This is one of my favourite times of the year – the days are warming up and getting long, the garden is bursting into colour with daffodils, primroses, blossom and camelias, whilst new life is born on the farm as the Jacob ewes lamb and broody hens appear with their chicks. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place and we love sharing it with you.
Jacob ewe & lamb
Easter Eggs
On Easter day (31st March) there’s always an Easter egg hunt here at the farm and Easter activities at some of North Devon attractions too e.g. RHS Rosemoor Gardens Giant Easter Egg Hunt 29th March – 14th April. Castle Hill Gardens, Filleigh 29th Easter Bunny hunt. The Big Sheep, Bideford Easter Egg Trail 29th March – 14th April
Bookings for the B&B and the three unique camping pitches are coming in as visitors are making sure they get the room and or camping pitch they want. We look forward to hearing from you too.
Now that the summer days are longer and warmer camping at Huxtable Farm is popular, especially if you wish to camp with no other campers next to you and have your own private bathroom.
If you have family members who are not keen on camping, then Huxtable Farm has the luxury of being able to offer them Huxtable Farms B&B accommodation, whilst those who wish to camp under canvas or the stars can still do so.
With the farm (woodland, pasture, pond & stream) to explore, via it’s Devon Wildlife Trail, you have a chance to ‘ Get back to nature’, breath in the countryside and enjoy the space our farm has to offer.
June & July are also fantastic times to visit the wonderful gardens in North Devon including; RHS Rosemoor, with it’s Rose festival 17th June – 16Th July (Rosemmor probably has the largest variety of roses, more than 2000, in the UK), Castle Hill Gardens (just 2 miles down the road from Huxtable Farm), Marwood Hill gardens just the other side of Barnstaple, Tapeley Park at Instow and National Trust Arlington Court, 12 miles north west of Huxtable Farm.
Cycling theTarka Trail, North Devon
For the adverturous, there are bike trails, such as the Tarka trail or mountain biking on Exmoor with ‘Exmoor Adventures‘ who also offer paddle boarding, kayaking, rock climbing & archery. Surfing at the reknowned beaches of Croyde, Saunton and Woolacombe, or kite surfing at Westward Ho! Off road adventures at ‘Keypitts’, where you can have a 4X4 Landrover experience, go Quad biking or Axe throwing.
Fruit; Raspberries, Gooseberries and Logenberries
Here on the farm, it’s a busy time, picking fruit, to be used at the breakfast table either served fresh, as a compote or homemade jam to enjoy on freshly baked toasted bread.
It’s also time when the Jacob sheep are shorn and their Jacob fleeces are sorted so that they are suitable for crafters to purchase, such as spinners or felters.
May is a fabulous month for walking in North Devon – The Macmillan Way West and Tarka Trail, both pass the entrance to Huxtable Farm,so we get quite a few staying over night and we always enjoying hearing about everyone’s adventures! Then there’s the South West Coast Path; with the stunning sandy beaches of Woolacombe, Saunton & Westward Ho! and Croyde beach, one of the best surfing beaches in the UK. The two point either end of Woolacombe beach, Baggy Point and Morte Point are both stunning to walk, with views out to Lundy Island.
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 varied habitats; woodland, pasture, pond, bracken slope and hedges. To make it even more interesting we also have a ‘Treasure Trail’ for you to enjoy!
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 fabulous this month with it’s camellias in flower as is Marwood Hill Garden with it’s beautiful wisteria archway.
Events taking place during May;
Devon County Show 18th, 19th & 20th May. If you love animals, tractors, food, music, dog shows, funfairs, crafts, gardens, shopping and anything associated with country life in Devon, then you will have a great day at the Devon County Show.
During June, the sheep get shorn and we start to pick fruit & make homemade jam.
Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam
Elderflower & Gooseberry jam is first, followed by redcurrant jelly, blackcurrant, loganberry and raspberry jams. Not all the fruit is made into jam, to have on your warm buttered toast or croissant, some is served fresh and/or as a compote to add to yogurt, at breakfast time.
June and July are great months to visit the beautiful gardens of North Devon to see what they do with their fruit or enjoy their summer plants; Castle Hill Gardens are only 2 miles from Huxtable Farm B&B, Marwood Hill gardens just the other side of Barnstaple, Tapeley Park at Instow, National Trust Arlington Court 12 miles away and RHS Rosemoor to the south at Torrington with its Festival of Roses 18th June to 17th July
Shearing Jacob
During June, the sheep are shorn and the fleeces are sold to spinners & weavers but I always keep one to spin my own wool too. Please do look at what else is available to purchase made from the wool of our Jacob sheep. In addition to Jacob wool items; throws, cushions, knitted hats and toys, we also have some prints and cards of my water colour paintings available to purchase too, please do have a look at some of them here – Gifts from Huxtable Farm.
To celebrate Huxtable Farmhouse being 500 years old we are giving everyone who stays at Huxtable Farm a free copy of our book ‘Huxtable The Story of a Devon Farm’. Do check availability for when you can stay either in the B&B rooms or camping on one of our three secluded pitches, each with thier own wash room;-
If you’ve started to think about Christmas please do have a look at our unique Christmas gifts made from our Jacob sheeps’ wool, including these gorgeous hand knitted elephants with removeable clothing, Jacob wool throws & cushions, knitting kits, hand knitted hats etc. All made with love.
Hand Knitted elephants (approx 20cm tall) with removable clothing £19 each
Huxtable Farm Jacob wool throws and cushions, only a few dark throws & cushions available now.
Printnineteen Christmas Cards
Thinking of supporting small businesses, our daughter, Natalie’s business,‘Print Nineteen’, has some beautiful unique cards and prints (including personalised), many produced from foliage from around the farm. Do have a look at her beautiful new Christmas cards and gift wrap paper.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Huxtable Farm‘s; two B&B bedrooms (a family bedroom and twin bedroom) and three camping pitches, each with thier own bathroom, from April 2022. To avoid disappiont it may be advisable to book early. In the meantime, we are busy maintaining the farm ; hedge laying, fencing and selling logs for winter fuel.
There are so many beautiful Gardens to visit in North Devon; Castle Hill gardens 2 miles from Huxtable Farm B&B, Marwood Hill Gardens, Tapely Park Instow, not forgetting RHS Rosemoor near Torrington, you will be spoilt for choice.
Fish for newts, water boat men and find out what else is in the pond!
The hay is in the barns, most of the fruit picking is done and the school holidays are upon us – August and it’s time to enjoy the farm and it’s surroundings.
Get back to nature; Explore the farm via it’s Devon Wildlife Farm Trail or Treasure Trail.
Build a den in the woodland and dams in the stream
July – The orphan tame lamb, ‘Rockie’ (Jacob cross Romney sheep breed), has been weaned off his bottle of milk and joined the flock so that he has some friends to play with!
rhubarb, gooseberries and redcurrants
Picking has started in the fruit garden – Gooseberry’s, redcurrants, rhubarb and the raspberries will be ready soon.
Fresh home-grown fruit, compotes and homemade jams for the breakfast table – ‘Elderflower & Gooseberry’ is a firm favourite on Huxtable Farm’s warm toasted home baked granary toast or a croissant.
Now that the summer holidays are upon us we are offering camping at Huxtable Farm; Three individual camping pitches situated at different locationa around the farm, each with their own private wash room. A wash room with fridge and freezer space is available for all campers as is a games room.
We are so lucky to have so many beautiful gardens to visit in North Devon; Castle Hill only 2 miles from Huxtable Farm B&B, Marwood Hill gardens just the other side of Barnstaple, Tapeley Park at Instow and National Trust Arlington Court 12 miles away. Not forgetting RHS Rosemoor just south at Torrington.
We have some new proud parents at Huxtable Farm today! – One of the peahens eggs have hatched and ‘Pedro’, the peacock daddy, is so proud 🙂
Rural camping on a farm
Now that we are able to socialise a bit more, especially when outside, this is a great time to explore the farm and get back to nature via it’s Devon Wildlife Trail. Here’s a link to some ideas of FREE things you can do on the farm.
Time outside is made easier now that summer is here, with its long warm days. This also means that camping at Huxtable Farm is available as alternative accommodation or in addition to B&B accommodation for other members of the family.
June is a great month to visit the beautiful gardens of North Devon; Castle Hill only 2 miles from Huxtable Farm B&B, Marwood Hill gardens just the other side of Barnstaple, Tapeley Park at Instow, National Trust Arlington Court 12 miles away and RHS Rosemoor south at Torrington with it’s Rose Festival in June.
In addition to Jacob wool items; throws, cushions, knitted hats and toys made from the fleeces of our ewes, we now have some prints and cards of my water colour paintings available to purchase too, please do have a look at some of them here – Gifts from Huxtable Farm.
The wild garlic has an amazing aroma as I walk the Devon Wildlife Farm Trail with Bella, it’s making me want to cook something garlicy for supper!
We hope everyone is keeping well, safe and have had or about to have Covid vaccines.
I’ve had both injections and Antony’s second injection is soon.
Due to other family commitments, including a long awaited family wedding, we won’t be opening up the B&B until mid June when we look forward to welcoming you then.
We have reduced the number of B&B bedrooms available to help with social distancing and now have three camping pitches each with their own wash rooms.
In the meantime we are endevouring to maintain the grounds, look after the animals (sheep with lambs, hens with chicks, peahen sitting on eggs and friendly Bella the dog) to make your experience here enjoyable and as Covid safe as possible.
Here’s some ideas of what to do & see on your visit to North Devon & Exmoor.
There are so many beautiful Gardens to visit in North Devon; Castle Hill gardens 2 miles from Huxtable Farm B&B, Marwood Hill Gardens, Tapely Park Instow, not forgetting RHS Rosemoor near Torrington, you will be spoilt for choice.
Don’t forget we also have unique gifts to purchase do have a look at what’s available made from our Jacob sheep wool, including these gorgeous hand knitted elephants with removeable clothing, Jacob sheepskin rugs, Jacob wool throws & cushions, knitting kits, hand knitted hats etc. All made with love.
Hand Knitted elephants (approx 20cm tall) with removable clothing £19 each
Jacob sheepskin rug £95 each
Huxtable Farm Jacob wool throws and cushions, only a few dark throws & cushions available now.
Print Nineteen Cards
Supporting small businesses, our daughter Natalie’s business‘Print Nineteen’, has some beautiful unique cards and prints (including personalised), many produced from foliage from around the farm.
Whilst our son, Nigel, has some beautiful bird prints available to purchase – Nige Design #supportsmallbusinesses
We look forward to welcoming you to Huxtable Farm B&B, Devon with a delicious Cream Tea in the afternoon.
Despite the rain and snow the snowdrop are out and our daffodils are already peeking through. As we watch nature coming back to life, it’s a wonderful reminder that spring is on the way and, we hope, better and happier times for us all. Meanwhile we are keeping busy in the garden, looking after the sheep & poultry and doing lots of farm/woodland maintenance; hedging fencing & chopping logs for the wood burners.
Pancakes for breakfast
Pancake Day/Shove Tuesday, is on the 16th February 2021 the day before the fasting period of Lent leading up to Easter, 4th April 2021. What do you like to eat with your pancakes? I like mine with fresh fruit, local honey from Quince Honey Farm and a little bit of Devon clotted cream.
Providng it’s safe to do so, we are looking forward to welcoming you back to the B&B & three camping pitches June 2021. To help with social distancing etc. the number of B&B bedrooms on offer will be reduced to three en-suite rooms; one family bedroom, a twin bedroom and a double bedded room and each camping pitch with have their own private wash room.
Elephants with removable outfit, Hand Knitted with Huxtable Farm Jacob Wool £19 each
Don’t forget if you are looking at finding aunqiue gift, card or print for some one, please do have a look at what’s available made from our Jacob sheep wool, including these gorgeous hand knitted elephants with removeable clothing, Jacob sheepskin rugs, Jacob wool throws & cushions, knitting kits, hand knitted hats etc. All made with love.
