Eco Lodges in Devon
#30DaysWild no 30. At Wheatland Farm we’ve been easing off the path mowing just for a week or so, and here’s the result – clover lawns around the eco lodges that the bees are loving.
Continue reading “Clover Lawns Around The Eco Lodges”
#30DaysWild no 29. The tree bumblebee nest at Beech Lodge is still going strong, with bees coming and going and doing their own thing.
Continue reading “Tree Bumble Bees Make Placid Neighbours”
#30DaysWild no 28 Ian has been trimming the ivy cladding on the Otter Cottage.
Continue reading “Trimming Ivy On Otter Cottage Living Wall”
#30DaysWild no 27. We’re appreciating small beauties, like these rosy sycamore seeds, framing Beech Lodge in the background.
Continue reading “Rosy Sycamore Seeds”
#30DaysWild no 19: We think of toads as living at the Wheatland Farm wildlife pond, but often we find them a long way from water.
Continue reading “Toads On The Move”
#30DaysWild no 14. Does checking on the cows by drone count?
Continue reading “Aerial Views”
#30DaysWild no 11. Higher Punchardon Farm has brought us some cows to graze at Wheatland Farm for the summer. Here’s a clip of them coming out of the trailer to explore the meadow where the turbine is.
Continue reading “Cows For Conservation Grazing”
Today we walked the cows back up the lane to Higher Punchardon Farm, as the conservation grazing here at Wheatland Farm is finished for 2020. But not before George got a few selfies with Elgin…
Continue reading “Cows leave Wheatland Farm’s Devon Eco Lodges for the winter”
Last year Maggie joined The Time Is Now mass lobby of MPs about the dual climate and biodiversity crises. This year the lobby is going virtual. Wheatland Farm’s Random Act of Wildness for the day was to sign up for the 30th June event. Will you do the same?
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No. 12 Planning to lobby our MP”
It was on our 2020 Charter List – to upgrade some more of the double glazing in the eco lodges. So we’ve started with Beech Lodge.
Continue reading “Upgrading the eco lodge windows”
Ian has made a beautiful new coffee table for Nuthatch Eco Lodge – from our own Wheatland Farm timber.
Continue reading “Upcycled coffee table for Nuthatch Eco Lodge”
Yesterday we took the Wheatland Farm brush cutter mower and hedge trimmer to the community biodiversity area near Winkleigh sports centre.
Continue reading “Mowing grass at Winkleigh’s ‘community trees’”
A batch of bird books have arrived for the lodges, as we promised in our ‘further greening‘ plan for 2020.
Continue reading “Bird Books For The Eco Lodges”
We’re delighted Wheatland Farm was been awarded Bronze across the whole south west region (Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Bristol…) for Responsible Ethical and Sustainable Tourism in this year’s South West Tourism Awards.
Continue reading “Regional Recognition And Renewed Commitment”
Winkleigh has joined many other Devon parishes in declaring a climate emergency. As a starting point, Winkleigh’s environmental action group has asked its members to list their top ten tips for taking action. So here’s Wheatland Farm’s suggestions.
Continue reading “10 Tips To Act on Climate Change”
Ian was at the Crediton Repair Cafe this morning – in their new and improved venue at the Methodist Church.
Continue reading “Helping at the Crediton Repair Cafe again”
Some of Wheatland Farm’s summer flowers are starting to go over – but not these ones on the side of Balebarn Lodge.
Continue reading “Beer Can Flowers”
We’ve been noticing for a while that we could be buying cheaper and apparently just as green power elsewhere, so why do we stick with Good Energy?
Continue reading “Good Green Energy For Our Eco Lodges”
For the record, here’s the full list of plant species found at Wheatland Farm and Popehouse Moor SSSI by the Devonshire association’s survey on 9 June 2019.
Continue reading “2019 Botany Survey”
#30DaysWild No. 26. Today was #TheTimeIsNo mass lobby of MPs in Westminster. Organised by a coalition of major charities, including WWF, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, several faith-based development charities etc etc, it called for strong action on the twin issues of climate change and nature recovery. We felt we had to be part of it.
Continue reading “#TheTimeIsNow and #30DaysWild No. 26”
They cows are back at Wheatland Farm – so it must be summer! Here’s a clip of their release into the field.
Continue reading “Welcome back cows!”
Wheatland Farm has pledged £100 in support of the North Devon Biosphere Reserve’s nature improvement projects. Will you join us?
Continue reading “Supporting crowdfunding for Devon’s wildlife”
Farewell to our lovely guests holidaying at Balebarn Lodge, who spent the week exploring Devon powered by wind (you can just about see the turbine in the distance).
Continue reading “Electric car charging”
Ian’s just back from another morning helping at the Crediton Repair Cafe. Here’s a happy ‘customer’ who had his electric strimmer fixed for free. That’s one less item to end up in a Devon landfill.
Continue reading “Crediton Repair Cafe”
What can a couple of old planks and a gate post make you? A stylish replacement bed for our flagship Balebarn eco lodge.
Continue reading “Upcycling a bed for Balebarn Eco Lodge”
Here’s our own #10YearChallenge. Can you spot the difference?
Continue reading “Thanks for helping with our #10YearChallenge”
We’ve been totting up all those five pounds we give to the Devon Wildlife Trust for everyone who pays their Wheatland Farm holiday balance by BACS. And there’s a cheque in the post for £340.
Continue reading “Huge thanks for helping us raise money for the Devon Wildlife Trust”
Ian was at the Crediton Repair Cafe again this Saturday – fixing everything from radios (a treasured old style transistor radio, brought in all the way from Torquay!), a sewing machine peddle, a band saw, a nut chopper (pictured, with a happy owner), a telephoto lens. There were also clothes and curtains getting some attention, other electronics, such as a hand blender, and some tools like pruning saws etc.
Continue reading “Crediton repair cafe in action again”
The New Year starts as we mean to go on at Wheatland Farm! Getting out there and looking after the Devon countryside. Today’s job was clearing ‘brash’ from near Honeysuckle Lodge …
Continue reading “Conservation work starts again”
[Ian] It was the Crediton Repair Cafe today. So I spent the morning helping fix things – something I’m very familar with, from keeping the lodges and the cottage in good order at Wheatland Farm! Continue reading “Crediton Repair Cafe”