Whilst I was staying on Exmoor I took the opportunity to get to the coast at Watchet to enjoy a sunset, and to go and buy local produce from the Taunton farmers’ marke
Have you ever thought about taking away a group of friends, or family and having a bit of quality time away from the internet? Well I know just the place, on Exmoor, one of the great places on the Independent Hostels map of the West Country..
As a geo-cacher I am used to discovering hidden gems and exmoor was a brilliant find that I hope to return to soon. Over 267 square miles of unspoilt moorland and over 34 miles of rugged coastline, there is loads of beautiful landscape to explore. Exmoor sits on the border of two counties with part of it located in Somerset and part in Devon. With many events held throughout the year there is something taking place for everybody, from solo travelers or families alike.
Staying at Chitcombe Camping Barns gave me a chance to unwind from everyday life as there was no Wifi and no TV to watch. I had plenty of time to cook a nice meal and enjoy the company and conversation. Staying in hostels does give you the opportunity to make connections – with people and nature, that a hotel or B&B does not always deliver.
Whilst I was staying on Exmoor I took the opportunity to get to the coast at Watchet to enjoy a sunset, and to go and buy local produce from the Taunton farmers’ market. There were plenty of books and maps at the barn to inspire trips around Exmoor and I would like to return to explore more in the future. There are some amazing old bridges on Exmoor just waiting for me to photograph them.
If look up Exmoor on the Geocaching Website you will see there are plenty of caches to search for, that will take you some amazing parts of Exmoor. If you have never heard of Geocaching (the worlds largest treasure hunt) have a look at some of my other blogs on this website to find out all about it.
At the end of the day you can return to the camping barns and make yourself something to eat in the well-equipped self-catering kitchen, then enjoy a nice hot shower. The barns are also centrally heated with hot and cold running water. Very different to many stone tent camping barns that I have visited. You will still need to bring sleeping bags and pillows as if you were camping, although mattresses are supplied.
The welcome of the owners was second only to the roaring log fire the greeted me.