Gardens of North Devon

June & July – Fruit picking, gardens and walks in North Devon

Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam

Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam

Picking & jam making has begun – Elderflower & Gooseberry jam first, followed by redcurrant jelly, blackcurrant, loganberry and raspberry jams. The jam can be tasted at breakfast on your warm buttered toast or croissant,  or sample the fruit fresh /or as a compote added to yogurt, yum!

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 is only 3miles from Huxtable Farm, 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 14th June to 13th July.

Walking-North-Devon, Exmoor & South West Coast Path

Walking-North-Devon, Exmoor & South West Coast Path

Huxtable Farm is ideally situated on the lking trails Tarka Trail,  9 miles east of Barnstaple and The Macmillan Way West, 10 miles west of Challacombe and 11 miles west of Simonsbath, just right for a days walk! In addition The South West Coast Path (England’s longest National Trail, 630 miles), as featured in the film and book ‘The Salt Path’, is 15miles to the north and west of Huxtable Farm, ideal for walking sections of the coast path and returning to the comforts of an en-suite bedroom with a bath to soak in! For more information on walking paths please click here.

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, please do have a look at some of them here – Gifts from Huxtable Farm.

To celebrate Huxtable Farmhouse being over 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’, with historic facts about the farm and its buildings, including ancestery of the name’Huxtable’, said to have originated here. Do check availability for when you can stay either in the B&B rooms or camp on one of our four secluded pitches, each with thier own wash room;-

B&B availability

Camping availability

RHS Rosemoor June Roses

June & July- Things to do in North Devon

Camping pitch

Camping at Huxtable Farm

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.

Here’s a link to some suggestions of FREE things you can do on the farm too.

Check B&B availability

Check Camping availability

Gardens of North Devon

Gardens of North Devon
RHS Rosemoor Roses in June

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

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

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.

Shearing the Jacob sheep in June

Shearing the Jacob sheep in June