Sustainable activities at Coombe farm in Devon
Green Daze at Coombe - give your car a brake
Now you're here why not spend some time at Coombe so you don't have to think about venturing back out into the so-called real world - traffic, crowds, queues, exhaust fumes. But what can you do on your doorstep, children as well as the adults and teenagers?
For a sunny day:
We'd recommend a day of complete relaxation by the solar heated pool with the kiddies pool alongside it.
Then, if you're feeling particularly energetic, try our poolside badmington. If the kids start to get bored there's always the trampoline and swings.
You can order a local picnic basket and have it by the pool or make your own which you can carry down by using the wheel barrow if you like! (picnic baskets can be found in main house).
For a rainy day:
The recently renovated thatch cider barn awaits you! It's so cosy in there with its thick walls (rebuilt with clay from the farm) and warm slated underfloor heating under your feet. A great place just to hang out if you are a teenager, and get into the spirit of the half-size pooltable competitions, table tennis tournaments and table soccer games- we have seen families involved in majorleague competitions for the entire week with a prize giving night at the end.
The younger ones might like to take over the other end of the barn as a performing arts studio for putting on a show for their elders - they use the dressing up boxes from the house for their costumes. Chairs similar to a theatre are set up and the spot lights go on.
There are numerous board games in the library of the farmhouse to play, together with an endless variety of books to read.
The piano is tuned to concert pitch in the farmhouse and we just love to hear music wafting out of it. Any other instruments are most welcome. Tim likes to play a bit of Irish fiddle, Phil's a dab hand on the djembe, Sofia is learning the flute and you may sometimes hear us on our drums. Please do not hesitate to join in with us if you play an instrument (we don't demand high standards it's just for fun)- we are open to unplugged music sessions in the barn as it has great acoustics, just no amplified instruments please.
For even deeper relaxation you can contact our local mobile Thai Massage therapists, Paul and Lucy, to come to the farmhouse and treat you on site in the luxury of your own space.
Lucy instructs Yoga for beginners and Paul instructs intermediate/advanced Yoga . They will teach a group here in the barn or can also do a yoga lesson as a one to one.
Angela is our resident massage therapist. Read more in the Massage & Therapy section.
Coombe Farm woods Walking
The forest looks amazing in winter.
We have approx 220 acres of mixed woodland and 180 acres of farmland with some 8kms of marked tracks- see the map - suitable for walking, cycling and horse riding. Or you can go 'off road,' but beware, the woods are big enough to loose yourself in, although not for very long! See our footpaths page for more info and a pdf of the local footpaths.
1. The closest area 2-3 mins walk from the house
Walk down the track through the farm and first of all on your right you'll see the old farm well, protected by a glass door and aligned (through ley lines)with St Michael's Mount in Cornwal l and nearby Huntsham Castle. Then where the track enters the woods there's a great area for kids who can't walk very far - we have just cleared lots of trees and thinned out this part of the woods to make it more open for children. It's on your right and left as you enter the woods beyond the swimming pool and well.
This being the closest site for toddlers to walk - you can have your very own teddy bears picnic (there are plenty of teddy bears in the toy boxes) Outdoor rugs are with the picnic baskets in the cupboard/room adjoining the lounge.
2. At the closest area turn right onto the footpath above a stream then take the first set of steps up to the left. At the top take a right onto a broader track and then the next left. Keeping going for a few hundred yards through a very beautiful larch plantation and then cross a tiny tiny foot bridge and you are there.
The "Old man" is approx a 10 min easy walk. He is a huge very powerful oak tree 300-400years old and very special - we have held wonderful moving wedding blessings here. There are swings which hang from the old branches and an old face stares down at you. We think the adults enjoy it as much as the kids as there is a double swing which holds two people. It is an excellent picnic site - specially if it is very hot and sunny and you are looking for shade.
3. Retrace your steps to the main track, turn right and follow it all the way through up to the turning circle where we stack out timber. Keep going past that until you come to the next roadside map and an old quarry on the right side. Follow up along a footpath through a beautiful stand of mixed woodland until you get to the top and a field. Turn right and keep going up until you arrive at Huntsham Castle.
Huntsham Castle is approx a 50 min round trip walk from the farm house. The Castle is not a castle but is a prehistoric earthworks, 'a univallate hillfort,' scheduled monument of some archeological importance dating from between late bronze age and early iron age (8th - 5th centuries BC). It was probably used as a stock enclosure, a market, place of refuge or a permanent settlement. The highest point in the area, with stunning views stretching as far as Sidmouth Gap on a clear day, there's an old ordnance survey triangulation point located at the pinnacle, 864ft. Strangely enough there's also a good sweet-water well located right next to Huntsham Castle. The Parish Boundary between Huntsham and Tiverton runs across the castle marked by a line of huge, beautiful, ancient beech trees.
You can walk through the woodland to get to Huntsham Castle and see the amazing views for miles around then walk back through the fields with equally wonderful views.
To make your walk more comfortable with a rest in the castle enclosure we can provide a backpack picnic pack and also a picnic basket.
Woodland entertainment for kids: 10 mins. walk
4. For older kids to make their own obstacle courses and huts (and have camp fires, only during wet season, come and talk to Tim/ Angela/Phil) that walk is to the left of the pond as you enter the woods - follow the path and cross the stream. This brings you to a pond with 3 little wooden seats at one end and back behind the pond is the more open wooded area, a plantation of Norway Spruce, where there are 2 existing huts and plenty of logs for playing with obstacle courses etc. It's up to you kids - get creative and start building.
Then you can take a stroll down to Lower Coombe to see the horses in livery - bring your own horse if you want - and have a chat with Pam and William Roffe Silvester about horses and the organic beef. We have our own Aberdeen Angus bull for the meat quality and mainly Devon ruby heffers as the local breed. Most guests have a joint on Sunday for the lunch or in Summer weather permitting, they will BBQ the delicious burgers, sausages, steaks etc. You can take home with you any order of beef and ice pack your eskie for your journey home.
Onsite cycling
There are 4 bikes here at Coombe for you to use - see Phil/Tim. Cycling from the farm house through to the end of the woods is an excellent route. It can be muddy and bumpy for the first 10 mins but once you are through to the 'turning circle' is all good stoned tracks. It takes anything from 30-40 mins to do the round trip. Go past Meredown Coverts, Western Close Copse, Beech Close Copse and Thorney Copse out to the public road, a tiny lane, turn right and it will be a round trip back to the farm by road very pleasant also. We make no charge for use of the bicycles just ask users to let us know if there are any mechanical problems. Don't hesitate to ask us for the forest map with paths and bridleways marked.
We are a member of Sustrans - you can read more about this on our transport page.
Green days local to Coombe
Tiverton - nothing more than a 20 minutes drive away (most are only 10 minutes away)
The grand western canal good for walking, cycling and horse drawn barge rides.
Knightshayes Court Victorian National Trust house and gardens with shop and cafe.
Tiverton Museum of mid Devon life
Devon Railway Centre - steam and diesel engines.
Bickleighmill - working water mill, shop, nice restuarant, local pottery available, trout fishing pond.
Exe Valley Leisure Centre - local indoor heated Swimming Pool for adults and babies.
Tiverton tourist office can be found next to the bus station.
Taunton - around 30 minutes drive away
Taunton information - visit this website to find places to go in Taunton.
Exeter - around 35 minutes drive away
More information on Green days out
For more information on green days out in general why not visit the following two websites www.futurefootprints.org and www.visitsouthwest.co.uk/feelgood
