Butterfly Count & Exmoor – South West Coast Path

We’ve done the 2017 Butterfly count , have you? Here’s some of the butterflies we spotted at Huxtable Farm B&B.

Butterfly Peacock

Butterfly Red Admiral

Butterfly Speckled Wood

Butterfly Meadow Brown

Butterfly Green Veined White

Butterfly Gatekeeper

It’s National Parks Week from 24th to 30th July and we’re so lucky to have Exmoor National Park just up the road from Huxtable Farm B&B. Exmoor National Park boasts the highest sea cliffs in England and some of the most stunning sea views, making this part of the South West Coast path dramatic and stunning!

Exmoor is home to an amazing variety of habitats & wildlife, including historic Exmoor ponies and Red deer. There’s vast open moorland to deep wooded valleys with rambling rivers & waterfalls e.g. at Watersmeet. There’s so much to explore on Exmoor.

Things to do during July & August in North Devon ; –

RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival has 2000 roses on display now 17th June – 30th July – The largest rose gardens in the South West. Enid Blyton Exhibition of Memorabilia exhibition 15th July – 28th August. Famous Five fun at Rosemoor (childrens activities) 29 July – 3 September Mon – Friday

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

Wildlife & Nature of North Devon & Exmoor

North Devon Show 2nd August

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July – A bountiful of fruit & roses

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

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

Wildlife & Nature of North Devon & Exmoor

North Devon Show 2nd August

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Wildlife on the farm at Huxtable Farm B&B in June

Some insects found on the farm at Huxtable Farm B&B in June

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Rose Festival time

The ‘Rose’ is ‘Gardeners’ World Golden Jubilee Plant’ – An easy choice!

Not only is there a great variety, they are beautiful, many have delicious scents and are used to celebrate lots of occasions.

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.

Here are a few of the roses (two are not rose flowers can you spot them?) found at Huxtable Farm B&B, situated between Barnstaple & South Molton, near West Buckland, Devon, offering quality farmhouse B&B accommodation, within half an hours drive to RHS Rosemoor and a variety of beautiful North Devon Gardens.

Roses

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June – Elderflower & Gooseberry Jam, Roses & Cream Teas

Lupins and Roses at Huxtable Farm B&B, Devon, Barnstaple

June – With the longest day of the year approaching (21st June) with bright fresh morning and balmy evenings, we’re grateful for the long days as there is so much to do on the farm at this time of year, from making hay & silage for winter feed, cutting the lawns & weeding the garden to picking fruit.

The rhubarb, gooseberries & elderflowers are lovely this year giving us plenty of fresh produce for the breakfast table; honeyed rhubarb and homemade gooseberry & elderflower jam (a favourite with everyone).

– The Lupins and Roses are just coming into bloom, which reminds me to tell you to visit RHS Rosemoor to see their beautiful rose gardens during their Rose Festival June 17 – 30th July.

June is a great time to visit the beautiful gardens, National Trust properties, historic houses, harbours and market towns of North Devon & Exmoor or enjoy a stroll away from it all on Exmoor along the side of a river (We’ll share with you some special places to visit!).

Devon Cream Tea welcome

With National Cream Tea Day on the 30th June, in Devon we like to put the cream on the scone and the jam on top of the cream. You can enjoy a Devon Cream Tea welcome any time of year at Huxtable Farm B&B

There’s so much going on in North Devon during June here are a few thing taking place over the next few weeks: –
What’s on at RHS Rosemoor – Rose Festival June 17 – 30th July
National Trust Arlington Court – What’s on during June – Meet the gardener, garden Trail, garden talk
South Molton Vintage Rally 3rd – 4th June
South Molton Olde English Fayre 9th- 13th June
17th June 2017 – Point to Point at Umberleigh.
16th, 17th & 18th June 2017 – Gold Coast Ocean Festival, Woolacombe & Croyde
Getting active during your stay in North Devon
Beaches of North Devon

Point to point horse racing, North Devon

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Goslings have hatched & what to look forward to in June

French Toulouse Gosling hatched at Huxtable Farm B&B, Devon near Exmoor

Love this time of year, the trees now have leaves, the spring flowers are amazing, the swallows are back and young animals are finding their feet!

Some of the goose eggs we obtained from The Black Venus Inn Challacombe, Exmoor have hatched – A great Inn to have a meal at whilst staying at Huxtable Farm B&B

Bo – Bottle fed tame lamb

This years tame orphan lambs (‘Baa-baa’ and ‘Bo’) are always keen to say ‘Baa’ to everyone and are waiting to be bottle feed their milk. All the other lambs & ewes are looking good in the fields too.

Baa Baa enjoying some company 🙂

There is so much to look forward to in June;-

The Jacob sheep will be shorn and we’ll have lots of beautifully soft Jacob & Jacob cross Texel fleeces for spinners & felters to purchase.

Devon Cream Tea Welcome

With National Cream Tea Day on the 30th June, in Devon we like to put the cream on the scone and the jam on top of the cream. You can enjoy a Cream Tea welcome any time of year at Huxtable Farm B&B

Here are a few links to things that are taking place during June to put in your diary (18th June Fathers Day): –
RHS Rosemoor – Rose Festival June 17th June – 30th July
RHS Rosemoor – In the Night Garden Trail 1st May – 30th June
National Trust Arlington Court events
Getting active during your stay in North Devon
Beaches of North Devon
3rd &4th June Antiques & Vintage Home Show, Westpoint Arena, Exeter
3rd & 4th June 2017 – South Molton Vintage Rally
17th June 2017 – Point to Point at Umberleigh.
8th – 12th June – South Molton Olde English Fayre.
16th, 17th & 18th June 2017 – Gold Coast Ocean Festival, Woolacombe & Croyde (Kaiser Chiefs)
Clovelly and events taking place at Clovelly during 2017 e.g Clovelly Seaweed Festival 4th June

Gardens of North Devon
RHS Rosemoor Roses in June

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New children’s play area

Enjoying the children’s play area

It lovely to see the smiles on children’s faces as they play in the new children’s play area, swings, sandpit and wendy house adding to the games room (table football, mini snooker table & table tennis table)