 18,000 small glass panes in thin iron glazing bars. It contains many rare and beautiful palms, which make a romantic setting for the civil marriage ceremonies we are able to hold in this historic building.
The Reg Imray Motorcycle and Car Collection
Indoor Play Zone (fully heated)
Outdoor Play Area