If anyone had told me just a month ago what life was going to be like today, I would absolutely not have believed them.  We were busy taking bookings for a promising summer, the weather was improving, the days were drawing out and people were planning to pay a much yearned-for visit to Porlock Vale.  Fast forward to late March and all of the above are still true, but now we having to turn customers away in the name of virus control.  It is true that the idea of self-isolating in a beautiful grassy field amid the fresh sea air and tranquil scenery is attractive.  However it is important to keep travel to a minimum, relieve the potential impact on our already stretched local services and protect the unusually high proportion of elderly people in our community.  Did you know that Sparkhayes operates in an area identified as having the oldest population in the country?  You do now!    So we are forced to close and to share the concerns of other local businesses.  But we are really going to miss you!

We will be keeping in touch via this blog and also our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sparkhayes.  If you haven’t already liked our page please do so and keep us amused with news of your self-isolation activities.  At Sparkhayes, the main entertainment will be manning the ride-on mower (or keeping an eye on the sheep!).  Perhaps the Sparkhayes rail project will also gain new momentum, pictures will be available if there is news to report!  For those of you at home with small children, we offer particular sympathy.  If you’re missing out on a family camping trip, perhaps you can set up camp in the living room (or garden if you’re lucky enough to have one) and send us your photos. 

Bookings taken for the immediate future are regretfully cancelled, bookings taken for later in 2020 are under review and will only proceed if government advice is that it is safe to do so.  We will have to wait and see.  If you have any queries about bookings already made please email us at [email protected] and we will happily respond as soon as we are able.  Stay healthy and safe at home, keep looking forward to happy future holidays and take good care of yourselves.  With best wishes from the little Sparkhayes team.

OK, technically we still have some winter left to go, but there are signs of spring all around us in Porlock and we're really glad the days are lengthening and there is so much to look forward to.  The camp site is looking brilliant and all ready to welcome campers again in 2018.  The number of enquiries we receive is growing rapidly as people look ahead to the school holidays and start planning their escapes to pretty Porlock Vale!  

We have decided, after a great deal of deliberation, to raise our prices a fraction.  They have not been changed since 2015, so maybe a small increase is due but you'll be pleased to know that we still offer excellent value camping at a very reasonable rate.  Adults are now charged at £9 per night, children's prices remain unchanged (students aged 13 - 17 years are £5 per night, children aged 4 - 12 years are £3 per night, children aged 3 and under are free).  Electric hook ups have risen from £4 to £5 per night and pets are now £1 per night.  We still offer our weekly deal, whereby if you stay for seven nights you only pay for six of them.  It's been a difficult decision to make these price increases but the Sparkhayes railway needs to be paid for somehow (watch this space, perhaps for some while..!).

Looking forward to welcoming our regular customers again this year and meeting many more of you during a wonderful 2018.

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!