After the rain comes the rainbows!

We wait with great anticipation for 12 April, along with a lot of potential campers who have been getting in touch with us recently.  We are keeping a close eye / ear on the news, because it might well be that there will be limitations on the facilities we can offer to begin with. We thank you all for bearing with us!  

If you'd like to discuss a provisional booking, please call Phil Weaver on 07721 045123.  Many thanks.

The 2018 season is well underway and the grass is growing green and lush (and very fast).  It was no doubt helped by the exceedingly wet Easter we experienced and while the grass might have enjoyed it, it was very frustrating for us and our campers, most of whom were sadly rained off.  Luckily many have been able to re-plan their breaks and we are now anticipating a busy bank holiday weekend, with all our electric hook ups being booked up some way in advance (sorry folks).
 
It is heartening to see the local events calendar bursting to life again and visitors to Porlock this weekend can take advantage of guided walks that visit Porlock Marsh and Bossington.  The hedgerows are coming to life with abundant greenery and a rainbow of pretty wild flowers and it won’t be long until we’re picnicking at the beach again, hooray! 
 
On the weekend of 12 and 13 May, visitors can enjoy the annual Porlock Open Gardens event, where keepers of gardens large and small throw open their gates and welcome visitors for a nosey, many also offer refreshments, plant sales, raffles and other attractions.  Anyone interested in the majestic Exmoor ponies can visit Allerford Community Hall on Saturday 12 May (12-4pm) to meet some equines from the Exmoor Pony Centre while scoffing a cream tea and enjoying pony-themed activities (entry free, no need to book). 
 
On both Sunday 6 May and Saturday 12 May there is also a point-to-point (amateur horse racing) at Holnicote, which is only a couple of miles from Sparkhayes, towards Minehead on the A39. 
 
So there’s plenty to do, in addition to exploring the beautiful local landscape and sampling our local artisan’s wares.  We’d love to welcome you to Sparkhayes, for a relaxed and friendly break and/or refreshing rejuvenation, come and visit us soon!

Nom nom, I’m guiltily scoffing a large piece of warm-from-the-oven simnel cake, having just put my children to bed without any, naughty mummy.  Happy Easter everyone!  I meant to post an update sooner but the Easter holidays came around so fast and now they’ve gone again, time really does fly when you’re having fun and there’s so much of it to be had around here :)
 
The camp site has been wonderfully busy, we’ve welcomed friends old and new to enjoy what has been perfect Easter camping weather – remarkably warm and sunny last week and although slightly cooler and more breezy this week we’ve all appreciated the blue skies and brightness.  The lambs are skipping in the fields, the blossom is blooming, the Easter bunny has been diligent, it’s all quite idyllic.
 
Not least here at Sparkhayes camp site, where the shower block has received a make-over; the ladies showers now benefit from extra space and new doors so that one may wash and dress in comfort.  I’d like to mention another development that has been very long awaited; rumour has it that creation of a new attraction at Sparkhayes is at last underway but I might be told off for doing so, I’ll have to keep you in suspense a while longer ;)
 
The village has burst into life (and the roads that are so very quiet during the winter have begun to take on their seasonal burden).  There have been mountain-bikers out in droves and campers booking guided walks and adventures on the bay on stand-up paddle boards (I can’t wait to have a go at this, once my youngest can survive a little while without me!).  Contact Exmoor Adventures if you’re interested.
 
Anyone who has known the village will remember it’s hardware shop; this is now under new management and has been brilliantly stocked full of so many useful and tempting things, so we recommend a visit there.  Whether you need camping supplies, cooking equipment, a gift to take home or a treat for yourself, there’s loads to choose from with friendly service in Porlock’s new Home and Hardware.
 
I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned a delightful Porlock tradition that I witnessed again recently.  It’s one of the many things that makes Porlock a brilliant place to live.  Every Friday, when the working week is done, the staff from the Central Garage emerge with a large hand bell and proceed to ring it very noisily, denoting that 5pm has arrived and it’s time to down tools and relax.  They then engage in a game of football in the garage forecourt.  I am led to understand that this tradition has continued for many years and although my sleep-deprived brain is foggy, I seem to remember that it had started when the house over the road from the garage, which is now the Abbeyfield home, was owned privately and the gentleman living there had something to do with it; if anyone can shed some light on the history of this lovely tradition do let me know!  Anyway, when I happened to be walking through the High Street at 5pm a couple of Fridays ago, not only did the mechanics from the garage come out and ring their bell, the shop-keepers emerged from neighbouring Costcutter and Porlock Home and Hardware with their bells and hooters too..!  I love living in Porlock :)

Greetings friends and, almost, happy Easter!  We are nearly up to our necks in Easter egg hunts and numerous egg-related activities..!  The weather has certainly perked up and we’re surrounded by gloriously green fields filled to the brim, it seems, with exceedingly cute Spring lambs.  West Somerset really is a daffodil-laden sight to behold at this time of the year.  Here at Sparkhayes we have been undertaking some improvements and beginning to welcome the early season campers.  

Everyone’s thoughts seem to be turning to towards getting outdoors more.  We’re all emerging from winter hibernation and yearning for opportunities to stretch our legs (I personally have been dreaming of picnics and visits to the beach without having to wear so many layers!).  Someone else who must have been feeling the same was Chris Moss, Destination Expert no less for The Telegraph.  He recently visited West Quantoxhead and explored a newly-opened section of the South West Coast Path, exploring along the way the jurassic beach at Kilve before spending the night in Watchet.  You can read his article here.  I’ve been a ‘local’ for more than 16 years (so not actually classed as a local by the true locals..!) but I didn’t realise the local coastline was so interesting for fossils, I have always headed to Dorset for that sort of thing.  I am definitely planning a day out for some beach-wandering closer to home! 

If you enjoy walking, you ought to be inspired by the magical scenery of Exmoor.  Visitors to the area and local people alike are drawn to the Exmoor Walking Festival, now in it’s 20th year.  The Festival offers a multitude of guided walks in some really diverse places, there is something for every interest and ability in the brochure.  The festival takes place from Saturday 30 April to Saturday 7 May and physical copies of the brochure can be picked up at Tourist Information Centres and various ‘outdoor’ shops or check out the website here.  Don’t forget, after a fulfilling day’s walk, there’s nothing nicer than a hot shower here at Sparkhayes (and maybe a pint) before a peaceful night’s sleep and the prospect of waking to a glorious Exmoor view.

Anyone who knows Phil will know of his close association with the West Somerset Railway.  Rightly loved as a England’s longest heritage railway line, it represents a fun day out for everyone.  However another local railway has recently been featured on BBC Spotlight news, the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.  This narrow-gauge railway has now piqued my interest and I’m rather ashamed that I haven’t visited it before.  The line used to travel the 19 scenic miles between the coastal resort of Lynton and the bustling market town of Barnstaple.  It was closed in 1935, but in recent years, two miles of the track have been reopened and the old carriages have been restored.  There are ambitious (but achievable) plans to reinstate the whole of the line and therefore I’m personally keen to visit, enjoy all there is to see and do and in some way contribute to the project.  It’s on my list of Easter holiday activities… and provides a much easier way to enjoy the landscape than having to walk through it..!).  

Whatever you’re doing this Easter, have a good time and don’t forget to schedule your visit to Sparkhayes soon!

Welcome to Porlock if you’re with us for the Easter weekend – and a lot of people are! We are blessed with brilliant weather (see the pics for a forecast for Bank Holiday Monday, Sunday’s not at all bad either!). 

It’s been an interesting weekend so far; I took the family to Dunster Castle today where the annual Easter egg hunt was as egg-citing as ever (sorry), I especially liked the Alice in Wonderland theme (and the prizes always seem so generous for the £1.50 entry fee).  

There was also the added bonus of archery and pistol shooting, which meant fun for the grown-ups (who were not at all competitive, ha!).  Plus a wedding took place at the sunny Castle today and we, along with a few hundred tourists, were able to ahhh at the romance of it all.   A perfect day out and one that you can replicate by checking out Dunster Castle events on the National Trust website.

Looking ahead, it’s not long until the #supbikerun ‘ultimate triathlon’ at nearby Wimbleball Lake.  This exhausting but no doubt intensely satisfying event takes place on 17 May 2015 and the organizers say that with the terrain’s steep valleys and rolling heather, this event could be one of the toughest this year. Instead of the usual triathlon disciplines, participants face 3k on a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), 30k of mountain biking and 5k of trail running.  

That’s one way to work off those Easter eggs…!