First published on 4 July 2016. When we took over Halsbeer Farm and Blackdown Yurts from Peter and Jasmine earlier this year one of their pieces of advice was to get “woofers” in to help. OK, I thought, but what are dogs going to do to assist in the running of a glamping business? It transpired that WWOOFers are actually volunteers who wish to work on organic farms in return for board and lodging. WWOOF stands for ‘World Wide Opportunities...

First published on 24 June 2016. Two months ago I drafted a blog about our first month at Halsbeer Farm but I didn’t post it anywhere. I was uncertain whether it hit the right tone, whether it would be well received and whether anyone would actually be interested in reading it at all. My uncertainty turned into procrastination and that blog has languished in the virtual back office of my website ever since, not doing anything, my thoughts...

We visited on Tuesday 9th August with friends who love river swimming. It is a stunning location beside a beautiful bridge and river and a cracking pub. Only 10-15 minutes drive from Halsbeer Farm and Blackdown Yurts. Felix says “the river was so fun to play in because it was shallow in one part and deep in another part. We made a really cool dam. It was hard to make because the water found a way through our dam.” Mia said...

We visited this National Trust property on Tuesday 26th July when they had kite-making on offer, allowing the children to tick off one of their 50 things to do before you are 11 3/4. Kite-making wasn’t the only way to get hands on – we found “below stairs” dressing up clothes in the servants quarters of the house and a piano was available in the drawing room for those who could play. Felix enjoyed “running around...

Felix says “there were loads of big, big, big sharks and there was one that swam really close to us at the glass. There were lots of jellyfish that glowed in the dark, some were pink, some were purple and some were blue. I had little calamaris and chips for lunch. They were scrumptious.” Nana said “the aquarium is very disabled friendly and takes about 2-3 hours to go round. Fast-track entry is worth doing at the height of...