​ BAREFOOT DEVON
A Wild Wellness Gathering
17th–21st August 2026

This is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, reconnect with your body, spend time in nature, and enjoy simple living in good company.
​
What to expect:
* Morning & evening movement
* Breathwork
* Somatic dance
* Guided walks
* Star gazing meditation
* Fire circle evenings
* Beach trip
* Plenty of time to rest, connect and simply be

Food will be relaxed and shared, with a welcome meal, paella night, and some basics provided. Bring foods you love and we’ll share what we have pot-luck style.

Accommodation options include shared yurts and cosy cottages*, with prices starting from £320 per person.

Book early and pay in full to receive a 5% discount, or secure your place with a £200 deposit.

For those who don’t know me, I’ve spent over 35 years working in mind and body wellness, creating grounded, supportive spaces where everyone is welcome. Having lived in Devon before moving to Croatia, this retreat feels like a very special return.

Spaces are limited to keep the gathering small and personal.

To book contact Gillie at:
wildwithgillie@icloud.com
WhatsApp +385 992 106302

Full details and accommodation options:
https://gilliesutherland.co/2026/04/29/barefoot-devon/
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Come as you are. Leave feeling lighter.

*Please note that remaining accommodation is in the yurts, the cottages have already been booked. Ordinarily yurt guests would not have access to the cottage facilities (including a spacious conservatory, heated indoor pool and games room) however as the retreat is split across both businesses, yurt guests will have the opportunity to use the pool and other facilities at specified times during the retreat so as not to disturb other cottage guests unconnected to the retreat. 

To get your 25% off voucher just book a stay with Blackdown Yurt this season. Your voucher will be emailed to you as a pdf when we receive your deposit payment and a reminder will be sent three days before your arrival. 

*See Voucher Terms from Diggerland

We welcomed our first guests of the season back at Blackdown Yurts on Good Friday in Badger (above) and Woodpecker. Willow and Buzzard will open again toward the end of the month. If you still have a little bit of Easter holiday left then we have the following availability remaining for this coming week:

Woodpecker from tomorrow Monday 6th April for between 2 and 4 nights. £99 a night.

Badger from Friday 10th April for minimum 2 nights. Fri and Sat £140 a night.

Both sleep up to 6 in a king size double and four single beds with proper mattresses and bedding provided. Plus blankets and a woodburner to keep you cosy. Private bathroom with hot water shower in the nearby barn, composting loo adjacent. Camp kitchen adjacent and communal kitchen/dining/lounging areas in the barn. Full details are available on our website. ​

Spring has properly sprung now in the West Country. I spotted the first bluebells in flower outside the yurt barn yesterday. The little white stars of lesser stichwort adorn the hedgerows. The birdsong in the mornings is just awesome to listen to and the vibrant new leaves are bursting from the buds. We are seeing deer most days on our dog walks. Getting away from it all and immersing yourself in nature has never felt so important. ​

A major bonus of our site is our fabulous communal barn which is of particular benefit if the weather is less than lovely or if you have a group of friends or family staying together as it makes a great spot to get together to cook, eat and relax. The barn is also where our private bathrooms to each yurt are situated. Take a look at our features here. 

English Tourism Week starts today. It happily coincides with our tenth anniversary of taking over Blackdown Yurts glamping next weekend.

We tried to re-create this image last year but failed when the images were mysteriously deleted from the camera. We must try again next month when the bluebells are out.

It’s been a roller-coaster of a ten years with the interruption of Covid in the middle. We’re so proud of the improvements we’ve made to the site over that time including all new private bathrooms, private fridges, new beds and mattresses, new camp kitchens, new and improved Badger and Woodpecker yurts, new hedges and tree planting.

Thank you as ever to our loyal customers who come back year on year and who really help our small business survive in an increasingly competitive market. You also help local businesses including pubs, farm shops and tourist attractions to thrive by coming to visit.

If you’ve not stayed before then English Tourism Week is the perfect time to plan your domestic holiday stay for this coming season. We open on Good Friday 3rd April and are open until the end of September.
​
We look forward to seeing you soon.

In 2020 we had the luxury of time while the country was closed down by Covid so we undertook major rebuilding of Badger and Woodpecker Yurts into more cabin-like structures, which was finally topped off in 2024 by the installation of fibreglass roofs.  ​

Along the way we've been proud to collect multiple awards which reward the hard work including Bronze in the Glamping category of the Visit Devon Tourism Awards, a commendation in the South West England Tourism Excellence Awards, a Visit England Recognition of Service Excellence Award and a Gold Award in the Visit England Glamping accreditation scheme. ​

It's been super fun looking back over the last ten years and reflecting on all the upgrades we've made. Now to look forward to the coming season. The yurts are available to book now. We open for the season on Good Friday 3rd April. ​

Blackberry brownies
I have what I consider to be the world's best brownie recipe - saved as a page pulled out from The Telegraph magazine back in 2021 and much used since then. It gives you the basic recipe and then suggests different fillings. I used blackberries and white chocolate in my recent incarnation however I think macadamia nuts (or indeed hazelnuts, see below) would be a winning addition to that combo. The Telegraph credits the recipe as being from ScandiKitchen: The Essence of Hygge which sounds like just the right sort of cookery book for venturing into the Autumn months with. 

​Roasted beetroot with blackberries and toasted hazelnuts
For this one I have to credit The Farm Table at Darts Farm, the award-winning farm shop in Topsham. We were fortunate enough to have dinner there last week and one of my friend's had this dish as a side. So simple, roasted beets with blackberries and toasted hazelnuts over the top. I'm not sure if it had a dressing but I'd add a slosh of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roasted red onions would go well too I think and perhaps a sharp feta or a goat's cheese. I'd not eaten at The Farm Table before but would certainly recommend their fabulously flavoured pizzas fired in the pizza oven. Darts Farm is definitely worth a visit for a browse and to buy some excellent local produce. It's a real treat.

​Blackberry fool with hazelnut biscuits
I wanted to create a dessert using blackberries for Sunday lunch with friends last weekend. Felix and I picked a kilo of blackberries really quite quickly from the hedgerow nearest our house. I had a quick google of blackberry fool recipes and settled on this one as I liked the sound of the hazelnut biscuits - both being fruits of Autumn blackberries and hazelnuts are a match made in heaven as seen in the last recipe too. Stupidly I forgot to take any photos but they did look beautiful, adorned with sprigs of mint intact with flowers. 

Hairy Biker's recipe for blackberry fool with hazelnut biscuits on BBC Good Food.

Hedgerow jelly
Another BBC Good Food recipe, this time for hedgerow jelly. We are fortunate to have a crab apple tree outside our holiday cottages at Halsbeer Farm and a lot of berries in the hedgerows on the farm including blackberries (top left), sloes (bottom right), rose hips, haws (from hawthorn, bottom left) and elderberries (top right). Get out and get foraging and give this one a go. 

Pam Corbin's recipe for hedgerow jelly on BBC Good Food.

Valid on new stays booked from 31st July 2025 onwards from 1st August til 31st August inclusive. 

Enter code AUGUST10 at check out for 10% off your August stay. 

In addition one night stays are now available to book in all yurts throughout August if you'd like a cheeky short getaway or use us as a stopover on route to elsewhere. 

We have very few weekend stays remaining in August so move fast if you want to secure one of those. We have:

• weekend of 8/9th August in Badger and Woodpecker (both sleep 6),
  
• weekend of 15/16th August in Woodpecker, and
  
• weekend of 29/30th August in Buzzard (6), Willow (4) and Woodpecker.

We have greater flexibility on midweek stays throughout August in all yurts. 

Breaking down the categories we were awarded 5 stars for pre-arrival and arrival information, 5 stars for quality and condition of beds, bedding and bed linen and 5 stars for cleanliness across the whole site. We were awarded 4 stars for exterior look and the grounds, bathrooms, kitchen, living space and lighting and heating. 

Teresa noted that "each yurt is well spaced with hedge planting further enhancing privacy". Also that there is "plenty of colour in the many planters, more trees planted and rewilded areas."

Teresa noted that "Sturdy beds are maintained in excellent condition. Pocket sprung mattresses adding to the comfort. The inclusion of day beds provides an efficient use of available space. Very good quality bedding is pristinely presented with plenty of attractive throws and cushions." 

A big thank you to Teresa and Visit England for taking the time to visit and write such a comprehensive report of our facilities here at Blackdown Yurts. 

The fire's new location on the side of the yurt and the lack of uprights means there is a much larger floor area in the centre of the yurt, perfect for lounging or playing. The yurts can still sleep up to 6 and, as before, one or two of the single beds can be put away if need be to make even more space for example for cots or dog beds. 

We are delighted to tell you about a special fundraising auction in aid of Exeter College's Rugby Academy's Under 18s girls Tour to Canada this Summer. Our daughter Mia is fortunate to be going on the tour, so we have donated a two-night stay in one of our yurts to this auction and have also secured the donation of a place on UK BBQ School's BBQ Fundamentals Course down the road at nearby Fordmore Farm Shop. Thanks to Marcus and Lisa at UK BBQ School for their generosity. 

The yurt stay is worth £270 and the opening bid is £150. The BBQ course is worth £135 and the opening bid is £69 so you could grab yourself a bargain. If you don't want to wait for the end of the auction you can of course book your yurt stay or BBQ course at any time on our websites! ​

Mia and her team-mates pictured last week at Rosslyn Park 7s where they triumphed in the ACE college U18s tournament.

While Mia has been busy running around the rugby pitch, we have been busy in this glorious sunshine getting the improvements to Badger and Woodpecker finished and putting Willow and Buzzard up again for the season.

We have some availability week commencing 11th April but the yurts are fully booked for Easter weekend. We have good availability after Easter and in May (including the midweek and last weekend of half-term), however most weekends are now fully booked in June and July. August and September have plenty of availability still including weekends.  ​

Mabon is a pagan holiday in the Wheel of the Year, falling on the Autumn equinox. The Autumn equinox is when there is equal light and dark in the day and it falls between 20th and 22nd September depending on the year. As such Mabon symbolises balance. It is also a harvest festival, giving thanks for the fruits of the earth as the last of the harvests are brought home. 

Thanks to its connection with harvest, Mabon is a feast-centred holiday, a perfect time to celebrate with a meal for family or friends. Coincidentally this year our village Mystery Supper falls on Mabon weekend. A Mystery (or Safari) Supper is like a potluck supper, but rather than all gathering in one place, each couple hosts one course (starter, main or dessert) and you only find out which house you are going to at the very beginning and then at the end of each subsequent course. You could of course do a traditional potluck dinner. 

You might like to decorate your home for Autumn with finds from the woods such as leaves and nuts, pumpkins and gourds from the garden. Perhaps make an Autumnal wreath for your door with dried flowers and leaves.

As Mabon marks the move into the darker half of the year a lovely way to honour this is by lighting a bonfire or candles. Cleanse your home using smudging sage or scented candles to purify your space.

Express gratitude for the year that has gone by journalling all that you are grateful for.
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The modern Wheel of the Year has 8 festivals - at the Winter and Summer solstices, the Spring and Autumn equinoxes and four interceding ones. We've written blogs about some of them before (click on the name to view): 

Winter Solstice (also known as Midwinter or Yule) around 21st December
Imbolc (sometimes called as Candlemas) around 1st February
Spring Equinox (or Ostara) around 21st March
Beltane (May Day) 1st May
Summer Solstice (Midwinter or Litha) around 21st June
Lammas (Lughnasadh) the first harvest festival held around 1st August
Autumn Equinox (Mabon or Harvest Home) around 21st September
Samhain (All Hallows) 1st November.
​

We are chuffed to bits and we hope you come and see for yourself why we deserve Gold for yourself very soon. 

Subscribe to our newsletter for a special subscriber offer of 10% off your summer stay. 

3. Museum of Mid-Devon Life and the Tivvy Bumper
​Also home to Tiverton's Tourist Information Centre, this great little museum is fascinating for kids and adults alike. All ages will love the Tivvy Bumper steam train. There's plenty of dressing up and activities such as colouring on the way round. And it's dog friendly! Children 16 and under are free with a paying adult and carer's/support workers are free when accompanying a person with a disability or additional needs. 

Visit the Tiverton Museum website

Great to visit on their own or combine a trip to both The Lost Kitchen at Chettiscombe for food and National Trust Knightshayes for the beautiful parkland estate, formal and kitchen gardens and fabulous house to visit. You can park at The Lost Kitchen and walk the estate up to the house or park at the National Trust and do the reverse. 

Visit The Lost Kitchen's website
Visit National Trust Knightshaye's website

5. Liznojan bookshop
​Regional and Country Finalist in the Independent Bookshop of the Year awards, this gorgeously decorated bookshop has the most exquisite selection of books. Grab a coffee and have a browse. 

Visit Liznojan's website

6. Tiverton Pannier Market
As befits a market town Tiverton has an interesting market hall in the middle. Apparently these sorts of markets are called pannier markets after the baskets that were used to bring goods to market on the backs of pack animals, kind of like pannier bags on a bicycle today. General markets Tues, Fri, Sat. Second hand Monday mornings, mini-market Thursday. Closed on Wednesdays.

Visit the Tiverton Pannier market webpage

7. Tiverton Castle
Still on our to do list. The Castle and Gardens are open on Sundays, Thursdays and Bank Holidays from Easter Sunday to the end of October. 2.30pm to 5.30pm. (Pssst - they have one of the swans there - she's called Grace). Admission is by cash only and dogs are sadly not allowed.

Visit the Tiverton Castle webpage

8. Devon Railway Centre, Bickleigh Mill and The Fisherman's Cot
Little trains to ride on along with a model railway and village, loads of outdoor and indoor play areas. liznojan image
​The Devon Railway Centre is at Bickleigh where you will also find Bickleigh Mill for shopping and eating and the The Fisherman's Cot pub. 

​Visit the Devon Railway Centre webpage
Visit Bickleigh Mill's website
Visit the Fisherman's Cot website

9. The Hickory Inn in Halberton
Another one we are yet to try but has a great reputation and despite being a Deep South inspired-smokehouse with a great selection of meat on the menu it also has a great vegetarian and vegan offering. Definitely one to try.

Visit the Hickory Inn's website

10. Swan's neck circular walk and Halberton Farm shop and cafe
One we have done this 2 1/4 mile couple of times and well worth the effort. Most of the walk is along the canal towpath and so is flat and easy with the exception of a small rise from Halberton Farm Shop to the access onto the canal near the car park. It's also off road almost the entire way. Suitable for pushchairs, bicycles and motorised buggies.

You can park at the Tiverton Road Bridge car park and take a stop at the Halberton Farm Shop and cafe on the way round, or park at the carpark at Greenway Bridge and walk it from there. (Please don't park and leave your car in the farm shop car park while you walk, that is for customer's on site only.) The farm shop also does PYO in summer months. It's locally renowned for its strawberries.

Visit the Swan's Neck Circular walk webpage
Visit the Halberton Farm Shop's webpage

During the last eight years we've totally remodelled the site with new decks, new cladding on Badger and Woodpecker, bringing Buzzard down from the top of Yonder Hill into the yurt field on its own raised deck, new camp kitchens, new fire pits, new beds, new bathrooms, new front to the barn, new sofas. 

Of course we are really proud that our efforts have been recognised along the way with awards from Visit Devon and Visit England, including two Bronzes in the Glamping category of the Devon Tourism Awards, a commendation in the SouthWest England tourism excellence awards, a Rose award and Gold accreditation from Visit England. Our latest accolade is a Bronze award from Green Tourism. 

We open for the season one week tomorrow on Good Friday 29th April. We hope to see you really soon back at Blackdown Yurts. The season runs til the end of September. 

​Celebrate English Tourism Week this week by booking your next stay and supporting English businesses such as ours and all the attractions and places to eat nearby. 

If you can't visit on exactly those dates or we don't have availability, the moon appears full a day or two either side. 
​

If you'd like to get even deeper in touch with your elemental nature, book onto a day retreat this Spring with the wonderful Elle from Serendipity, Mind, Body, Soul. Based in nearby Sheldon, Elle is a sacred celebrant and is running day retreats with another celebrant Kathy in nearby Broadhembury* on three dates during our open season. ​​

We have availability in the yurts on the weekend of 12/13 April and 14/15 June. Book onto a day retreat with Elle and receive a code to get £35 off your two night stay at Blackdown Yurts on either of those weekends**. 

The yurts are already fully booked on the weekend of Saturday 25th May, however we do still have availability for half term in three of our holiday cottages at the other side of the farm. Book a day retreat with Elle for Saturday 25th May and receive a code for £35 off a stay in one of our cottages at Halsbeer Farm for half term week - available for seven nights from Friday 24th May. 

​*Broadhembury Village Hall is about 15 minute's drive away from Blackdown Yurts. You will need to make your own way there. 

**Please note only one discount can be used per accommodation unit, not per person.

Blackdown Yurts was nominated for the award by Teresa, our VisitEngland assessor who has carried out our glamping accreditation visit for the last two years (for which we achieved Gold by the way!). The ROSE Awards "recognise accommodation businesses which go the extra mile for their guests".

Blackdown Yurts was one of only four glamping providers to receive the award yesterday and one of only six from across all the categories of holiday accommodation to win in Devon. That's out of 100, so we are pretty chuffed to bits.

I was delighted to accept the award on behalf of everyone who has worked so hard to make Blackdown Yurts the success it is. A big thank you especially to my partner in life and in business Mark Hammond; to our fabulous carpenter Graeme; and to our children Mia and Felix both of whom have worked on changeovers for the first time this year.

​We've had a fantastic season so far and still have a few stays left this month before we close for the Winter on Saturday 30th September. The weather is looking lovely this week and at the weekend so come on down.

​We re-open next year on Good Friday 29th March 2024.

​We hope to see you soon at our multi-award winning glamping site! 

A big one of course is Exeter, Devon's historic cathedral city, which is surprisingly close being only one junction down the M5 from Cullompton. It has numerous attractions and lots of shops and restaurants. A few highlights include:

The RAMM (Royal Albert Memorial Museum) is an excellent indoor option with fascinating free galleries and temporary exhibitions that you may have to pay extra for. It's also close to some of Exeter's best and varied eateries.

Exeter Cathedral is also nearby and well worth a visit. The underground passages are interesting and most definitely out of the rain being beneath the streets. They are accessed via an entrance on Paris Street next to Next at the John Lewis end of town.

To get active while it's raining look no further than Clip and Climb, Exeter's indoor climbing centre down in the Quay area. It claims to be the Southwest's largest indoor climbing centre. There are also some great restaurants and antique places to explore in the Quay along with a new yarn shop Lauren Aston Designs run by a friend of ours where you can stock up on your quality colourful knitting yarn and knitting patterns before returning to your yurt or the barn to knit the rain away. 

Taunton has Hollywood Bowl and there is also Tenpin bowling in Exeter and bowling at Ocean in Exmouth where there is also a big soft play and places to eat and drink all under one roof.

Besides Ocean in Exmouth mentioned above, there is soft play at Quince Honey Farm in South Molton where there is also an interesting museum all about how honey and wax products are made.

We've already mentioned Exeter's RAMM museum above, but we also love the Museum of Mid Devon Life at Tiverton, Torquay Museum and the World of Country Life at Sandy Bay in Exmouth. All have fascinating exhibits of local Devon history but each has some extra unique attractions for example the Tivvy Bumper at Tiverton, which is a steam train housed indoors in its own separate area.

The Torquay Museum has exhibits from around the world but also about Agatha Christie who had a summer house nearby. The World of Country Life has lots of indoor play areas including a pirate ship in a giant covered sand pit and spacious indoor hangars containing lots of motor and steam vehicles from throughout the history of automotive so it's suitable for all the family.

The Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton is an art gallery which often has special exhibitions and workshops in holidays for children. Their summer art week is coming up from 15th to 18th August where they invite 11-17 year olds to try a different activity on each of the four days.

Honiton also has a pottery painting workshop which is a great wet weather activity. And there is Something Lovely Pottery in Sidmouth, set in Libra Court, a courtyard with six studios and galleries including that of Lynda Kettle an artist and tutor who has run watercolour painting courses over the last few years at our holiday cottages. 

If you have some fantastic wet weather suggestions of things to do nearby please let us know so we can add them to the list for future guests.

​Happy Holidays whatever the weather! 

​Badger (sleeps 6) is available from Thursday 6th July for a minimum of two nights and up to eight nights including over next weekend.

Willow and Woodpecker are both available on the weekend of 14th July and we have some midweek availability either side too.

Once the summer holidays start availability is more limited but we do have Woodpecker for four nights from 24th July and Willow is available for four nights from 31st July. Then nothing until 14th August.

Live availability calendars are available on each individual yurt page or take a look on the Book Now page where you can search availability. 

Alongside our four fully equipped Mongolian yurts we have a spacious communal barn with dining, seating and cooking areas. Next door are private bathrooms for each yurt with hot showers and flushing toilets. Never fear for middle of the night wees you don't have to venture far from the yurt as each has a composting toilet and urinal adjacent along with its very own camp kitchen and fire seating area. 

We generously provide wood, kindling, firelighters, matches and a starter pack of charcoal for the kettle BBQ. We even provide marshmallows for toasting. Come and check out our little piece of heaven in Devon for yourself.

Our beautiful fields and meadows are teeming with wildlife including barn owls, kestrels, deer, butterflies, birds and bats. Come and relax in nature a while. Bat detectors available to borrow on request, if Katie is around she may be able to lead a bat walk for you. Do ask or put a note on expressing your interest when you book. 

To celebrate our success we are delighted to extend our £15 off per night offer into June. We have availability midweek but also in all yurts next weekend (9/10 June) and in Badger and Woodpecker, our wood-clad yurts that sit side-by-side in the field on the weekend of 16/17 June. Badger and Woodpecker both sleep up to six. All four yurts collectively sleep up to 22. 

Rather than needing to enter a code we have reduced the price of remaining nights in June by £15 a night. Two night minimum stay applies. That makes a two night stay Sunday-Monday in Willow (sleeps 4) just £130 (was £160) and a two night stay Friday/Saturday £210 (was £240). A two night stay Sunday-Monday in one of the larger yurts (each sleep 6) with the discount is just £150 (was £180) and a two night stay Friday/Saturday is now £230 (was £260). Applies on new bookings made and taken up until 30th June only.

You can search availability on our Book Now page or view calendars of each yurt on each individual yurt page. 

​April and May are such beautiful months to visit the Blackdown Hills and Devon. With wild garlic and bluebells flowering, birds singing and the sun getting warmer by the day. 

We have one stay remaining in the May half term, in Willow which sleeps 4, from Monday 29th May for four nights. Availability is fairly good throughout June and the first half of July but is becoming patchy during the Summer holidays. ​

This is still one of my all-time favourite photos that Mark has taken here at Blackdown Yurts. The majesty of the Milky Way coursing down the centre, Mars at far left and a shooting star at centre right, with a group of happy glampers enjoying the campfire next to their yurt. 'Happy days', or rather 'happy nights'. 

At the end of last year I attended a meeting where representatives of the Exmoor Dark Skies Project and the UK Dark Skies Partnership spoke about the importance of keeping our landscapes as free as possible of light pollution. It's so important to avoid excessive lighting as it can harm wildlife and prevent us from seeing the stars, never mind the waste of money and energy and the harmful contribution that makes to climate change.

We are lucky that our yurts nestle in a dark valley on the edge of the Blackdown Hills AONB with very little light spill. We have been careful not to introduce a lot of lighting on site, instead relying on guests to use torches and lanterns to find their way around. We have a lot of nocturnal wildlife, which you could spot (or hear) on your holiday including numerous species of bats, barn and tawny owls, and foxes. 

Read on to find out five ways you can embrace your dark side this year...

I learnt recently that you can actually see the moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn through binoculars so you don't really need much specialist equipment. The moon also looks amazing through bins. We have a few pairs available to borrow in the barn. I'm planning to dust off my mum's telescope this year and actually work out how to use it. 

I use an app called SkyView Lite (just the free version) to tell me what the stars, constellations and planets are that I'm looking at. It also tells you the location of the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. Just point your smartphone at the sky and see what you can find. 

I've bought a copy of the 2023 stargazer's almanac to keep at the yurt barn this season. It tells you month by month what should be visible when you look to the North and to the South with loads of interesting astronomical facts too. 

I've done this citizen science survey a couple of year's running and the aim is to be able to tell if light pollution is getting worse by monitoring the same piece of night sky over time. You can take part from wherever you are, as long as you can find the constellation of Orion (take a peek on the app if you aren't sure). You simply count how many stars you can see within an area of the constellation over a set period of time on a night between 17th and 24th February. Full instructions on how to take part and report your results can be found at the CPRE's Star Count website. 

The yurts have a fantastic view of the moon rising over Blackborough Wood. While the night sky is beautiful any time of the year, full moon is often especially memorable. However, if you want to have really dark skies to try to see the most stars you should visit at or around New Moon when the skies are darkest.

During our open season this year there will be full moons on:

6 April, 5 May, 4 June, 3, July, 1 August, 31 August (blue moon, second full moon in a month), 29 September. The moon appears nearly full a few days either side.

And new moons will occur on: 

20 April, 19 May, 18 June, 17 July, 16 August, 15 September. 

​Remember we also have bat detectors to borrow and sometimes we run bat walks too so please ask Katie for more information before or during your stay. 

One of our favourite local places to visit, previously called Wildwood Escot, recently rebranded as Wildwood Devon. With a focus on rewilding and hopefully eventually reintroducing species that used to be native back the UK, Wildwood has wolves, bears, otters, wild boar and more set within a wooded area which is part of the Escot Park estate. They put on bird of prey flying demonstrations and we had the most magical encounter with a red squirrel once in their walk through enclosure.

What else is there? There is lots to see besides the animals including a maze, climbing wall, reconstruction of an Anglo Saxon village and bookable activities at the Devon Activity Centre including segway, quad biking, clay shooting, archery, axe throwing and more. You must book ahead to avoid disappointment. You can spend a whole day out here, and there is a cafe in the old stable block. 

Not one we have visited personally (yet) but it certainly sounds interesting from their website. The indoor exhibits are contained in a former Art Deco BBC radio transmitter station dating from 1933, with four acres of animal enclosures grounds to explore outside including two full size pirate ships and an adventure castle. 

What else is there? Watchet is a historic harbour town on the Somerset coast around 5 minutes drive from Tropiquaria. Also close by is the National Trust’s spectacular Dunster Castle. 

We think Shaldon is perfect for little people as it is small but perfectly formed meaning it won’t take too long to go around or be over-whelming. It’s only little and it specialises in primates such as monkeys and lemurs although there are other animals, birds, reptiles and amphibians too. 

What else is there? Shaldon Zoo is right beside the sea, you can walk from the zoo through a smugglers tunnel to Ness Cove Beach. Last time we went there was a cracking cafe in the car park, cafe-ODE I think it is. 

The first animal park we visited when we moved to Devon in 2016. The largest of Devon’s zoo offerings, you can easily spend a whole day here. Watch out for cheeky seagulls who might steal your ice cream (speaking from experience, you have been warned).  Paignton started life as Torbay Zoo and turns 100 in July 2023.
​
What else is there? Paignton Zoo offers a number of experiences including junior keeper, zoo keeper, giant tortoise, giraffe and rhino where you can get up close and personal. See their website for more information. Paignton Zoo is also close to the Splashdown Quaywest water park at Goodrington Sands. 

Not one we have visited yet, their website claims to have the only black leopard in captivity in the UK. Exmoor also offers experiences. 
What else is there? Once at Exmoor Zoo you are only 20 minutes from the picturesque Valley of the Rocks on the North Devon coast. You could also take the scenic route home across Exmoor for some fabulous scenery.

Originally a wild animal collection in the 1960s, Dartmoor Zoo was threatened with closure in 2006 until Benjamin Mee and his family bought the zoo and rebuilt both it and its reputation. After nine years in private ownership the zoo was donated to the Dartmoor Zoological Society, the charity that runs it today. We’ve not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves yet, but have sure been inspired to by the film so hope to visit later this year. 

What else is there? Dartmoor Zoo is close to both Plymouth, billed as Britain’s Ocean City, full of maritime heritage, and Dartmoor National Park.
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Bristol Zoological Gardens closed in September 2022 after 186 years in the centre of Clifton. However they have moved out to a new purpose-built, more spacious location to the north of Bristol. The new Bristol Zoo aims to carry on the conservation work of the Bristol Zoological Society while providing an innovative visitor experience in a more spacious and natural landscape. 

What else is there? Easily accessible off the M5, Wild Place Project is a stone’s throw from the massive mall that is Cribbs Causeway shopping centre and other amenities such as the Vue Cinema and Hollywood Bowl.

I’ve already downloaded Benjamin Mee’s book "We bought a Zoo" which tells the story of their adventure at Dartmoor Zoo. Benjamin is portrayed by Matt Damon in the film. The film has taken a bit of artistic licence with the story so I'm looking forward to reading about it in Benjamin's own words.

Another fabulous book about building a zoo from scratch is “Our Zoo” by June Mottershead whose father George began Chester Zoo in 1931. The book was made into a charming series by the BBC that aired in 2014. Chester Zoo is also on my list to visit one day. 

*Trigger warning - the movie We bought a Zoo deals sensitively with the loss of a parent and the journey the husband and children take in navigating their grief but it may be a trigger for some. That said, it may also provide solace as it is handled beautifully and Matt Damon and the child actors play their parts brilliantly. We loved it.

​At the time of writing We Bought a Zoo is available on Disney+

Disclaimer:
Distances and durations are from Google Maps and are approximate. Actual distances and durations may of course vary. An interactive map of places to visit from Blackdown Yurts is available on our Touchstay digital guest information book.

Be sure to check the attractions’ websites for current opening times and entry prices and all other details before you travel. Pre-booking is advised and is likely essential for experiences. Click on the zoo names above to visit their websites.

​I have Marwell Zoo in Hampshire to thank for my decision to study Zoology at University (along with all of David Attenborough's wonderful television output from the Natural History Unit in Bristol). We can argue the merits or otherwise of keeping animals in captivity, however I think they have a place especially if they are also involved in conservation and education, practically helping to protect endangered species and inspiring the next generation to look after the natural world and get up close and personal with wild animals without the cost, both financial and environmental, of travelling to see them in the wild.

Photographs featured are from our trips to Wildwood and Paignton Zoo.

Our yurts have proper beds with proper mattresses and all bed linen plus blankets provided. You need to bring towels for showers although we do provide one hand towel per bathroom in the barn for your convenience. The yurts have nightlight candles, lanterns and fairy lights but we recommend you bring your own torch for nighttime excursions.

We provide firewood, kindling, newspaper, firelighters and matches to start a fire in your yurt woodburning stove or in your private fire pit outside. A fire guard is provided around the woodburner. We also provide a Weber BBQ with a starter pack of charcoal that should be suitable for one BBQ. BBQ tools are provided and we even provide marshmallows and sticks! For safety each yurt is equipped with a fire blanket, fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide alarm.

Each yurt has a camp kitchen with sufficient crockery, cutlery, pots and pans for its occupancy. There are plenty of spares in the barn too. Each camp kitchen has a washing up station on its outside wall or you can go and wash up in the barn where there is a boiler to provide hot water. We provide washing up liquid, sponge, j-cloth, two tea towels and hand soap. We provide a toilet roll in each compost loo and a toilet roll in each bathroom in the barn. 

Your camp kitchen has a gas oven with two gas rings on top. A cool box is provided with two ice blocks in the freezer compartment of your own private fridge in the barn so you can keep items cool at the yurt. Each yurt has outdoor furniture with a parasol for shade and bench seating around the fire pit. 

Your yurt should have a map of the local area, a Visit Mid-Devon brochure, a laminated sheet giving you access to our digital guide book and colouring sheets and crayons for the children. If any of these are missing do please let us know and we will find them for you. There are also some books including wildlife identification guides inside the chest in front of the fire in the barn.

As well as the barn owl we've had swallows nesting above the yurt bathrooms in the barn and we've seen fox cubs playing on the driveway at the other end of the farm. With the coming of summer we will hopefully see more butterflies in the meadow maze and Devon banks.

Guests have started enjoying learning about bats again and using bat detectors with Katie on bat walks. Do please ask if you are interested in this - if Katie isn't about she can always lend you a bat detector to have a go at listening yourself. 

Plus our colouring sheets are back in the yurts for our younger visitors to enjoy. ​Read on for more suggestions of how you can go wild in June plus a discount code on stays.