Friday 23 March 2012

Spring!

Spring has finally sprung at The Exmoor Centre. Only just though and you do have to look very carefully!

Weekends are starting to get booked up so now is the time to book yourself in for an expedition to the wilds of Exmoor. It really is the ideal spot to explore the remoter parts of the moor on foot or mountain bike, we can also put you in touch with horse riding stables within walking distance of the centre. With bunk spaces for 14 inside plus two campbeds in the living area and tent space in the grounds you can bring everyone along to enjoy the experience. The bunkhouse is remote, it lies just over a kilometre from the nearest tarmac road so access is not possible by car, we do however offer to transfer luggage with our Land Rover for a modest fee.

The remoteness of the bunkhouse means it is within The Exmoor Dark Skies Reserve (http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/environment/landscape/dark-skies) meaning if the nights are clear you will see an amazing night sky with more stars visible than you could imagine.

The Exmoor Centre is owned by a charity and run as cheaply as possible to provide accommodation for young people as it has since 1968. Email us at Stay@ExmoorCentre.co.uk for details.

Buds just starting to burst



The longer days are charging our solar batteries nicely now providing free lighting and 12v power for phone chargers and laptops.


The Pixie House.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Hide

I've been thinking of building a wildlife watching hide at The Exmoor Centre for a while now and have been mulling over where would be the best place to put it. I think I have cracked it.

The spot in the photograph below seems perfect, it is at the western boundary of the site high above the bunkhouse. I have chosen this spot for a number of reasons:

1. Its got a great view up the valley for deer spotting and is also close to the route the deer use when passing through the site.
2. Its at tree top height of the riverside trees meaning it has a clear view of birds perched in the higher branches.
3. It has an identifiable sheep track leading to it that can be easily improved for visitors to use to scale the steep hillside to access it.
4. It has a good view of the sky for spotting birds of prey, we have lots of Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel about with the occasional rarer birds such as Harriers.
5. It will have a clear view of the flight path to where we are hoping to put an Owl box soon.
6. It gets lots of late morning and is an ideal spot for morning coffee drinking.

The plan for the hide is to be built largely with materials we can find around the site. I am starting to stockpile these ready for the next time I can get a group of victims volunteers to help.

The perfect spot to build our hide.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

A Misty March Morning

I went out to The Exmoor Centre this morning to check it over after the weekends group had left.

Most of Exmoor is shrouded in mist but the centre is high enough to be above it so is bathed in bright spring sunlight. It seems the songbirds are wise to this and had all come to visit. They were all flitting about a bit but I managed to snap a few between slurps of my coffee...

The blackbird looked a bit miffed at being watched...

A female Chaffinch

Great Tit on a log

Great Tit on a branch

A male Chaffinch


On the way out to the Centre, just getting above the mist level...

Out at the Centre, still few signs of spring arriving...

Heading home, who stole the scenery?

Friday 2 March 2012

On yer bike!




Exmoor is one of the best places in the UK to ride a bike and The Exmoor Centre is an excellent basecamp if your bike of choice is a mountain bike.

The centre is on a rocky bridleway that decends from east and west to the bunkhouse so no matter which way you arrive from you arrive laughing and full of adrenaline.

The moor has miles of bridleway to explore and the landscape changes byt the hour with weather conditions and the every changing seasons so you'll never exhaust your options for rides. Exmoor is peppered with excellent pubs with roaring fires so drying out over a long lunch mid ride is easy to plan, we can help you if you don't know Exmoor, just ask. The management team are all keen cyclists with many years experience of both cycling and the pubs of Exmoor!

The Centre can sleep 16 inside and theres space for tents in the grounds so book yourself and all your friends in for some filthy bike fun. email us at stay@exmoorcentre.co.uk
Open moorland riding on the ridge above The Exmoor Centre

Fast coastal descent dropping 1000' in 2 miles!