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 sparkhayes@hotmail.com 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.

What happened to the Sparkhayes blog I hear you ask?  It is ridiculously out of date..!  The answer is that the author’s smallest child reached six months of age and was no longer content to sleep for the majority of the day.  In fact she decided not to sleep for the majority of the night as well.  I entered a phase of life that could easily have been mistaken for tough SAS training; I could now give any recruit a run for their money in the sleep-deprivation test.  For some while, I became a zombie-slave parent to my little brood.  I emerge from my personal apocalypse to discover a world-wide one; the news seems to be filled with nothing but the Coronavirus..!  Thankfully Porlock still feels a long way from the epidemic and the only challenge here at present is the weather.

Believe it or not, we have still had a few hardy souls camping in tents, despite the rain, wind and even snow.  We are taking more and more bookings for the coming season and I too am dreaming of all the things we can do when the weather finally cheers up.  I have already booked a few things, so sympathise with campers who contact us now to book for a visit in mid-summer.  We just ask that if you book in advance, you make a note in your diary to contact us again a month before you arrive, just to confirm that you are indeed still coming. Most customers reply with ‘I’ll definitely be there!’ but a surprising amount can change in a few weeks or months and we don’t want to turn customers away who arrive on spec to a ‘full’ campsite, only to discover that some of those who pre-booked don’t turn up.  This is part of the reason why we resist taking any bookings at all unless for a very large group or if customers require an electric hook-up, but due to their limited number it is even more important to let us know if your plans change.

In other news, those of you who know the local hamlet of Bossington will recognise the bridge over Horner Water, which gives foot access to Hurlstone Point and the beach.  There is a ford here too, but it is used infrequently by farmers and not many others.  Have a look at these pictures, which show how a driver tried to ford the swollen river and had his car washed away, to get stuck under the bridge..!  Thankfully the driver escaped unharmed and the bridge hasn’t suffered any structural issues, but it did make quite a spectacular sight.  These Exmoor streams and rivers are a force to be reckoned with..!

​Please note that two of these photos are not accurate reflections of a) how well a sleep-deprived person actually looks and b) the fields at Sparkhayes, we don’t generally pack tents in as tight as Glastonbury..!  Seeing the height of the Hawkcombe Water though suggests that our duck race would be over in seconds..! 

I am amused to find that the last time I wrote, we were having a scorching time in deepest summer.  We are now plunged into the season of frosts, road-gritters and annoying head colds.  The lanes are made slippery with fallen leaves and the apples are succumbing to the press, producing glorious sweet sticky apple juice that the children guzzle greedily, making sweet sticky cheeks. 

Mr Weaver, Sparkhayes’ proprietor, survived his sixtieth birthday celebration, with most of the village taking part in a very jolly stroll around the three pubs we are blessed with, listening to live music in each and partaking in the liquid refreshments on offer.  A good time was had by all.  As the weather has turned, so Phil has been able to have a rest from the ride-on mower, but we’re all hoping the Porlock rail project will keep him active through the winter.
 
We are now in the midst of half term and looking forward with much excitement to Halloween tomorrow night.  I seem to be one of very few people who never went trick or treating as a child.  I wasn’t too sure about the idea of turning up at stranger’s houses and asking for sweets, I think I was also rather afraid of receiving a trick..!  Maybe my fears weren’t all that irrational, I was shocked to see advice on a recent trip beyond my usual boundaries, which warned children that their sweets might in fact be drugs, given out as some sick kind of trick by deranged individuals. 

Thankfully Porlock is quite the best and safest place to go trick or treating.  Part of the beauty of it is that we don’t actually knock on stranger’s doors, the doors belong to people we have spoken to or at least nodded at almost every day when we pass through the village.  They are people who we have got to know through several years of trick or treating and every Porlock child knows the best houses to go to.  The children are very good at respecting the rules – only knock at doors that are decorated with pumpkins and which look relatively inviting.  The residents that take part are equally good at playing their part, often with incredibly generous and well thought-out treats, funny costumes and bucketfuls of patience.  It has become a treat for me to make the annual excursion and to see the joy it brings.  It’s yet another reason to love this quirky, happy village.

I know many of you will disapprove, but I am typing this while munching a *gasp* mince pie… ssshhh! 

Salutations from Sparkhayes!  The summer holidays are absolutely flying past and they’ve been a whirlwind of fun so far.  We’ve been so blessed with the weather, it very predictably started raining the minute the schools broke up but actually after the scorching heat I personally found the clouds quite welcome, it is easier to zoom about when a little cooler!  The grass has certainly enjoyed a drink and gone from the parched brown back to verdant green.  The usual host of summer activities have marched past in procession, including a very successful (and hot!) Porlock Country Fair.  We are now contemplating what is often the busiest weekend of the year, the August bank holiday. 

We have had numerous enquiries about camping at the end of August so our fields are likely to be full or nearly full, depending on the mood of the weather, so arriving as early as possible is recommended if you’re hoping to camp.  All our electric hook ups have been spoken for and there is a small group of campers waiting for cancellations.  All of this activity has kept Phil on his toes and it doesn’t look as though he’ll get a rest for the foreseeable future! 

As always, I’m promoting Porlock Carnival, which takes place on Saturday 1 September this year.  It’s a brilliant event for all the family and did you know, you’re very welcome to enter it and be a part of the procession, even if you’re visiting from elsewhere?  As well as the large floats there are opportunities for walking entries, individuals and groups, and prizes for the best in each class, so if you have any ideas or would like to join the hilarity in this great community celebration, please do join in.  Find out more, including an entry form, here: www.porlockcarnival.co.uk.  We’ll look forward to seeing you! 

Well, happy heatwave campers!!!  Isn’t it scorching?!!  The blue skies here in Porlock are absolutely gorgeous, though it feels like yesterday that we were wading through snow!  The camp site has been very busy, indeed the local towns and villages have been buzzing with happy holiday-makers and sales of cream teas and ice cream are rapid.  The air is filled with the sound of tractors hard at work as the farmers make hay while the sun shines.  As I sit and type this, with a gentle breeze coming through the sunshine and a cockerel gently crowing at a sociable 9.30am, things couldn’t look or sound more idyllic in Porlock.
 
This weekend sees nearby Porlock Weir hosting top quality live music in the annual Weirfest event.  It’s a brilliant place to wander from Sparkhayes campsite (or take the free shuttle bus from the Top Ship) and you can spend a happy hour or two or many more listening to the music and sampling the real ales and ciders, while taking in the outstanding harbour-side scenery. 
 
Thoughts turn to the summer holidays and we’re now getting lots of enquiries.  Bank holiday weekends tend to be very busy so if you’re thinking of coming to camp please bear this in mind.  If you don’t need an electric hook up then there’s no need to book in advance, simply arrive and look for an appealing spot in our relaxed and friendly fields.  If you would like to book an electric hook up (and these are limited) please give Phil a call on 07721 045123.  He can check his diary and make a note of your requirements if a hook-up is available.  His phone has been absolutely inundated with calls recently, so if you have trouble getting through or there is a little delay in getting back to you, please bear with us.
 
Time to water the rather wilty flowers.  Enjoy the sun folks and stay safe!

Who would have thought it, I managed to win a little money at the Holnicote point to point last week – things are looking up!  In more ways than one, because the weather has taken a glorious turn and the memories of our very wet Easter are now distant as we are baking in the sun and wondering how long the grass will remain green if this beautifully sunny weather continues.

It is of course PERFECT camping weather and we have been completely inundated with campers eager to evict the metaphorical moths from their kit.  The campsite has been a joyfully busy sight and dear Phil has been run off his feet trying to keep up.  It really has been quite a change of gear since Easter.
 
The merriment is set to continue this weekend as we host the annual Porlock Duck Race, a fantastic village event that has a long history.  The event on Sunday 20 May has continued to improve in recent years and as well as featuring a long list of races, it now includes barbeque and bar, tea, cakes and ice creams, donkey rides, bouncy castle, face painting and a best hat competition.  The action starts at 2pm but you are advised to arrive early if you wish to ‘own’ and name a duck as they get bought up very quickly!  Car parking and entry are free and all monies raised go towards putting on Porlock Carnival, which is itself a great family event which runs on 1 September 2018.  Come along and enjoy the spectacle with us.
 
If you are looking for camping, please do come along and find us, we operate on a very laid-back basis and generally speaking no advance booking is necessary.  Please bear in mind though that our sunny weekends, particularly the bank holidays and that of nearby Weirfest (28 June – 2 July) are very busy and that the electric hook ups for these weekends are almost all spoken for at the time of writing.  If in doubt give Phil a ring on 07721 045123 (but please go easy on him if he’s very busy, he hasn’t had time to pause for breath recently!).

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!