New Year and Onwards - 2018

I have just realised that no blogs have been done since March last year....so much for my New Year resolution to do a monthly blog!  Life got in the way and we have been incredibly busy with summer visitors and just keeping on top of maintaining a large old house.  We have had lots of lovely people come and stay for one, two and sometimes more days, and they have all written lovely kind words in our visitor's book and on their online reviews.  We enjoy reading what people say; it gives you a warm feeling inside when you know you have contributed to an enjoyable Dartmoor experience.  People we have met come from all walks of life and from all over the world, but they all have one thing in common; they enjoy the wild and beautiful natural world that surrounds the Cherrybrook.

Bench Tor, near Venford Reservoir - a walk worth doing...

April 2017

April this year arrived in a blaze of bright sunshine and glorious daffodils.  The house has had the winter's green tones jet washed off the walls and we are catching up on the various odd jobs around the place in readiness for a busy summer.  The Swallows have been seen checking out their old nest sites in the stables, and the House-Martins are busy rebuilding their nests under the eaves.

This month's pictures are of the newborn lambs we have enjoyed watching frisking around in the field behind us, and some of our beautiful spring daffodils.

March 2017

March was quite busy, for what is still really a winter month up here on the high moor.  Several couples came in succession to walk the moors, all well prepared with warm coats and wellies and armfuls of old towels for their dogs.

We are popular with dog owners as we don't charge extra for their 4 legged friends.  We have recently had visits from a beautiful German Shepherd, a Collie/Lab cross (nice mix) a Jack Russell and a lively Spaniel (not all at the same time fortunately) who were all very well behaved and their owners took care of our floors and furnishings by bringing sheets and/or crates to use for their bedraggled dogs after a day on the moor - we really appreciate the care people take.

Our own dogs were banned from our bedroom this month, which is the last room in the house to lose it's 1980's woodchip wallpaper;  and now the floorboards no longer bounce...we discovered that we had to have more of a rebuild than a redecoration!

Picture below is of the dogs testing out the new carpet for comfort!

February has brought a flurry of lovely guests who enjoyed good food and convivial company.  A mixed bag of weather came this month ranging from snow, sleet, rain, the winds of Storm Doris, not forgetting the odd sunny spell between!

This winter has actually been quite a dry winter and Dave in particular has managed to walk around 100 miles in separate expeditions since Christmas. Fortunately, we now have a "satellite tracker"called a SPOT GEN3 to attach to him, so I can look at the computer and follow his progress across the moor.  Might come in handy one day if ever we have to go out and find him....!!  Dave wears out hiking boots quicker than our car tyres.

There have been a few groups of hardy teenagers practising for the 10 Tors Event, but otherwise the moors are currently a place to escape the world, with hardly a soul to be seen.  If you enjoy the peace and quiet, with just the company of the odd sheep, and the occasional pony, this is the place to be.

January sunshine on Dartmoor

Blue skies over Dartmoor in January

The southwest of England must have been the best place to be, this winter.  We have enjoyed several consecutive days of blue skies and sunshine; the ground is almost frozen so is firm to walk on yet not rock hard.  It is great walking in areas where the ground is usually quite boggy, and being able to walk over the top without sinking.  Dave took Tigger for a couple of miles exercise today close to Sheepstor and Burrator Reservoir, and took the above picture.... of a sea of dried grass, unspoilt by humankind!

Judy, with little Callah the terrier and Judy's mother, all opted for a slightly more sedate stroll along by the East Dart in Bellever Forest where a surprising number of huge pine trees have come down, probably when we had a day or two of strong wind a few weeks ago.  They had the place to themselves; the big advantage of walking in January!  They then took the car the long way round to get home - turn right out of the Bellever Forest car park, following the little lane towards Widecombe, and then turning right before rejoining the Ashburton/Dartmeet/Princetown road, and eventually turning right again along the Postbridge road - a rather beautiful circular tour, to make the most of the winter sunshine.

The Cherrybrook 2017 - New Year, new blog!

We are finally sorting out a few jobs from the never-ending to-do list, and one of these is to bring our "blog" up to date.  Dave started a blog way back in 2011 or 2012 with the very good intentions of keeping a regular record of our activities, but as with many good intentions, other priorities took over and our blog never really took off as we intended.

So, a new year, and a new start.  As I write, the snowdrops are beginning to peek through, the daffodils are starting to grow, and that dreadful mole is pushing up his 30th molehill in as many days! Dave is sanding down the wooden window ledges prior to oiling them, and Judy is stocking up the cupboards ready for our Spring visitors.  It seems as if the to-do list grows as quickly as the daffodils!