Coombe Farm News

South West Tourism and our changing climate

Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 14:52

On Wednesday 7th December 2011, Angela attended the Preparing to Prosper:  Building Resilience to Change Workshop at the Exeter MET office.  www.metoffice.gov.uk/events

Speakers included:

From this day, Angela learnt how to adapt and prepare for climate change.

'The weather is changing, are you?', was one of the questions asked.  In response to this, Angela came away with the following information:

1. Overall flooding in the south west, flash floods and flooding will continue to be a problem eg. Boswall - in the past there was one crises every 100 years, now it's 2 every 10 years.
2. Creating action for preventative measures in case of floods eg. flood defences - sandbags, floodgates, drainage systems.
3. The above point also helps with your insurance, as you have put in place everything possible to aid against the worst from happening.
4. Penny Tranter - Adviser, MET Office provided great tips for tourists in the South West. One of which was:
   
   • The MET office have put out a new website www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/beta/ which offers weather forecasts especially designed for tourists/holidays makers preparing them for getting the most of their every day activities, and in the future will also include 101 things to do on a rainy day in Cornwall.
5. Shorter and hotter drier summers are predicted with some drought problems.
6. We have not had a hosepipe ban for the last number of years, due to the pumping facilities at our local reservoirs in the South West.

Within the next few weeks, we will be providing links to the aforementioned websites from our own site.

Actions taken by us - 'The Coombe Farm & Woodlands Trust' - over the past two years include:

1. The walkway from The Farmhouse up to The Oak Tree has been converted from a mud track & grass to a stoned path, so whilst on holiday you can still participate in walks23 whatever the weather.
2. We readjusted our subsidence problem in a section of the woodlands by re-building the pathway, so that's it's still possible to walk along it without danger of flooding.
3. We have sandbags at all our main doors of our buildings and outbuildings, as a preventative measure.
4. We constantly maintain our drainage systems around our grounds, although we are on a hill, by being in a coombe, our drains can regularly block up, through gravity sending the water downwards, so we maintain the drains regularly to prevent them from blocking or overflowing.

    

   If you'd like help with preparing for flooding, then contact: 0845 988 1188

   or visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodline

Apple Pressing Festival update

Last Updated on Thursday, 15 December 2011 14:28

The Apple Pressing festivities back in October were a wonderful success with the adults running the smaller press for the juice and the adults the larger press for the cider.

Children pressing for juice

Adults making the 'cheese' for cider

We pressed four barrels of cider, and 400 litres of apple juice, of which we kept 100 for ourselves and the rest was given to the helpers from the weekend.

Tasting of last years cider was participated in from the youngest to the oldest

Amongst the apples we used, were our own for the first time from our orchard which was planted 10 - 11 years ago.  We thank the local estates who let us pick from their orchards the apples that would otherwise have been wasted.

Apple picking from our orchard

Apples waiting for mulching after picking

The first 'cheese' of the year being prepared early 1800 cider press

Our juice for the first cider of the year is now fermenting ready for testing and tasting next Spring.

Thanks goes to all the locals who attended and helped us, and to all our family and friends who travelled down for the day and weekend, who helped to make this weekend a success.

Cultural music, was to be heard wafting in the background of the countryside.

Also from the weekend:

We are eagerly awaiting James Crowden's (radio journalist presenter/producer and author of the book Ciderland) sound recordings from the weekend.

Awaiting Photos of Chaya playing her bagpipes.

Visit facebook for videos.

Apple Pressing & more...

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 September 2011 09:50

September 2011

Well, hello everyone out there.  With the unusually warm autumn, and coldest summer since 1993, we seem to be having an unusual year.  The recent weather update is that the beginning of October is going to be the warmest since 1985, some parts of Britain will reach temperatures of 27 deg C.

This unusual weather, however, has not affected the apples, and our Annual Community Apple Pressing Weekend is going ahead on the weekend of 14th - 16th October 2011.

This years pressing will include:

• Adults pressing apples on the large press for cider whilst...
  • the children press on the mini press for juice.
• Traditional games such as the original 9-pins and Bat-the-Rat.
• Sampling cider from last year's pressing.
• Possible mulled cider sampling courtesy of Rob and his burner.
• Open fire for toasting marshmallows (weather permitting)
• Bring an instrument and play opportunity
• Pumpkin soup - bring and share (pumpkins permitting)

Meeting top car park at 2pm & 4.30pm for picking apples.  Directions available via the 'Directions Download' menu option.

It's very important that the children are involved and learn and absorb the traditional ways of the country folk, so please bring them along for alot of important fun, fun, fun!

Sampford Peverell Apple Fair is to be held on Saturday 22nd October 2011 at the Country Park picnic site behind the village car park by the Canal.

Our Yoga sessions led by Dinah, a member of the British Wheel of Yoga and Sustainable Villages, is going well, we have on average about 6 people each week, leaving plenty of room for more, so please come along, contact number: 01884 253752.  Class times are 6.30 - 8.00pm, at a cost of £5*.  Classes are held in our cider barn where we have underfloor heating.

*this amount has been subsidised by Tim & Angela Malyon (Coombe Farm & Woodlands Trust), by providing the use of the thatched barn with underfloor heating.

Coombe Wood Fuels

is now up & running, see

http://www.coombefarmwoods.co.uk/other-things-at-coombe/logs-timber-for-sale

for more details.

Special Introductory Offer until 1st November 2011.

Local news

The canal is drying out due to a very dry spring and early summer, so to help counteract this shortfall of water the canal rangers have put stopboards at Tiverton Road Bridge to dam off the 1st 3 miles of Canal from Tiverton.  Water will be pumped over the dams as required to help keep up the water levels.

Goldstar Awards 2010-2011

Last Updated on Friday, 01 July 2011 14:32

20th June 2011 saw the Malyon clan - Tim, Angela, Sofia and Finbar - heading off up to London to the Green Tourism Business Scheme 'GOLDSTAR awards for UK & Ireland 2010-2011'.

This was a great day out and a chance for the junior members of the clan to really see how the Green affect is achieved and how effective it is; it also helped to bring about a realism to Finn and Sofia to how their family lives and operates, and for why they do it.

And the award?  Well, that's always an exciting time, the awards.

It is with great pleasure that we announce that

'The Coombe Farm Trust' has achieved Highly Commemded.

Just a little bit more:

We were one of 20 finalists - 10 received trophies followed by 5 whom received certificates, of which we were one!

Spring is Here

Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 June 2011 08:51

Middle Coombe Farm is well named.  Coombe, meaning a hollow in a hillside, has seen some little fairy like structures appear. So, if you keep your eye keen as you're walking that way, you may well see out of the corner of your eye a fairy folk go scurrying by.

Richard Yabsley, our woodcutter, and Sam Ellis, a chainsaw pirate, have been working hard in the woods;  During the winter whilst thinning the trees, Richard would come also use his chainsaw to re-create the tree stumps into the various sized carvings that now appear in the clearings on the walk up to the 'Oak Tree'.

The craftsman at large for the creations around the oak tree is:  Sam Ellis - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is looking to set up a website, so watch this space for more details.

Fairy Folk castle skillfully created by Richard Yabsley with his chainsaw.

Nuptial Heart skillfully created by Sam Ellis, chainsaw pirate, with his chainsaw.

Spring has sprung with it's assorted weather, and with it come the weddings.  we've just had our first couple of weddings of the season.  The most recent one with 16+ children were well cared for by the on site babysitting service. General feedback from guests "It is the best wedding I have ever been at"!!

Head babysitter:  Chaya Rose - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Apple Blossom on The Coombe Farm Trust, skillfully photographed by Tim Malyon.