With bird feeders in the trees, we get a lot of birds visiting us – one of our favorites is a pair of woodpeckers who nest in the woods by the river and can often be heard making a racket knocking on the trees!

With dippers in the Teign Valley, king fishers, woodpeckers, lots of blue tits and nuthatchs, this is a lovely place to sit and admire these colourful active birds. You’d never believe that you are only 7 miles from Exeter….

Who's making all that noise!!

I’m posting this Blog from a laptop in Cornwall as a trial………..being a techno-biff I’m hoping I can proove to myself that it can be done remotely and then I can travel around the world happily in the fullsome knowledge that I can still post them from wherever and keep my web site active. Well that’s the general idea anyway.

I get lots of quests from sources various to improve my SEO………..invariably they all want to charge for this service!! Well between Paul my very able web designer and I we’re managing to be up there or there abouts and with more regular blogs from me that should help a lot………..that’s the plan anyway!!

Here are a few wonderful photos of Sunny Cornwall to remind us of our few days camping on the North Coast………..it’s quiet beautiful and but a 90 minute drive from Orchard Barn…………..priceless.

Orchard Barn Bed and Breakfast just 7 miles from Exeter is idealy situated for anyone looking to stay on the Dartmoor National Park and be close to the Capital City of Devon and all its many wanderful facilities.

We’re on a quiet B Road en route to Mortonhampstaead which is another gateway onto the many and varied parts of the National Park……….our B&B overlooks the River Teign at the famous Dunsford Stepping Stones with all bedrooms having a panoramic view of the river and surrounding National Trust Woodland. It’s spectacular – take a look at orchardbarn.info and the 360 degree camera shots of both the house, gardens and the river.

ORCHARD BARN FRONTAGE

This is one of the most flexible properties to book into for either B&B or Self Catering situated on the principle gateway onto Dartmoor itself. Do look at the web at orchardbarn.info and see for yourself.

Cheers,

Ian

01647-252620

Orchard Barn is promoting self catering opportunites this year at an extremely reasonable rate……………at £100 per night for the whole house and all facilities for a minimum of 5 nights, this represents a real bargain.

The house was let for both Christmas and New Year……….and the plan is for Lesley and I to do a bit more traveling this year and so we’re promoting self catering via Trip Advisor and other media in order to build in short breaks throughout the year.

So if you’d still like Bed and Breakfast that’s fine, just ring or e-mail and ask and if rooms are available we’ll book you in……………if however you fancy a self catering option anytime over the year then again do contact us and float your prefered dates……….as long as it’s for a minimum of 5 nights we’ll look at it favourably and commensure with a confirmed booking , we’ll plan a short break holiday ourselves. There are just so many places we still want to go and visit, both home and abroad……….and this is a good year to do so.

So, if that floats your boats at all then do get in touch.

Cheers, Ian and Lesley

As Lesley’s son Jamie is a boarder at Mount House School in Tavistock we find ourselves regularly driving passed The Warren House Inn on Dartmoor about halfway between home and school. It’s reputed to have an open log fire which has never been out since the pub opened in 1835 (but I know 2 highly spirited now also former Royal Marines who decided to extinguish it for a laugh some 30 odd years ago and served 2 weeks in Jankers shortly afterwards for their efforts!!!!) – but anyway it serves excellent Real Ales as you would expect, Dartmmor Bitter and Jail Ale from the nearby Princetown brewery…………..just what’s needed!!!

Awaiting opening time at The Warren House Inn

Just a bit further on at Two Bridges is another wonderful ‘Watering Hole’ this time an old coaching house and still a hotel known as The Two Bridges Hotel…again good real ales and another lovely fire (no known RM extinguishers here mind!!!) – makes going to school sound like fun for a change!!

Two Bridges Hotel

Wow – the Two Bridges Hotel former access bridge at dusk – quite magnificent