We are please to share with you our new video of Huxtable Farm B&B Accommodation courtesy of Ryan Hallett
More videos of Huxtable Farm, it’s wildlife and what you can do whilst staying in North Devon near Exmoor National park can also be viewed on the website’s Video Tour page
Enjoy 🙂
Huxtable Farm B&B Accommodation, West Buckland, Barnstaple, Devon near Exmoor National Park and historic market town South Molton, Castle Hill Gardens Filleigh
Lambing finished a few days ago and the lambs are growing well, despite the grass not growing as vigorously as it should be at this time of year.
Please click HERE to view other video’s taken at Huxtable Farm B&B.
rhubarb in garden
We’ve just enjoyed this years first rhubarb at breakfast and soon I’ll be able to plant out the various seedlings from the greenhouse too. With so much to do in the garden at this time of year it’s always great to have a break and visit RHS Rosemoor Gardens and see what the experts are doing and get inspiration from the other glorious Gardens of North Devon; Castle Hill Gardens (just down the road from Huxtable Farm) is looking good this month with it’s camellias in flower. Marwood Hill Garden with it’s beautiful wisteria archway.
Walking in North Devon during May is very popular staying over night at Huxtable Farm B&B whilst walking the Macmillan Way West or Tarka Trail, both passing the entrance to Huxtable Farm – We always enjoying hearing about everyone’s adventures! Click here for information on walking & cycling in North Devon.
Treasue Trail at Huxtable Farm B&B, North Devon
If you enjoy a walk in the countryside, Huxtable Farm’s Devon Wildlife farm trail has a variety beautiful wild flowers and foliage to enjoy in its variety of habitats; woodland, pasture, pond, bracken slope and hedges. To make it even more interesting we even have a ‘Treasure Trail’ for you to enjoy!
Events taking place during May;
The Devon County Show, takes place this month on the 17th, 18th & 19th May, near Exeter. With something for everyone from prize winning animals, new vehicles & machinery to beautiful crafts & scrumptious food & drink, this is a great day out for all.
RHS Rosemoor Gardens Spring Design & Living Fair 5th – 7th May, Plant Heritage Spring Fair 12th – 13th May & future event – RHS Rossmoor’s Flower Show 17th -19th August.
20th May & 10th June 2018 – Point to Point at Bratton Down.
Tomatoes, vines & sunflowers in greenhouse
Fun filled drop in craft and ranger days at National Trust Arlington Court
Bee Keeping experience days at Quince Honey Farm
Meet ‘Chase’ from Paw Patrol at The Milky Way Adventure Park 2nd June
Meet Rex the T-Rex and his baby dinosaurs at The Big Sheep Adventure Park 6th May
In June you can look forward to;
The South Molton Vintage Rally: 2nd & 3rd June : Cars, motorcycles, steam engines, crafts, & demonstrations of rural skills.
Clovelly Seaweed Festival, 27th May : Promoting seaweed for its immense health & nutritional benefits, in aid of North Devon Hospice
or just come and enjoy panoramic views from Huxtable Farm B&B!
Enjoying the view South towards Dartmoor
Lambing Live here at Huxtable Farm B&B – The ewes have started to have their lambs and will be for the next three weeks.
With a variety of eggs are in the incubator now – We’re hoping to have some chicks hatching on Easter morning, making your Easter stay at Huxtable Farm eggstra special – We look forward to sharing this special Spring Bank Holiday weekend with you.
With Easter (April Fools Day 🙂 1st April nearly here here are a few event’s occurring near to Huxtable Farm Bed and Breakfast (click on this link), in North Devon. Not only is there so much to see and do on and around the farm, there are so many #Easter #Egg hunts to look forward to at all the attractions in the area; Quince Honey Farm, Castle Hill Easter Bunny Hunt The Big Sheep, The Milky Way, NT Arlington Court, RHS Rosemoor, Hartland Abbey and find the Easter chicks at Clovelly!
Huxtable Farm B&B, West Buckland, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 0SR
Here are a few snowy photographs from around the farm for you to enjoy – Hopefully you can find the various locations around the farm without snow when you visit Huxtable Farm B&B in warmer weather conditions.
Lambing has started we’ve had a triplet and two doubles today, the daffodils and primroses are brightening up the garden, Easter is next week, the sun is shining so it’s starting to feel more like Spring 🙂
World Book Day – A freezing cold day great for curling up with a good book.
We’re so lucky in North Devon to have a variety of great authors, past & present and books about North Devon
Book all about – Huxtable Farm – The story of a Devon Farm
From our own book about Huxtable Farm edited by Barbara Payne ‘Huxtable The Story of a Devon Farm’ to Henry Williamson’s ‘Tarka the Otter’
‘Huxtable The Story of a Devon Farm’ can be purchased at £7.50 plus P&P Contact jackie@huxtablefarm.co.uk
Henry Williamson ‘Tarka the Otter’ – Follows an otters joyful water-life and death in the country of the two rivers, Taw and Torridge. The ‘Tarka Trail’ passes the entrance to Huxtable Farm B&B.
R F Delderfield’s ‘To Serve Them All My Days’ – First published in 1972, the book was adapted for television in 1980. Set between WW1 and WW2 the book is follows a young shell- shocked man’s life as a master at a remote Devon School. R. F. Delderfield’s time at West Buckland School served as an inspiration for ‘To serve them all my days’
Johnny Kingdom ‘A Wild Life on Exmoor’ A wildlife photographer specialising in his local area Exmoor & North Devon
R D Blackmore ‘Lorna Doone’ – A romance of Exmoor, based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly around the East Lyn Valley area of Exmoor
Books by North Devon Authors
David Kennard ‘A Shepherd’s Watch’ – David Kennard lives a life most people can only dream about. Farming on a spectacularly beautiful part of the Devon coast he has an almost telepathic bond with nature and with his working sheepdogs.
Norma Huxtable ‘Positively The Last Word on Exmoor’ – Norma Huxtable a farmer, landlady, writer, wit and all-round exposer of the social scene that makes Exmoor such a unique place to live
Veronica Henry ‘The Long Weekend’ , ‘A Night on the Orient Express’ and many more page turning romance novels. One of my favourite present day novelist.
Charles Kingsley – Westward Ho! (A north Devon seaside town near Bideford, with a large sandy beach & unique pebble ridge) – A novel was based on the adventures of Elizabethan corsair Amyas Preston who sets sail with Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and other privateers to the New World, where they battle with the Spanish.
Save the Date: 21st – 29th September 2018 for Appledore’s Book Festival – When you get a chance to meet some authors.
Which ever book you read today stay safe and warm
Bird box
Time to enjoy the beautiful snowdrops of North Devon, littered in the hedgerow at Huxtable Farm B&B , RHS Rosemoor and at Snowdrop Valley (a privately owned remote valley in a hidden part of Exmoor close to Whedden Cross open to the public 27th Jan – 25th Feb)
The bird boxes are up around the farm again – Looking forward to house this year’s Spring birds.
Stream on Devon Wildlife Farm Trail
This February you can also get a taste of Exmoor by sampling the delicious, local food prepared by some great Exmoor restaurants during ‘The Exmoor Food Festival’ – Eat your way across Exmoor during February 2018! Participating restaurants across the region will offer 2 courses for £10.00 / 3 courses for £15.00 between 1st and 28th February. Great to stop off at during a walk on Exmoor or after having done Huxtable Farm’s Wildlife Trail
Our flock of sheep are due to start lambing at the end of March and during April – Do come and enjoy this time of year with us.
To help you enjoy what’s going on in North Devon in February and March we have some SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES at Huxtable Farm B&B until 13th March 2018.
Owl box on Wildlife farm trail
Otherwise, please have a look at the fantastic variety of events due to take place in North Devon during 2018 by looking at Huxtable Farm B&B’s local Events/Farm Calendar
Including some #Easter #Egg hunts to look forward to at all the attractions in the area;
April – RHS Rosemoor – Easter Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt & Easter crafts.
Easter fun at National Trust Arlington Court & Cadburys Easter Eggs Hunt.
Quince Honey Farm, The Big Sheep, The Milky Way, NT Arlington Court, RHS Rosemoor, Hartland Abbey and find the Easter chicks at Clovelly!
Bottle fed tame lamb
Pumpkin Face at RHS Rosemoor Gardens
Happy Halloween, enjoy the festive fun of dressing up and having a laugh 🙂
Jacob ram with ewes
The rams have now joined the ewes, so with a gestation period of 21 weeks we should have the first lambs around the 25th March and be #lambing during the 2018 #Easter holidays
Ram with ewes
Huxtable Farm Jacob wool products – Christmas and 7th (wool) Anniversary gifts
Please remember, if you’re looking for a unique Christmas or 7th (wool) Anniversary gift or just want to wrap up warm this winter please do have a look at Huxtable Farm B&B’s Jacob Wool products for sale; 100% wool throws, knee rugs, cushions, scarves, knitting kits, hand knitted hats and cowls. We also have 100gm balls of Jacob sheep wool in three different colours, cream, grey & dark brown.
Throws by the fire
So much happening in North Devon this October. . . .
Autumn conkers, North Devon
‘Things you can do for free at Huxtable Farm B&B, North Devon’ – Feed the hens and collect their eggs, identify bats at dusk, enjoy the beautiful colours of the leaves in the woodland whilst taking a braising walk around Huxtable Farm’s Devon Wildlife Farm Trail, pick apples, collect conkers, see how many different fungi you can find and more . . . .
Autumn leaves (Autumn walks in North Devon)
A variety of fungi in the woodland at B&B near Barnstaple
Pumpkin Face at RHS Rosemoor Gardens
To see what else is happening in North Devon this October please click on the following links;
RHS Rosemoor in October, 7th & 8th October Apple Festival, 13th -15th October Wood Festival, 21st & 22nd Antiques & Collectors Fair, 28th & 29th Pumpkin Weekend.
Halloween Festival at The Big Sheep 21st – 29th October – Pumpkin carving, haunted house, spooky castle, free face painting and much more!
Star Wars at The Milky Way 28th Oct
National Trust Arlington Court in October: 21st – 29th October Haunted Halloween Trail, 27th Oct Spooky Night Walk, 24th & 27th Oct Halloween Crafts
North Devon Food Festival
North Devon Food Festival 22nd October
19th – 29th October Exmoor’s first Dark Skies Festival, celebrating Exmoor National Park’s status as Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve. The Festival will appeal to families and children as well as those more experienced in watching the stars.
Don’t forget there’s so much you can do at Huxtable Farm B&B for FREE too
July fruit
The abundance of fruit (gooseberries, rhubarb, red currants, black currants, loganberries & raspberries) has kept us busy picking fresh fruit for the breakfast table and making a variety of preserve jams also for the breakfast table to enjoy with warm butted toast or croissants.
Raspberry picking
Raspberry picking
Thank you to my little helps ! 🙂
Hampton Court Flower Show Roses
Having been to Hampton Court Flower Show 2017 and loving the roses purchased there,
Hampton Court Flower Show, Monty Don and Joe Swift
makes me so grateful that we have RHS Rosemoor so close to visit at anytime of year, so special at the moment as it’s RHS Rosemoor’s Rose Festival until 30th July, the roses and their scent are amazing as is the gorgeous ‘Hot garden’.
RHS Rosemoor Gardens, rose festival and hot garden
Mean while here at Huxtable Farm B&B the newly created ‘Wild Flower’ patch is looking lovely and is a great hit with insects and butterflies, as is the wildlife pond too!
Wild Flower patch at Huxtable Farm B&B, North Devon
Wildlife pond at Huxtable Farm B&B, West Buckland, Devon
Recently caught on camera, whilst on the Devon Wildlife Farm Trail at Huxtable Farm a ‘Funnel-web spider’ with it’s prey, a grass hopper.
The French Toulouse Goslings are now fully grown
Things to do this July;
RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival has 2000 roses on display now 17th June – 30th July – The largest rose gardens in the South West. Pick up your free Rose Trail Garden Map when you get there.
Lynmouth Raft Race 22nd July
Clovelly Maritime Festival 16th July
Mid Devon Show – National Trust Knighthayes, Tiverton 22nd July
National Trust Arlington Court – Family ranger days, drop-in family crafts & garden days – PDF of events
Things to do for free at Huxtable Farm B&B
Gardens to visit in North Devon
Beaches to visit in North Devon
Blackberry flowers at Huxtable Farm B&B
Looks like there’s going to be a bumper crop of blackberries this Autumn. However, there’s plenty of fruit to pick for the breakfast table at the moment to eat fresh or to make jam with – Fresh raspberries, ‘Gooseberry & Elderflower’ and Loganberry jams.
July fruit
Things to do this July;
RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival has 2000 roses on display now 17th June – 30th July – The largest rose gardens in the South West. Pick up your free Rose Trail Garden Map when you get there.
Lynmouth Raft Race 22nd July
Clovelly Maritime Festival 16th July
National Trust Arlington Court – Family ranger days, drop-in family crafts & garden days – PDF of events
Things to do for free at Huxtable Farm B&B