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.

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.

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!

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 🙂

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

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.

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/

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 🙂

Here is a handy map of our area to help you plan your adventures. The Exmoor Centre itself is a few miles inland near Bridge Ball on the map.

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.

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.

Kids have been telling ghost stories around the Exmoor Centre campfire for 45years now.

Join in the recollections of tales of The Mad Axeman at – http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/Discussion/1408527

or book yourself in and see if you can cope with the fear instilled by the proper darkness of an overcast Exmoor Night when the ghosts of thousands of years of Exmoor Folk roam the wilds of the moor…

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

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

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….

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 .

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.

Our Spring newsletter is now out. Have a look here – spring2013 – if you don’t get a copy by email.

Close-up of the ice baubles

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.