staycations in Devon Archives - Holly Water Holidays

Is There a Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Posted on March 5, 2021 by holly

I think it is fair to say that the last 12 months have been beyond anything we could possibly have expected. Covid has certainly been a very real test for all of us in so many ways. After re-opening in July 2020 and a few totally crazy months restrictions began to come back in and once more we were in the unfortunate position of having to cancel our lovely guests and postpone their much needed breaks. We are very grateful that people were so understanding and patient – we now have some guest rescheduled for the 3^rd time after yet more lockdowns.

However, with the vaccine roll out, the dreadful figures dropping and a planned date for re-opening on 12^th April we are hopeful that there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you have been following us on social media you will know that the lockdowns, although delaying us, did not stop our plans or the build of our fantastic new treehouse cabin, The Beehive. We are absolutely delighted with the finished result and although (due to restrictions and lockdowns!) we have only had one lot of guests in it so far we are sure that you are going to love it just as much as we do. It is an absolute one off and really feels like you could just be anywhere.

As you would expect from us, we have tried hard to ensure that both the build and the running of The Beehive is as eco friendly as possible. From the avoidance of concrete for footings right up to the solar pane

ls on the roof powering our off-grid systems in the same way as our Shepherd huts.

The giant ground screws that literally pin the sub frame to the floor are

amazing and were put in by www.stop-diggi ng.co.uk south

west, a business just down the road. The local larch wall, floor and

roof panels are all well insulated with UK sheep’s wool and all of our Green tourism criteria have been continued for the running of The Beehive. We looking forward to our guests’ feedback and can’t wait to share it with you as we head toward summer now.

The other little plan we have up our sleeves is an additional space to chill and hopefully watch some of the wildlife that shares our space. Watch this space for updates!

Full Steam Ahead Post Covid-19 Lockdown.

Posted on July 18, 2020October 3, 2020 by holly

Staycations in Devon are certainly in demand! Since getting the announcement that we could re-open on the 4^th July things have been a little hectic around here! July 2020 is going to go down as one to be remembered (and 2020 all round to be honest). As soon as it became clear that certain hospitality sectors (including us) would be allowed to re-open their doors enquiries and bookings began to come in. We were busy making sure that we were fully up to speed on the (ever changing) Covid-19 guidelines, purchasing the approved cleaners and anti-viral products and making sure we had our Visit Britain ‘Good To Go’ certificate

. Being ‘green’ it felt important to make sure whatever we used not only met the requirements but would also neutralise quickly and be friendly to our environment. This in itself took quite a lot of homework! Anyway, we are now fully back into swing of things and delighted to have guests back with us enjoying some much-needed respite after the last few months.

July is National picnic month, so I am told. We are lucky to have a few corners and spots our guests can wander to if they feel inclined to take the meals a little further to enjoy a picnic here. Even more though, Devon as a whole has an abundance of wonderful places to visit and enjoy a picnic with a view. You can choose from beach, moors or rivers, National Trust gardens and any number of other locations for the perfect spot. Maybe you’ll fancy one of the local national trust properties for a picnic. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/days-out/regionsouthwest/devon

Highland lady. — Arrival of our Highland cows.

We have also just passed cow appreciation day last week. It happened to coincide with our long held plan for a couple of hairy bovine friends finally coming together. We have found a pair of little Highland cows who have today become residents of the sheep fields. They are unlikely to interact with guests much as they are 7 year old ladies who are not used to being petted but they are rather lovely and their woolly calves are also fun to watch. We hope that our lovely guests will enjoy this latest addition when they have settled in. Before they were able to move home it is compulsory to have them ‘pre-movement tested’ to make sure the are clear of bovine Tuberculosis (TB) so we had a lull waiting for the all clear from the vets before we could get them. See when you can visit them on the booking calendars at https://www.hollywaterholidays.co.uk/availability-booking/

In other business, we are weather watching this week as the plan is to cut the far meadow for hay imminently. This will all change if it does not look like we will have a good dry spell to allow it to dry out properly before baling. It is important to us to get a cut at some point in order to have winter hay for the sheep. They will get through a lot of it while they are housed for lambing in October and November. It is also important to know that in the event of a bad winter and heavy snow we have plenty to take to them in the fields. It doesn’t happen every year here but the risk of having no hay ready is not worth taking so fingers are crossed for some lovely sunshine this week. We usually do our hay in June but it was not a very settled month this year and we didn’t want to chance it.

Buzzing With Activity!

Posted on June 25, 2020October 3, 2020 by holly

Shepherd hut holidays in Devon can re-open! This week has so far been a very busy one! I can’t tell you how happy I am that we are finally allowed to re-open to guests on July 4^th. After some time of speculation around when it might be we have this week had the government announcement to say that this is the date and I am so excited about welcoming people back to our little slice of Shepherd hut Heaven in Devon. It is now all systems go to be ready and up to speed with guidelines for post-Covid protocols. There has been so long to think about it I’m pleased to say that I seem to be pretty much there already.

Damelfly showing off its beautiful colours in the sunshine.

The other thing I wanted to mention this week is the fact that it is National Insect Week! Being keen, as we are, on our green credentials and protecting and improving our environment for all pollinators, insect and wildlife I have a whole hoard of pictures I could use here so I am trying to reign myself in a bit!

With the river and the small (rather overgown) wildlife pond we have on site we are very lucky to watch a lot of activity with Damselflies and Dragonflies and Mayflies when conditions suit them. They are sometimes tricky to take a snap of but at other times they bask in the sun just long enough to oblige! I love their colours of their wings and the magic of finding an empty dragonfly nymph case on the pond plants after one has crawled up and emerged as an adult!

Another one of our own little rituals is to ‘grow’ caterpillars. Each year we like to order some tiny caterpillars to grow safely in a net at home and watch them transform into chrysalises and finally hatch as butterflies. We tend to choose

Peacock butterflies — Peacock Butterflies ready for release.

Tortoiseshells or Peacock caterpillars as their preferred food source of nettles is always readily available! We like to think that by releasing these beautiful native butterflies on our little patch we are doing our bit to support the species. You can also do this at home. Visit https://www.wwb.co.uk/ to find out more and get your own tiny native caterpillars.

We are also lucky enough to have an, increasingly unusual, wild honey bee colony living in one of our old oak trees. They are fascinating little creatures and hopefully our wild flowers and low input methods in our sheep fields will support them for many years to come. I’ve been told they could have been in residence for up to 200 years!!

It’s always nice to stumble across any of the wildlife or when it inadvertently puts itself in our path but this week is all about the insects!

Tag: staycations in Devon

Is There a Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Full Steam Ahead Post Covid-19 Lockdown.

Buzzing With Activity!

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