Wimbleball Fly Fishing Through The Seasons

Wimbleball Reservoir is a centre for many activities. Some seek the thrill of water sports, while others enjoy a relaxing walk and there are few better places to enjoy a picnic with the family. But there is much more to Wimbleball than meets the eye. As sailing boats skim merrily across the surface and day trippers chatter between mouthfuls of cheese and pickle, shoals of hungry Rainbow Trout hunt down their prey. Watch carefully and every now and again a flash of silver, followed by a splash, signals the presence of this much-admired game fish. Exploding from their crystal-clear world, the trout are in pursuit of various insects; behaviour that renders them vulnerable to fly-fishing tactics. Throughout the year from late March to November anglers travel far and wide in the hope that they may tempt a trout to accept their lure. But if success is to be theirs an understanding of the seasons, the fly life and the moods of this varied venue are paramount to success.

Kicking off with a chilly early-season session there is little point in trying to meticulously match the hatch as this high altitude lake offers little in the way of natural food. Instead head for the deep water and take advantage of newly-introduced stock fish with brightly-coloured lures. Blobs and Boobys are favourite patterns fished on fast-sinking lines, although a large black lure such as a Tadpole may well prove the demise of resident ‘overwintered’ fish that remain uncaught from the previous season. Long and lean, these quality trout sport a mercury-silver livery and are a highly-prized catch.

Decent windproof clothing will keep out the bitter north-easterlies and I never head to Wimbleball without a warm drink. Even during the height of summer the weather can take a turn for the worse as a weather system rolls in over Haddon Hill and it is no place to be caught unprepared. Comfortable anglers definitely catch more fish and although I am no fairweather fisherman I must admit to yearning for late April and the month of May. These are exciting times on the reservoir as midge larvae (Bloodworm) transform into pupa (commonly referred to as ‘buzzers’ by fly anglers), swim to the surface and hatch. The resulting banquet does not go unnoticed for long and soon the eager trout throw caution to the wind as these helpless insects are subjected to wave after wave of attack. Morning and evening provide anglers with the greatest opportunity to capitalise on the feast, although an overcast day with high air temperatures spells consistent sport for the lucky fly fisher timing their trip to coincide with these conditions. Try a floating line with a Black Hopper fished dry to imitate the hatching pupa.

The Black Hopper is also a brilliant imitation of another insect preyed upon by Wimbleball trout; the Hawthorn fly. This large terrestrial insect is blown from the safety of the waterside vegetation on to the lake and can entice fish to feed within feet of the shoreline. Drift a boat along the margins (taking care to steer clear of bank anglers) looking for rising fish or travel light with a box of Black dry flies and ambush fish from the bank. The water is so clear that often fish can be seen sipping the naturals from the surface before succumbing to a well-presented dry artificial, exciting sport that sets the pulse racing and more than justifies a long walk. Besides, Wimbleball is surrounded by stunning countryside and offers the chance to get away from the crowds and enjoy some solitary fishing. Pack a rucksack with some sandwiches and a fly box and head for the tranquillity of Cowmoor. You won’t regret it!

beautiful wimbleball Shortly after the Hawthorn hatch, another fly begins to emerge that offers perhaps the most substantial meal a Wimbleball trout can hope to encounter. Mayflies are generally associated with river fishing and particularly the Southern Chalk streams. However, Wimbleball is home to its very own hatch of this elegant insect. Travel along the bank from Valentine’s Bay below the woodland and head towards the neck of the Upton Arm keeping your eyes peeled for signs of life. A boat is the most convenient way to target the trout feasting on the emerging mays and well worth the extra expense, especially if one of the resident wild Brown Trout puts in an appearance. Row to the picturesque Upton Arm by all means, it will keep you fit, but personally I like to sit back and enjoy the extravagance of an engine. Boats and engines are available for hire through South West Lakes Trust who manage and sell the permits for fishing on Wimbleball.

The last few years have delivered heavy summer rain, but the air temperatures have remained consistently high; conditions that can result in hard fishing. Dip your hand in the lake during the summer and you may be surprised to find that the surface feels tepid. These circumstances are not relished by trout and so, using the great depths that Wimbleball has to offer, they head down, searching for cool layers of water known as thermoclines. Try the deep water available around Farm Bay, in the middle of Cowmoor or lapping at the stanchions of Bessom Bridge and look out for cormorants – these big black birds always know where the fish are! Even an experienced Wimbleball angler can become frustrated during the dog days of summer, although there is a solution. Set the alarm clock to time your arrival and first casts just as the sun begins to dawn. I have had spectacular sport at this time of day, fishing imitative tactics from the shoreline as the trout take advantage of the cooler water and lower light levels. By 9am it can all be over.

fly fisherman holding a troutHeading into autumn the fishing can be mixed, but this is where a little experience can help. Never concentrate on just one area of water, instead divide the lake into lots of small lakes and devote time to sections such as Bessoms, Ruggs Bay, the Sailing Club and Cowmoor, for example. When you find the fish, stick with them! Wimbleball trout can become tightly packed and it is quite possible to move a drifting boat just a few yards to the right or left and suddenly begin to enjoy some action. If you are totally new to the venue then employing the services of a fly-fishing guide is money well spent, reducing many months of trial and error. The lake closes in October although occasionally the season extends to November. This can be a brilliant time as the water layers cool and the resident fish begin feeding in earnest ready for the long winter ahead. Many and varied tactics will account for fish during this period which is perhaps Wimbleball’s greatest attraction. It’s like ten different venues all rolled into one and it is for this reason that I urge you to pack your tackle and try it out for yourself.

From Issue 51, Summer 2010

Profile – Andrew & Pauline Lyle

Dedicated to the survival of our Exmoor Horn Sheep

By Chris Binding

Gaze out from the terraced garden of Oare House on Exmoor and take in the spectacularview.  What you are seeing is, quite literally, a legend.  In front of you, across two small oak-fringed paddocks, is 800-year-old Oare church, where, in the classic love story by R.D. Blackmore, tragic heroine Lorna Doone was shot on the altar steps.  The panorama widens to take in what has become known as the Doone Valley, wild, remote, timeless.  And Oare House, with a history of its own stretching back to 1646, stands sentry-like to guard the treasures that lie before it.

Among those treasures are a very special group of animals which are as much a part of the landscape as the vibrant yellow gorse and diamond clean streams: the Exmoor Horn sheep.  Oare House is now the home of Pauline Lyle and her husband Andrew, who have dedicated themselves – Pauline cheerfully admits to it being an obsession – to help ensure the survival of this ancient and distinctive breed, whose numbers have been threatened by more intensive farming and the introduction of ‘alien’ breeds.

Exmoor Horn SheepThe Exmoor, with its cheery white face and distinctive curled horns, regularly finds itself caricatured on countless ‘Greetings From Exmoor’ postcards and shows its disregard for modern life by wandering

at will across unfenced roads, peering quizzically at frustrated drivers.  In fact, it has wandered the moor for centuries, strong and hardy enough to withstand the freezing, cruel winters which blast across the high hills each year – and yet easy to manage and handle when the time comes for lambing or shearing.

A century ago, when inter-breeding threatened the purity of the stock, farmers formed the Exmoor Horn Breeder’s Society to help protect the animals for posterity.  In 2006, Pauline, as then chairman of the Society, led a successful campaign to secure £40,000 of Defra funding to help promote the breed.  Now, following the success of that campaign, the Society is in the process of seeking funding for a marketing push to promote Exmoor Horn lamb and mutton to restaurants, retail butchers and consumers across

Exmoor and the surrounding area.  The Society has launched the Exmoor Horn meat brand and now consumers can enjoy delicious joints or have half a lamb delivered directly to their door through an internet box scheme.

Present Society chairman, Edward Harding, said: “The ability to sell pure Exmoor Horn branded meat is a defining moment in the long history of our society.  For the first time, consumers anywhere in the country, through our next-day delivery scheme, will be able to purchase delicious, pure Exmoor Horn lamb directly from Exmoor farms.”

Their passion for Exmoor Horns has seen the Lyles pick up star prizes at shows all over the country and Pauline has become a respected show judge in her own right, with a trained eye for a perfect specimen of the breed – a broad forehead, nicely downward-curved horns that end in a waxy colour, a straight and level back with a big tail, docked short.  The high-quality wool produced at shearing time is sought after by the makers of the finest British tweed.  And, as with the top dogs at Crufts, the animals chosen for showing receive some special treatment.  “We bath them in coconut oil shampoo, train them on halters to get used to being handled and led and then their fleece is trimmed to perfection.  They look sensational – and they love it,” says Pauline.

Exmoor Horn Sheep

The Lyles have 215 acres of Exmoor, and while some is rented out and other areas are woodland or unusable, they still have room for 65 lambing ewes, 60 other young ewes and 12 rams.  Pauline manages the flock with some help from retired shepherd Gerald Down, an Exmoor veteran with a wealth of experience.

So how did it all begin?  Pauline bought her first two pens of stock from a local market, but they were north-country Cheviots, an alien breed as far as the locals were concerned and the couple were ribbed mercilessly for this ‘betrayal’.  To put matters right, she brought in 20 Exmoor Horn ewes from a neighbour – and a ram, later to be named Victor (after Meldrew, the miserable TV star.)

What started as an interest, very quickly became a passion as Pauline’s love for the traditional breed grew.  She is bottle-feeding two new-born lambs as she tells me: “Every sheep I have ever had has had its own character.  You get to know them and they grow to trust you.  It becomes a wonderful relationship.”

The couple also take seriously the well-being of their beloved Exmoor. Andrew is churchwarden at Oare church, where thousands of tourists visit every year, many on the trail of the Lorna legend, though the age of the internet and other hi-tech entertainment has recently affected numbers.  “This is a wonderful area for people to visit,” says Andrew.  “There will always be a welcome in the valley here for them.”

Yes, a legendary welcome.  And, if the Lyles and others in the Society have their way, there will always, always be Exmoor Horns grazing the moor as they have done since time immemorial.  And their future will be made even more secure if the marketing campaign currently under way makes their marvellous meat the most sought-after in the country.

From Issue 47 Summer 2009

A New Era for Cutcombe Market

cutcombe market in the late 1940s courtesy Roger Webber

by Frances Nicholson

A century ago Cutcombe Market was not weekly but a spring and autumn affair. The cattle were Devons – Red Rubies with their sweeping horns – or Longhorns, and the sheep mostly Exmoors and Devon Closewool. The hill land, then largely unimproved, was not for finishing cattle or sheep for slaughter, but for the breeding of stock to be sent to the lowlands for finishing. At that time it was not unusual for 25,000 sheep to go through the market in one day.

The market that was once on the village fair field has moved as convenience dictated. Cattle were once sold in Escott’s fields and sheep on the present-day recreation ground. They were the real thing then at Cutcombe, while Exford was the place to sell cattle. Through the forties and fifties markets of 10,000 sheep were not unusual, and gradually the cattle market at Exford declined in favour of Cutcombe. At that time the sold cattle were turned in together so the scissor man came into his own. A mark for the buyer was cut into the coat of each animal for absolute certainty of identification. A sure memory for the mark, and speed and accuracy of execution were the essentials.

Sales at Cutcombe were not local affairs. Animals went far and wide from Dulverton Station, but first they had to get there on the hoof on the wide drove road up the hill to Heathpoult, along the top, then down to the valley again. In charge was the drover Long Harry, but for local youngsters it was a day to get out of school uniform as fast as possible and join in on foot, bicycle or pony. For the cattle it depended. If it was too hot some beasts might have to be turned into a field along the way to rest for a while. Sheep were taken down 1,000 at a time. I’ve heard it said that by the time they got to Brushford, some might have been lost, and others picked up, but it didn’t seem to matter so long as the numbers were right.

Gradually road transport took over and then the Beeching axe fell. Cutcombe needed not a drover but a haulier, Geoff Pugsley. But cattle were still horned, and cows were still tied up in rows to wooden rails. They were kept at much closer quarters and handled far more than is general now. Photographs of the time show men and beasts all squashed together in the cattle lines, the Devons’ curving horns a startling sight to the twenty-first century viewer.

pint at the rest and be thankful on market day in the late 1940s courtesy Roger Webber

In 1946 Phillips Auctioneers bought Watercombe Farm, sold on what was surplus, and the market settled on its present fields at Wheddon Cross. In due course Phillips were running Cutcombe, Exford and Blackmoor Gate markets, alongside farm sales and estate agency. As ever the market’s fortunes followed meat prices, as crucial to it as to farm incomes.

Times were changing. Regulation increased and improvements followed. Metal began to replace wood. Concrete was laid. A lorry-washing station was introduced and as time went on more and bigger lorries made the journey along the spine of the Brendons and through the narrows at Beulah Chapel. The washing station was used mostly officially… and also unofficially.

The next big change came when Phillips sold off their estate agency and the market’s arrangements changed. Eventually Exmoor Farmers Livestock Auctions was set up with money from the markets’ committed users, Exmoor farmers. Their investment was safe whatever happened to the market because the land it stood on was development land – then.

Regulations grew ever tighter, and it was becoming clear that the old market was beyond improvement. Foot and Mouth drove the point home. And the National Park Authority agreed the current policy that restricts house building to ‘local needs, affordable’ and the value of the development land fell. But if the market was important to Exmoor then a way would be found to rebuild it.

Taunton Market had closed. Costs in time and haulage to take Exmoor stock to the remaining alternatives, Blackmoor Gate, Exeter and Sedgemoor (by the M5 at Bridgwater) were much greater and farm incomes are not built to withstand extra pressures. Also it was becoming clear that the moor was increasingly understocked to the detriment of the landscape. Anything which would depress stock levels further was to be deplored.

So the market would be rebuilt. Co-operation between Exmoor Farmers, the County Council, the District Council and the National Park would be crucial. Between them they developed a viable plan. The market would be rebuilt, space for workshops would become available, some local-needs, affordable housing would be provided, and interspersed among these houses would be a small number of open-market houses that would provide just exactly enough funds and no more.

The major difficulty was that this was a departure from the Local Plan, so it could not be agreed by the planning authority, the National Park, and permission had to be sought from central government. Permission was granted. The National Park Authority bought a little land. The County bought some more – space for workshops. The legal agreements between all parties and Summerfield, the builders, were completed last Christmas (with me acting as chauffeur round Taunton to make sure they all got to the right place at the proper time). And early this year work began.

A grant from the National Park’s Sustainable Development Fund was made to enable roof-water recycling at the market and, it is hoped, some photovoltaic electricity generation. The market is nearing completion and work has begun on the houses. The site for potential workshops has been cleared and levelled.

The scheme could have stopped there but the County Council made great efforts to develop plans for workshops to meet local business needs at an affordable rent, and they will sit quietly and unobtrusively in the landscape. Nothing fancy, no frills, nothing that would lead to rents a penny higher than absolutely necessary. A number of potential tenants have been identified and discussions with them continue. The County has committed the money to build the units and at the time of writing a planning application is imminent.

The market itself will continue to evolve. Farming patterns have changed on the moor. Far fewer sheep are sold now as breeding stock is kept to wear out on the farms. Breeds are different with the prevalence of Continental cattle, and the crossing of Exmoors with other breeds to combine the Exmoor’s hardiness with less fatty meat. Some of a market’s living will always be from sales of land, and farm sales, but again things are different. With the break up of some big estates, and even more so since subsidies are no longer headage payments, selling up everything on retirement is much less common. Yet new opportunities arise, and the market is now a collection centre for stock for slaughter.

The prize now in sight is just the latest in a long history of adaptations: a secure and modern market, new places to live and new places to do business that will sit well in the landscape in a working village.

With thanks to Tom Rook and David Wyborn.

The Ups and Downs of Cycling on Exmoor

tour of britain on exmoor by heather lowtherby Malcolm Rigby

For an ageing occasional cyclist, riding to the top of Porlock Hill without getting off to walk gives you the sense of elation that a person might feel on reaching the peak of Everest!  The Exmoor Cycle Route (ECR) takes you along New Road via the toll booth rather than along the A39, zigzagging you through wonderful woodland and covering four miles for a journey that would take a crow just one. Take your eye off the road for a second and the green of the vegetation melts into the blue of Porlock Bay. The climb epitomises cycling on Exmoor – stunning but hard.

On Tuesday 11 September 2007 this was the route the peloton of the Tour of Britain took in what was considered the defining stage of the race and which became known as the Exmoor stage. Active Exmoor have teamed up with other local organisations to make ‘permanent’ the 60-mile circular course around the National Park.

Apparently a really good cyclist working with a group can do it in under four hours; for the unfit casual cyclist (that’s me) you need a couple of days and to resign yourself to a certain amount of walking and freewheeling.

Mike Bishop of Active Exmoor said: “Following the success of the Tour of Britain in 2007 and the return of the race in 2008 and 2009, the Tour of Britain is set to become a regular fixture on the sporting calendar for Exmoor. The permanent route was established for non-pro cyclists as a legacy to the 2007 route, to taste what the pros had to achieve. The route was the most challenging and spectacular stage of the 2007 race and is now estimated to attract hundreds of cyclists every year.”

It is, he insisted, for the ‘serious’ cyclist and not a family ride and yet there is no reason why the enthusiastic amateur should not have a go as long as the bike is in good working order. After Porlock Hill there is a section of relative flat until you meet the steep descent of Countisbury Hill that takes you into Lynmouth. So sharp is the decline that at one point there is a sign advising cyclists to dismount – I decided that the Tour of Britain riders would not have dismounted so carried on. At the bottom my aching hands felt raw and I thanked my brakes.

Stephen Crossman is a keen cyclist who was instrumental in establishing the Exmoor Cycle Route: “We wanted it to be open to anyone – if you fancy it, have a go. The ECR is designed along these lines, open all the time for people to sample.” He is also responsible for organising the ‘Exmoor Explorer,’ an annual off-road mountain bike event of 25 or 35 miles; it’s not a race but a marathon type activity which goes across country on public rights of way.

Another relatively new cycling event to the area is the ‘Exmoor Beast’. Now in its fourth year, the Beast is either 100 miles in distance, or 100 kilometres long for the not so crazy. The route starts in Minehead, takes everyone over Dunkery Beacon and on to Simonsbath and then splits. No less than 500 enthusiasts started the first one; this year they are expecting over 2,000.

cyclists at exfordStephen tells me that interest in sportive cycling is growing, but at the level below that it is increasing even faster.
Carved in wood, the signposts along the Exmoor Cycle Route are tasteful and discreet. Stephen says: “The signs are designed to be inconspicuous, to be helpful without polluting the countryside with more metal signs.” There are not many of the signs, but then again there is no need as the route is fairly obvious. Having said that, you need to take a left turning in Lynmouth to follow the river and I didn’t see a sign. Anyone planning to take on the journey is advised to consult the map on the Active Exmoor website.

Good and quiet ‘B’ roads lead you on to Simonsbath and then Exford, where the route was formally launched in 2008 and where an almost mandatory pint awaited. At this point I decided to head back across the moors to my Porlock base, peaking at Lucott Cross, a mere 1,527 feet – wondrously exposed and eerily quiet.

So what are the local benefits of the route? Mike Bishop says: “Many accommodation providers are reporting an increase in cyclists staying in the area, some in groups from cycling clubs.

“Cycle tourism in the UK is currently valued at £635 million per year. The potential for growth here is huge – the forecast for cycle tourism right across Europe is £14 billion per year within 20 years. With potential economic benefits on this scale it is not surprising that there is keen interest in how to develop routes to attract visitors and tourists, and how to market these effectively. The benefits of cycle tourism include reductions in pollution and traffic congestion, economic regeneration and better health.”

John Dyke, Chairman of the Exmoor National Park Authority, was equally enthusiastic: “The Tour of Britain which passed through Exmoor in 2007 drew no less than 30,000 spectators. Amongst other things, this demonstrated what fantastic opportunities there are for cycling on Exmoor and taking in our wonderful countryside at close quarters. I am sure that the new route will encourage more and more cyclists to experience at first hand
the challenges and keep-fit opportunities which exist here.”

If If there is a flaw in the Exmoor route, and the founders will admit this, it is that between Washford and Porlock you have to follow the relatively busy and mundane A39. So for day two I decided to create my own circular route, coming off the ECR shortly after Wheddon Cross and heading down to Luxborough. The lane here along to Roadwater, slightly descending and secluded by cool woodland, is simply fabulous. The price to pay for this ecstasy was a cruel climb up to Raleigh’s Cross, fortunately endowed with an inn for refreshment. And then it was an as near as normal, ie flat, cycle back to Wheddon Cross.

According to Birgit Hughes, Tour of Britain project officer, who works for Somerset County Council, the British tour might not follow the ECR exactly for some time to come as they need to spread the opportunities around, but there will always be part of a stage in the area: “Exmoor is absolutely crucial because it is king of the mountains class one – it’s as good as it gets.”

For the occasional amateur the answer seems to be, set the pace you are comfortable with – cycling on Exmoor might not be easy at times but is always exhilarating.

Resources:

www.exmoorexplorer.com
An off-road cycling event held in early August.

www.exmoorbeast.com
Can you tame the beast? An annual cycling challenge for the committed, which took place in 2010 on 31 October.

Wild and Tame

The lead mare ambled from the shade of the blossoming whitethorn and the herd gradually roused from its noon rest, drifting after her in search of fresh grazing. Flat out in the spring sun, head among the golden cinquefoil, for the length of a lark-song one foal slumbered on peacefully. When he woke, alone, confused, he started away up-slope, unwittingly trotting farther from the herd. His shrill whinny was absorbed into the wide expanse of lonely moorland. Hidden by slack ground, the mares grazed on unperturbed. It was the prick-eared stallion who snorted a reply, and came pacing to retrieve his errant son.

May is the prime time for foaling on the moor, although Exmoors have been dropped in unlikely months and  unusual places. Jackie Ablett and Gill Langdon, owners of Herd H17, remember when Candy gave birth on Cloutsham Ball in the midst of a February blizzard, little Crystal surviving among the icy flakes, snugged-up close between her dam and the sheltering warmth of another mare. One late spring when grass was scant on the hill, the ponies made their way from Brockwell to Wootton Courtenay along what was then a gated road, left unsecured by careless walkers. After a nourishing overnight stop on the lovely green cricket ground, daybreak revealed a mint-new foal among the herd – which is how ‘Bat and Ball’ acquired her name.

Exmoors have a reputation for independence that can be seen as a laudable survival trait among free-living ponies, but when challenged by human intentions may be regarded more in the light of a stiff-necked, wooden-headed and cross-grained intractability.

Belewen (Cornish for ‘Venus’) was born on Helman Tor and came to Jackie as a wedding gift. Presently lead mare of Herd H17 she is a stalwart character, nimble-witted and bold-hearted, useful qualities if facing a wolf-pack, less admired when she repeatedly heads the escape at the autumn gathering, breaking through the line of riders in an unstoppable, ground-covering charge. Then there is Victor. A September foal brought off Dunkery at the 2005 gathering, overwintering on Tawbitts Holding. In the spring his life took an unexpected turn when he assumed the office of the late Miss Moses’s donkey – for twelve years palm-bearer at St John’s, Cutcombe. An unlikely role, surely, for a pure-bred, hill-born Exmoor, yet Victor might have been a regular attendant at Sunday worship, so faultlessly did he behave. Not once did he jib at the bells, the organ, or even the choir. Off duty, he trimmed back the churchyard grass, sparing the primroses, and with patient amiability accepted the congratulations of the younger members of the congregation. “Ears a trifle on the short side,” was the general verdict, “but overall very creditable. A proper Exmoor.” And so an established tradition took on a unique turn, as a new candidate for palm-bearer is chosen annually from among the under-twelve-months crop of colts.

Wild as Belewen, obliging as young Victor: what makes a ‘proper Exmoor’? Height, colour, markings, all the physical details have been established since the founding of the Exmoor Pony Society in 1921. But the essence of a true Exmoor, the traits that form a recognisable character are more elusive. ‘Mother-wit’ is undoubtedly one, but perhaps the keystone is ‘versatility’. An attribute that brought their ancestors trekking sturdily out of the ice age, safely past the last sabre-toothed tiger, and allowed them to survive an even more deadly predator – by learning to co-operate with human beings. A remarkable adjustment, from millions of years of herd-centred independence, to a human-orientated dependence. It is a continuing process, that of reconciling wild instincts with a tame, domesticated life, and Exmoors are amazingly good at it, some can even switch successfully between one state and the other.

Exmoor ponies

So how wild are the Exmoors?

Precisely when, and to what degree their indisputably ancient lineage has been affected by human influence, is still a matter of debate. But the herds that range the moor today do so through the deliberate minimum-interference policy of the owners. For every pony has an owner, just as every herd has a number or symbol. Every pony must provide DNA samples for its passport, and be branded and micro-chipped. Which stallions run with the mares is a matter of selection by the owners, and every stallion must have a licence. Most of this work is done at the yearly gathering, when the ponies brought down to the home farms demonstrate various degrees of wildness, as the aching, hirpling, less than perfumed handlers can verify. In the past they were said to be considerably livelier, many suckers and even some yearlings having never before seen a human, let alone come within kicking distance. Even for Exmoors it is hard to be totally wild, when obliged to share the moor with expanding numbers of motorists, cyclists, hikers, joggers, army recruits, bird-watchers, photographers, picnickers. Only the farmers seem to be growing scarcer and shyer, glimpsed at dawn and dusk, recognised by their wellies and adhering wisps of hay or straw.

Not wild then, in the way of the nameless, ownerles creatures of the moor, but just as able as fox or raven to fend for themselves when left to themselves, thriving where the hardiest breeds of cattle and sheep will fail, surviving winter conditions too savage for even the deer to endure. Only a handful live all their lives unshod and unbridled, the scent of the moorland air in their nostrils – but those few are vital for keeping the native vigour, the territorial knowledge and the wild instincts alive and honed.

From its outset almost ninety years ago, the concern of the Exmoor Pony Society has been to ‘promote and encourage the breeding of registered Exmoor ponies’. They are the holders of the Stud Book, and they train the valiant Inspectors who stand for hours in mud and rain, lifting agitated hooves and examining fearsome teeth. It is largely thanks to their quiet dedication that Exmoors are no longer classified as ‘critical’ and, although still perilously few in number, that there are breeding herds not only in other parts of Britain, but also overseas.

Jackie Ablett and Gill Langdon have been associated with the Society for almost half its life, but their link with Exmoors goes even farther back. Jackie recalls riding in a governess cart before the war, with her Mother driving Nobby, an Exmoor gelding. Gill saved up and bought her first Exmoor when she was 18. Puck, a five-year-old, had been found on Exford Common as an orphaned colt and reared on milk from Jean Bentley’s pedigree goats. Oddly enough, their foundation mare, Hawkwell Lady Margaret, was also a fosterling, her dam having broken a leg on Codsend Moor only three weeks after giving birth. The little foal stayed with the herd, stayed little, but throve, double-suckling off another mare. When she came to Tawbitts in 1972 she was two years old but looked a
yearling. And so she remained: small but small like the thorn tree. From the age of four she was never out of the ribbons, and was Bath and West Champion at the age of 21. She bred 14 foals, and lived into her thirties. Her last foal, Tawbitts Mickey, for many years roaming Dunkery as stallion of Herd H17, with the flexibility of the true Exmoor has recently settled into happy semi-retirement on a
smallholding just north of Bristol.

Retirement does not feature in the plans of the Tawbitts folk. Once they’ve adopted you, Exmoors are for life. It’s a mysterious knack the little horses have, of winning our affection and filling our daily thoughts, providential, one might say crucial to their survival. Because no-one owns Exmoors for economic profit. The rewards are more elusive, personal, magical. And whatever reason says, it’s the heart that so often decides what we are moved to save and what we allow to slip into oblivion. Back in the war years, poached for the meat trade and used as living targets by American gunners, the number of Exmoors fell to approximately fifty. The heroine of that black time was Mary Etherington of Withypool, who worked with passionate perseverance to lead them back from the brink. Today, there are the overseas herds as comforting insurance, but even so, Exmoors remain an endangered breed.

A line of unshod hoofprints meanders across the snowy, wind-whipped expanse of Long Breach Bottom; a moulted tuft of brown hair is snagged on the greening hawthorn above the Punchbowl; the jaunty whinny of a June foal startles the dawn stillness on Honeycombe Hill – there they are, the pony herds; there may they always be, living in naturalness and freedom, a sight all the more stirring in the knowledge that their liberty is a gift, bestowed by human friendship. Tough, resilient, lovable, the Exmoor ponies could have no better guardians than their counterparts, the tough, resilient, lovable Exmoor people.

Many thanks to Mrs Jackie Ablett and Mrs Gill Langdon for their ever-welcoming kindness when sharing with me their long and expert knowledge of Exmoors. For information on the Exmoor Pony Society visit www.exmoorponysociety.org.uk.

Exmoor ponies

West is Best

Brian Pearce Visits West Yeo Farm

By Brian Pearce

Oxford 'plum pudding pigs'

As the profits from hill farming continue to diminish, I find farmers working harder than ever, if that is possible, to earn a living.  Either they take on more land, diversify, or learn new skills. One of the ways of continuing to farm traditionally is to cut out the middleman and sell direct.  For stock farming this frequently means learning butchery as well as selling techniques.  Not every farm can have a farm shop and it is not a solution for food production in Britain as a whole, but it is a way that is clearly helping some farmers to survive.

Kate Palmer is one such farmer.  She has an organic farm: West Yeo near Witheridge.  Her style of farming is more about a way of life than a way to make money.  She tries to emulate traditional farming methods that are in harmony with the environment and the seasons.  When you buy her meat you are not just buying a quality product but you are also paying for the upkeep of the countryside and conservation of wildlife.  Yes, you do pay more for organic produce, and the organic market is suffering in the present financial climate, but Kate is not aiming her produce at people from the wealthy South East, she is supplying local people with quality food at affordable prices.

Kate moved to Witheridge from the Blackdowns in 2000.  She went for organic status despite the extra work in record keeping and extra costs – £600 a year in inspection fees alone. Organic farming is not simply about using fewer chemicals: Kate feels that it is worth doing as it ensures the highest welfare for the stock and an audit of traceability for customers’ satisfaction.  The farm has old pastures and Culm grassland meadows by the Little Dart river.  The grassland supports orchids and the devil’s bit scabious

Taste - DSC_9002

that is the food plant for marsh fritillary butterflies.  All of the hedges have been laid and miles of stone walls repaired under theCountryside Stewardship Scheme and now it is hoped entry into HLS may provide for restoration of the farm buildings.  Three orchards have been restored and replanted with old varieties of apples and other fruit and the layout of the fields has been recreated as it was on a map of 1850.  Kate was once a teacher and she hosts various walks, talks, studies and open days to explain the philosophy behind the farm.

We recently looked at organic poultry farms, for which feed is in short supply and now comes from remote parts of the world, adding to ‘food miles’.  West Yeo, however, is a mixed farm producing its own feed.  It also has pure-bred stock, which is unusual for organic farms.  Pride of place goes to the pedigree Devon cattle.  Kate’s partner, Robert James, was brought up with them and has combined his father’s eye for a ‘good bullock’ with his own knowledge of butchery to produce traditional cattle with good conformation.  Unusually for Devons, the cows are pure bred.  These are put to their prize bull, ‘Champson Defender’.  Well-known in Devon cattle circles, he cost 14,000 guineas!  I went into the shed with him and found him to be very docile and what I can only describe as ‘box-shaped’, with an incredibly straight back and solid legs.  Disposal of bone adds greatly to butchery costs and a good meat to bone ratio such as his is important.  Kate and Robert have a stock of Devon semen going back to 1957, so some of the recent calves have fathers that have been dead for decades!

During the summer the cattle graze on nettles, willows and rushes, giving them the minerals they need to suckle their calves.  In autumn they graze turnips and kale and, when I saw them at Christmas time, they were in the old yards eating peas, barley and the sweetest smelling hay.  All of this, of course, adds to the flavour of the meat.  Being a traditional mixed farm, West Yeo has a variety of livestock.

The pigs are Oxfords, commonly known as ‘plum pudding pigs’ because they are ginger with dark spots.  They live in an orchard, supplementing their home-grown barley meal feed with apples, acorns and hazelnuts.  The hens are Wellsummers for eggs and Sassos for meat.  They are fed triticale (rye crossed with wheat) and cut maize and add to this a range of vegetation and invertebrates they find in the pasture.  Most ‘organic’ hens in Britain do not come from organic chicks, as those at West Yeo do.  The day-old chicks are bought in but weigh twice as much as those from the big non-organic chick producers.

Some of the produce from the farm goes into local shops, some beef is sold in rolls at shows and some produce goes to The Stag Inn at Rackenford, where Kate’s daughter, Sophie Bulley, is landlady.

From Issue 47 Spring 2009Exmoor beef


 

Exmoor’s Otter Resurgence

by Michelle Werrett

For otters, simply trying to see them is an inappropriate, a too human approach. To trace the movements of otters it is necessary to revert to more primeval methods. They must be tracked by their spoor: by wading thigh deep in a fast-flowing river or creeping, bent double, under a low-arched bridge to reach a mid-stream rock they are known to favour. Signs of their passing may be ‘padding’, or footprints, left in the silt at the water’s edge, and ‘spraint’, or droppings, deposited on a rock. But the most evocative, most affirming evidence of an otter’s presence is its smell: a warm, sweet, wild, musky odour of water weed, fish and the eternal, untameable current.

Otters are normally solitary animals, except for breeding. Constantly travelling along the rivers they employ a system of scent marking to leave messages for each other. Spraints are deposited in prominent positions that would be difficult for another otter to miss: a large rock in the middle of the river or on the inside of a bend perhaps, or a ledge under a bridge. Since otters work by scent, rather than sight, sprainting sites are not always those that look most obvious. Consideration must be given to the prevailing wind and a site will be chosen so that the wind will take the scent right across a bend in the river. If there is no convenient high spot just where an otter wants one he will sometimes build one himself, scraping up gravel or grass or whatever he can find into a little mound and depositing a spraint on top: a process, and structure, known as ‘castling’. Once the otter’s reasons for the positioning of spraints are understood they are quite easy to find. When fresh, spraints are dark and oily with the crunchy texture of fish bones and scales. Older spraints tend to dry out and fade, but the speed with which they do changes with the weather so it can be difficult to estimate age. Finding a fresh spraint with the evocative musk that was definitely not there yesterday, so confirming the presence of an otter overnight, can be strangely exciting.

otter cubsThe Somerset Otter Group conducts a co-ordinated annual two-day event where all the county’s rivers are checked simultaneously over a weekend. Any sign of an otter found on day two and known not to have been there on day one definitely confirms the presence of an otter on that stretch of river overnight. This year, for the first time, the survey was extended to cover the whole of Exmoor National Park and, where river catchments cross the boundary, just beyond.

All the major rivers and many of the smaller streams on Exmoor were covered and the survey was sufficiently thorough for it to be unlikely that any otter could have been missed. Indeed, there would not have been space for many more otter territories on the moor. In total 189 sites were checked on Exmoor, of which 151 or 81% had some evidence of an otter. 44, or 23%, produced a positive result on day two and a further 10 had fresh evidence on day one but did not quite make the day two ‘hit’. There were just seven totally blank stretches of river. Some of these were minor, shallow streams on the high moorland, and others small, short streams running into the sea on the North coast which may be just too small to provide sufficient territory for an otter. Other blank patches are known to be due to bitches with young cubs restricting their travels to a small part of their usual range. However, the really exciting discovery was to find that otters are using territories high up on the moor near the headwaters of the main rivers where it might be expected that the supply of fish would be poor. They must be Exmoor residents since it is known that there are other otters with territories below them which would prevent them going downstream. This is the case on the Bray, the Mole, the Barle and the Exe. When the survey results are mapped a little knowledge and judgement is applied to estimate the number of ranges, and therefore the minimum number of adult otters represented. This was adjudicated to a maximum of 26 and a minimum of 23. In other words, there are at the very least 23 otters living on Exmoor!

dog otter swimmingAn otter’s ability to melt invisibly into a relatively small stream belies its size. A mature dog otter might weigh 11kg and measure 120cm in length. A bitch is a little smaller but they do need to be large, powerful animals to make their living in our strongly-flowing rivers. Since their habitat is linear they must be fit to travel considerable distances and to catch fish in ever changing, sometimes hostile conditions. The length of river an otter uses is influenced by a number of factors. The quality of the river is obviously important, and if there are plentiful fish and ample cover an otter will not have to travel so far to meet his needs as on a river where those resources are scarce. Another consideration is the presence of other otters, either pressuring the boundaries of a territory or sharing the finite resources within it. The number of otters a river can support is therefore limited.

It is encouraging to find such a plentiful number of otters on Exmoor and in the surrounding countryside and is testimony to the quality and condition of the rivers. However, it was not always so. Back in the 1960s and 1970s numbers plummeted alarmingly and otters came perilously close to extinction. The removal of certain toxic chemicals from industrial and agricultural use has been the main driver in cleaning up our river systems and restoring their population. Information about otter numbers from the more distant past is to be found in the records of the old otter hunters. When they visited the Exmoor rivers in the nineteenth century the numbers of otters found were very similar to the numbers here today. It is fantastic to think that otter numbers are now back to full capacity. Yet complacency must never allow another population crash from which, next time, they may not recover and it is vital that the surveys continue so that any such disaster can be noticed and acted upon promptly.

Lithe and sinuous as a moorland stream, moving with the fluidity of the current; brown as the dark pools, quick as the chuckling riffles, otters are as much a part of a river as the trout and the dappled pebbles. Though we may seldom see one it is good to know they are there.

Further details about the Somerset Otter Group and the full survey results can be found through the Somerset Wildlife Trust website at www.somersetwildlife.org

From Issue 49, Winter 2009

Exmoor’s Young Farming Generation

by Sandy Francis

The poetic enchantments of gambolling lambs in daisy-decorated pasture, tractors trundling along lanes, cows crossing the road at milking time and the patchwork of golden corn, green paddocks and churned chocolate-fudge fields are as much a part of Exmoor’s storybook landscape as the heathers, streams and rolling cliffs. While nature generously donated the latter, the former required more than a little help from those whose dedication to countryside matters seems to begin and end in their very bone marrow – the farmers. Farming is synonymous with Exmoor. Generations of farming families have lived and died alongside nature’s gifts and challenges. Their legacy is everywhere and it has long been a tradition for farmers to pass that legacy on. Recently though, anyone who reads, hears or watches news will know that farming is probably not as straightforward as it used to be. Not only has disease caused problems, there are other tricky issues: milk quotas, dwindling livestock prices, supermarket demands and so on – new mountains it seems, every year, for farmers to conquer. Perhaps this is enough to send the new generation of country-born children running for cover – to university, to the cities, to any career that doesn’t involve getting up at 5am and wondering if the early lambs will break even this season.

A recent study by Exeter University revealed that the average age of an Exmoor farmer is 55 with a quarter being over 65. Less than 5% are under 35. This is a concern. Without the swans’ legs busily paddling away beneath all that serene beauty, the serene beauty would not exist. The statistics look worrying. They seem to say that there are few young people in the area interested in farming. Yet what they are really saying is that at the moment there are few young people actually farming – it does not necessarily follow that this predicts the state of the future. Keen to believe that farming on Exmoor is not a dying industry, I went in pursuit of a glimmer of hope. Fortunately, I found more than a few enthusiastic people who are getting stuck into the problem.

students on the land based course at the west somerset community collegeFirst stop – West Somerset Community College, Minehead. There are currently around 200 pupils aged 15-18 studying various subjects under the headingLand-based Skills. The college has supported farming for 30 years and helped write the ‘Get Your Hands Dirty’ teaching resource that is now available to all schools. Born out of a common-sense desire to provide qualified young people to meet the skills shortage on Exmoor and beyond, the college now offers eight BTEC vocational courses, mostly delivered at the new College Farm on the outskirts of town. For pupils whose first interest is farming, there is an introduction to agriculture that includes fencing, hedging, dry stone-walling, tractor use, animal and plant care and livestock production. Young farmers of the future can progress to various early certificates in agriculture that teach enough practical skills for direct progression into the workplace. Alternatively, they open the door to higher education.

Nearby, the Cannington arm of Bridgwater College is the oldest establishment for farming-based education in the country. The extensive facilities enable 16-18-year-olds to study for the National Diploma in Agriculture. Students who take this route into farming alternate their time between the college farm and the classroom. They have access to the latest technology and an introduction to evidence-based practices and new ideas from around the world. Like West Somerset Community College, the major objective is to encourage young people into farming and to give them all the tools they need to succeed. Rebecca Horsington is the senior Rebecca Horsington teaching at Cannington Collegelecturer and is firm about farmers needing a commercial outlook. To survive these days, business acumen is essential. The course teaches all aspects of the intricate economics involved in practical farming.

Students Scott, Adam and James are all 17. Statistically, they should be wearing hoodies and hanging around in shopping malls. They are not. These teenagers are far too busy. Adam and James come from farming families on the outskirts of Taunton and Tiverton while Scott’s mum and dad tend a herd of pedigree Holstein cattle in Dunster. All the boys work on their family farms. Between them, they raise heifers, bullocks and ewes, produce milk, grow grasses and wheat and show breeding stock at various agricultural shows.  The three of them quickly learned new ideas that could help their family businesses and prove invaluable when they run their own farms.

farming students at cannington collegeJames, who is interested in sheep husbandry and already has 200 ewes of his own, hopes to introduce scanning techniques that will tell him how many lambs each ewe is carrying. Not only will this save money on feed, it makes for healthier, happier livestock. Ultimately, he wants to take a degree and become a farm manager. Adam also wants to be skilled in all aspects of running a farm. The tractor maintenance module is teaching him how to save significant amounts of money on repair bills. He spoke eloquently about the importance of keeping abreast of new theory and the latest cost-efficient ideas.

On a beautiful Dunster Marsh farm under the watch of Conygar Tower, Scott Fewings has taken on the responsibility of growing wheat on land that his father previously let to neighbours. Scott’s new-found experience means that his family can now grow more of the food that feeds their pedigree show herd. His ever-increasing tractor and machinery skills also make him highly employable locally. Scott is currently undecided whether to take the dairy route like his parents or the arable route. He, James and Adam are already admirably knowledgeable about progressive practice and how British farming has long influenced the international community. Rebecca confirmed that British farming practice is among the most advanced in Europe particularly in dairy and sheep production. International input these days tends to come from further afield, with New Zealand being a favourite stopover for British youngsters on their way to a farming career. A gap year gaining work experience in another country is something that appeals to many young people and students of agriculture do not miss out. Somerset’s Young Farmers Clubs are adept at arranging overseas work placements.

Living this dream have been 20-year-old Serena Stanbury of Exmoor Young Farmers Club, and her 21-year-oldSerena Stanbury and Michael Colwille in New Zealand boyfriend Michael Colwill, Chairman of Woolsery YFC in Devon. Both come from strong farming backgrounds. Serena grew up on Combe Farm in Exford. Michael, like the boys at Cannington, trained in agriculture and has worked with tractors and dairy cows ever since. He too plans to stick with farming. The couple have been in New Zealand since October last year, Michael working for an agricultural contractor and Serena as an au pair/assistant for the owners of Grain and Food Ltd.

Serena mentioned that one of the most noticeable differences between farming in New Zealand and Britain is its visibility. Her closest town, Morrinsville, a similar size to South Molton, is predominantly agricultural with the majority of shops having farming connections. She also reported that farms and farming products are widely advertised on national radio and television. This suggests that farming has a different status in New Zealand – that it is more connected to the public than it may be here.

Interestingly, when I asked Rebecca what she feels our farming future might need in order to thrive, along with good training and well-qualified experienced young people, she described a need for farming and the public to reconnect. I asked her if there was anything we could do right now and the answer was simple – buy locally. There are farm shops and farmers’ markets popping up everywhere and this seems a good sign. I came away from my enquiries feeling sure that shopping in these places or on-line, direct from farms, contributes to the preservation of our heritage, and subsequently, the familiar beauty that it creates.

Minehead and Bridgwater Colleges, the YFCs and the hospitable New Zealanders are doing a great deal to encourage and support our young Exmoor people into farming. I made a resolution straightaway to try to do my bit and at least source dairy and meat produce locally. So far, unsurprisingly, the pleasure has been mine.

From Issue 51 Summer 2010

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