The Battle of the Voice . Turn up the sound ! Only a matter of days until red deer rut peaks throughout the UK, followed by fallow and sika rut peak later on in October. Here two red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) roar at each other at beginning of October.
By Jochen Langbein
(Click on the images to see them in full size)
Tide rushing in….
Brian Castle captured this bolving stag on camera a few days ago.
“Some epic downpours today on Exmoor. Jack is going to start gentle walks again over the next few days to see how he progresses. These pictures were from this morning on a drive across Molland and Anstey Commons. Beautiful colours of Autumn starting to show and dramatic skies.”
Sarah Hailstone, 09 October 2019
You can follow Sarah’s and Jack’s adventures on Exmoor on their Facebook page.
I came across this beautiful baby snuggled in the heather on Exmoor.
Photos by Donna Cox Alsoomse.
Photos by Ralph (photo block 1) and Sparkle (photo block 2) – you can follow them on Twitter: @pkpacha12 and @escana143.
The future of Lundy, an island off the North Devon coast that has been transformed over the past fifty years, is secure as a haven for wildlife and visitors that are looking for their own little bit of peace and tranquillity. A fresh 50-year agreement between the National Trust and the Landmark Trust, the two charities that own and run Lundy, has been signed, which will offer protection for years to come.
“Fifty years ago Lundy was on a knife-edge,” said Derek Green, the Landmark Trust’s Manager of Lundy. A new chapter in the island’s history began in 1969 when the late Sir Jack Hayward, the former owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers football club, bought Lundy and donated it to the National Trust, who leased it to the Landmark Trust. “It’s been a fantastic journey and we’re thrilled to be signing the new lease. The island offers a rare experience: large enough to have a life of its own, which visitors can share and enjoy, but small and far away enough being a world apart.”
On Sunday 29th October the island celebrated the Golden Anniversary 1969-2019 in style with a church service in the newly renovated St Helens church. The bells rang out across the island as Reverend Jane Skinner gave a wonderful service, followed by speeches and a toast to all that Lundy offers and to all the people past and present who have contributed to this beautiful place.
Lundy being Lundy it wouldn’t have been right as on any big occasion if a new set of Lundy stamps were not issued, so the Lundy post office has been really busy putting together the first day covers and stamp sets for the Golden Jubilee 50th Anniversary.
Later in the day a wonderful spit roast was presented followed by the Dambuskers playing well into the evening, such an amazing celebration enjoyed by all.
By Tracey Crumb
http://www.lundyisland.co.uk
19 NOV 2019: TASTING DINNER AT KNOWLE MANOR
Six Chefs – Six Courses
Followed by an Auction of Promises.
In aid of MIND in Somerset.
£85.00 per ticket (£25.00 wine flight optional)
7pm for 7.30pm
Chefs for Hope are organising a Tasting Dinner in support of the local charity MIND in Somerset which will take place on 19 November 2019 at Knowle Manor.
Six outstanding chefs will be cooking an exquisite six course dinner, providing guests with a top dining experience – James Mason, Ellis Pannell, Paul Berry, Olivier Certain, John Bradley and Liam Finnegan will be supported by learners from Foxes Hotel.
All chefs are from award-winning restaurants: James Mason, former Head Chef at Kentisbury Grange, now runs his own event company, New Coast Events. Ellis Pannell is Chef Patron of the Pyne Arms in North Devon, Paul Berry the Chef Patron of The Swan in Bampton, a Top50 Gastropub, where Olivier Certain is the head chef. John Bradley is the Chef Patron of Dunkery Beacon Country Hotel, and Liam Finnegan the head chef at The Castle in Taunton.
The dinner is in aid of the charity MIND in Somerset – Chefs for Hope are hoping to raise £5,000 to set up a youth service in Minehead for children with mental health issues in West Somerset. MIND in Somerset help young people who struggle with finding enjoyment in things that used to be fun, feel isolated and lonely and that life seems a bit pointless.
Chefs for Hope was set up by Mike Griffiths, former head chef at the Farmers Arms in Combe Florey, and Elke Winzer, organiser of the Exmoor Food Fest. The objective of Chefs for Hope is to help local charities raise much needed funds.
“We are delighted that six fantastic chefs are joining us for our first Tasting Dinner in November”, said Elke Winzer. “We are grateful to all of them to give up their time to help us raise money for MIND in Somerset.”
“Many chefs struggle with mental health, and supporting young people is a matter close to our hearts”, added Mike Griffiths. “We do hope that we will exceed our target of £5000 to be able to fund more than one youth group in West Somerset.”
The dinner will be followed by an Auction of Promises – information about the auctioneer and the items to be won will soon be published!
Tickets are available via the website http://www.chefsforhope.org
If you can’t make it, but still wish to contribute, then please consider supporting our Crowdfunder: 100% of the money donated will go straight towards our project.
For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the night sky and wondered at what they saw. This wonder helped to define our sense of who we are, our myths and legends, our religious beliefs and a sense of our place in a wider cosmos. But the dark skies that were the night time backdrop for the vast majority of human history are for many of us now a rare sight. Our night times are filled with the orange glow of street lighting and we are all more likely to be looking at a television or a smartphone than gazing at the stars.
So why not take the time on Exmoor to look up and rediscover your sense of wonder? Good spots are Holdstone Hill, County Gate, Brendon Two Gates, Webbers Post, Anstey Gate, Haddon Hill and Wimbleball Lake. On a clear night the night sky of Exmoor is simply stunning when many astronomical sights can be seen through the naked eye and even more can be discovered through a telescope or binoculars.
To help you get the most from Exmoor’s dark skies we have produced a new Dark Skies Pocket Guide – download it here or pick up a copy from one of our National Park Centres where you can also hire a telescope ! – you can see one of the telescopes and and how to use them in this short video.
Here is the link to the full programme.
Good weather for stargazing? Check out the Exmoor Weather forecast from the Met Office here
Exmoor 4 all 