Bushcraft Days with The Sneaky Fox

Every summer our St Mary Lyncombe Exmoor Trustees go begging for money and we lay on some free Bushcraft Days for schools to come to the wilds of Exmoor. This year we have been funded partly by the Lynmouth Pavilion Project (@LPavilion on Twitter) and we have been able to offer some overnight wild Exmoor experiences to groups. West Exmoor Federation are the first group to take this up and they have just had 2 days here with Sneaky Fox Outdoors providing the entertainment.

Paul Black the Sneaky Fox himself is a keen user of Twitter and you can follow his outdoor antics by following @OutdoorFox or reading his excellent website http://sneakyfoxoutdoors.co.uk/

There will shortly no doubt be a full report of the day available on the Sneaky Fox website. If this inspires you to bring your group to Exmoor for some simple wild fun then get in touch. Sneaky Fox work with us a lot throughout the year on various projects and we can tailor activities to suit all ages and abilities.

Running Repairs

balcony

New balcony posts in place, just some straightening and staining to do now.

Well that was some weekend! The old balcony posts were getting a bit tired at The Exmoor Centre so we decided it was time to replace them.

A quick message around the usual suspects saw Darren Church, David Lovejoy and Matt Neale dashing to my aid to help. A trip to Mole Valley farmers saw me swapping money for timber and lots of screws, nuts, bolts, coachscrews and washers and we were ready.

Friday morning bright and early I started taking the old balcony apart, Darren arrived just as I had to dash off to a meeting at mid-day and he cracked on and finished the strip down and then set about repainting the toilets and re-siliconing anything he could aim a silicone gun at. by the time the rest of us got back Darren was exhausted and had started on the wine, well deserved.

balcony1

We did a bit more before dark then set about drinking cider and scoffing sausages for all we were worth. I opted for a nights kip in the land rover and my boys had the tent. We knew the weather due to break but the 4.30am electrical storm that came certainly put an end to any chance of sleep. Being high on Exmoor in such a violent storm was something we won’t forget in a hurry!

camp

 

Darren and I carried on with the balcony all day on Saturday whilst Dave and Matt played in the river re-adjusting the stepping stones and trimming branches from trees. Lots of work done over the 3 days so I am overjoyed, thanks so much lads 🙂

Summers here

Right, where was I? Sorry about the lack of updates, I’ve been working a bit too much and never seem to be where the little book of passwords is when I have time to update this site!

Not much to report really, its been a really busy spring out at The Exmoor Centre, lots of people here, some of them have even seen some good weather! Lots more booked in for the following weeks so we are very chuffed. We are also finalising some Bushcraft Days at the centre in conjunction with SneakyFoxOutdoors and The Lynmouth Pavilion Project. More about that later.

I have been adding the occasional photo to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ExmoorCentre and if you follow us on Twitter you may have caught my ramblings about life in the wilds of Exmoor.

We have a working party at the centre this weekend coming to replace our slightly rotten balcony and throw some paint around so pop back here next week to see how we got on.

A few photos to keep you going… W

Snowing at last

We went out to The Exmoor Centre today to do a few jobs and were treated to a bit of snow!

A few more photographs to and from the centre.

Into Mountain Bikes?

We have some great Mountain Bike routes around The Exmoor Centre. These photos are all taken within 5 minutes ride of the bunkhouse.

We are all keen cyclists here so if you need any route advice just ask.

Even getting to the Exmoor Centre is fun by bike! This is Thomas Bowden chasing our Land Rover out to the centre on his Land Rover MTB. Filmed with a GoPro Hero3 on a chest harness.

 

Our friends at Exmoor Adventure can help with bike hire, training and guiding if you want help – http://www.exmooradventures.co.uk/group-activities/mountain-biking/

 

 

 

First bargain of 2014

Right I am feeling generous folks so for January and February I will cap the cost of staying at The Exmoor Centre at £100 a night!

If you fill all 14 bunks with your friends or family that is a really cheap way to have an Exmoor Adventure! Better bring a sledge…

Don’t delay email us today 🙂

More autumnal pictures

A bit damper than usual

Sometimes it does get a bit rainy on Exmoor and that can make getting to and from the Exmoor Centre a little more exciting.

Usually this ford can be crossed in walking boots without getting your feet wet in fact you are less likely to get wet feet walking through the river than trying to use the wobbley stepping stones. Today though the river was nearly 3 feet deep, no problem for our modified Land Rover and military trailer though so it was service as usual. Sometimes it does get deeper and we have had the water come over the Land Rovers bonnet a few times, that is a bit deep for the trailer though!

Luckily if you are on foot there is an alternative way to get to and from the centre from the west.

Winters coming

Out and about this morning the cars temperature gauge read 6degC, it won’t be long at all before we have snow on the ground. Exmoor looks amazing in snowy conditions and The Exmoor Centre is an amazing place to be in the snow.

Tracking animals becomes so much easier and you can lose yourself for hours following footprints. Sledging is great fun on Exmoor’s steep slopes, if you can dodge the gorse bushes!

Anyone can stay at the Exmoor Centre, so bring your family, friends or club along and stay in our cosy bunkhouse and go wild in the remote valleys and hills. We are charity owned and operate as cheaply as possible to make breaks affordable for everyone, we don’t have minimum booking periods, you can come for one night if you want. Our team can help you do anything from horse riding and mountain biking to lessons in bushcraft and art, we can even arrange luxury offroad wildlife watching safaris or stargazing trips.

We let the bunkhouse on sole occupancy so you would have the place to yourself. Being a kilometre from the nearest road or neighbours the bunkhouse is the perfect place for some peace and quiet.

Drop us an email to enquire.

early dec 2010 053

Back to the start

As part of The Voices of Hoaroak project yesterday we took our Chairman John Gale back to the spot where the story of The Exmoor Centre began.

Over 45 years ago John met Dora Cartwright-Williams at the site of her farmhouse at Lyncombe near the present Exmoor Centre site. The Farmhouse itself had been lost in the flood of August 15th 1952. It was here the idea was hatched for a remote basecamp for young people to explore the wilds of Exmoor. It was to be created in the memory of happy times Dora Cartwright-Williams and her late husband spent in this beautiful tranquil spot.

Further information will be available through the Voices of Hoaroak Project in due course. See HoaroakCottage.org for more information on the project.

Summer Holidays

Look out parents, the kids are nearly off for the summer! What are you going to do with them for 6 weeks?

How about a night at The Exmoor Centre? we have some weekend dates available a quite a few mid-week slots. Grab a night out in the wilds where you’ll be under Exmoors Dark Skies. Our bunk rooms sleep up to 16 so bring your kids friends and have a wild time away from the computer games.

You’ll see Britains biggest wild land animals Exmoor’s wild red deer, huge horned highland cattle, Exmoor ponies, buzzards, herons and lots of other wildlife, if you are quiet you’ll see a lot more, maybe otters and foxes,

Prices from only £75 a night! email us now and start swotting up on your outdoor bushcraft skills…we can even sort you out with a Bushcraft Instructor if you want to learn new skills.

Experiences

We want you to Experience Exmoor in all its glory and get the most from your trip here.

We work with several companies that provide Experiences:

Experience Exmoor

Neil and Christel at Experience Exmoor are building a solid reputation for providing the best in Luxury offroad safaris on the moor. They operate under license with The National Trust and with Exmoor National Park giving them access to remote parts of the moor and coast. They are ‘out and about’ everyday so track the wildlife and greatly enhance your chances of seeing something unusual. Experience Exmoor

2013-02-25 11.36.37

 

Exmoor Adventures

If Dan French and his Team can’t get you adrenalin going then you need a doctor, or an undertaker! MTB riding Coasteering, Kayaking… Visit their website Exmoor Adventures

 

Sneaky Fox

Paul Black is The Exmoor Centres tame Bushcraft Instructor and works with us on providing free bushcraft and outdoor experiences for schools. Visit their website for more information. Sneaky Fox

2013-07-12 10.42.51

 

John Crush

John is an artist who can bring out your hidden arty side. John has a deep love of Exmoor and can help you capture its beauty in a variety of media from pastels to film! Contact John through his website at – http://johncrush.carbonmade.com/about

 

More to come when I have a minute….

Bushcraft

SneakyFox Outdoors ran our first Primary Schools Bushcraft Day of 2013 last week with Ilfracombe Primary School. You can read lead instructor Paul Blacks report on the SneakyFox website here – http://sneakyfoxoutdoors.co.uk/about-us.html

StMary Lyncombe Exmoor Trust have secured funding through Heart of Exmoor ( http://www.heartofexmoor.org.uk/ )and Ilfracombe Rotary to put these free schools days on this summer. If you are interested in your school joining future free events at The Exmoor Centre please get in touch.

2013-07-12 10.15.12 2013-07-12 10.42.51

Dark Sky

As there was nobody booked in at the centre this weekend we took the opportunity to nip out ourselves. With very little moonlight this weekend the night skies were amazing. Here are a few photographs showing the Milky Way and The Plough in all their glory, these were taken without a remote shutter release and on a wobbly tripod so they aren’t professional standard but they do give you an idea of what you can expect to see at The Exmoor Centre on a clear night.

 

Cooling off in the river

Bogtastic!

A few photos from the excellent Bogtastic Event on Exmoor last week. Bogtastic is a family event run by Exmoor National Park to give families the opportunity to explore the Exmoor Mires project and learn more about the diverse ecology of these remote moorland ecosystems.

Experts were on hand to explain the history of peat cutting, drying and its use as a fuel by moorland farmsteads as well as identifying the fascinating flora and fauna found in and around the hundreds of deep bogs that pepper Exmoor’s high ground .

Summer Adventures

We have some summer dates available at our remote Exmoor Bunkhouse. Gather up some friends and get yourselves booked in for some summer fun in the wilds of Exmoor. We offer basic self catering bunkhouse accommodation and the rest is up to you. Walk the wilds of the moor, get mucky on a mountainbike, build a camp, stargaze, explore Exmoor’s rivers and streams, seek out mysterious standing stones high on the moor, the possibilities are endless.

Anyone can come and we offer really good deals for school/youth groups.

Postcard2

16th/17th March

The bunkhouse is now available on the weekend of 16th/17th March! Get in touch by email at Stay@ this website quickly if you want a weekend in the wilds of Exmoor.

Winter is coming to an end, the first signs of spring are around, its a great time to visit.

early dec 2010 007