Babbling Brook - Kipscombe Holidays

Name: Babbling Brook - Kipscombe Holidays
Address: Apple Orchard Barn, Barnstaple, EX314TN, GB
Telephone: 01598763711 or 07960 456977
Price range: ££
Rating: 4.9

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Babbling Brook - Kipscombe Holidays

One bedroom dog friendly holiday cottage on the edge of Exmoor, North Devon, 20 minute drive from the South West Coastal Path. Walking, Cycling, Wildlife

endly beaches. ACTIVITIES ON SITE
One small and one large exercise field for dogs to run and play off lead. 2 acre Secure Dog walking field, perfect for nervous or reactive dogs. Use of Dog Agility equipment (by arrangement), hoopers equipment, Gun Dog Scurry area, Stream for paddling. LOCAL INTEREST
A Tumulas (Medieval burial mound) is located in the field next to us and the site of an old Medieval village can be seen across the valley.

24/12/2024

Merry Christmas everyone.
I had hoped to share a photo of the Lodge fully cladded but everything has been against us over the last 6 weeks or so. We hoped to be at that stage long before Christmas.
Instead, I have a photo of the lodge partly claded and a photo of our barn too. The barn has 3 sides cladded and the lodge has 2 sides "nearly" finished.
As you can see, they match! Board on board Larch which will slowly tone down to a lovely silver grey over the coming months and years to blend in with the surroundings.
Hopefully we will have less storms, wind and rain, less power cuts and less colds and flu over the next few weeks so we can get that part of the projects finished.

19/12/2024

One advantage of the dark evenings, I often get to see the Barn Owl hunting in our fields while Charlie is having his play. The bad thing about the dark evenings, the camera footage isn't great.

19/11/2024

Finally, we caught them on camera!
We have had a wildlife camera for many years but haven’t had a lot of luck with it. Every time we see signs of deer or other interesting wildlife, we set up the camera and only ever seem to get footage of the neighbours’ cat on her nighttime wonder!
I had seen evidence of deer in our field, the top of the fence a bit squished, footprints on the devon bank and fresh deer p**p. So, I set the camera up and got them on camera 2 nights in a row. Here are 2 of the many video clips it took.

09/11/2024

How many of you have witnessed the starling murmuration when you have stayed here? Each year when they are getting ready to migrate for the winter they start gathering in the local tree tops. For a week or two their numbers keep growing until they are ready to migrate further south for the winter.
Up at the lodge doing some insulation and there are thousands of them putting a display on just for us 😉. Turn the sound up snd enjoy this magnificent autumn experience.

Who knows, maybe you will be the one to experience it at the lodge in 2025!

27/10/2024

Morning has broken!
Nearly 9 years since we had the pleasure of moving to this stunning spot in North Devon. Listening to the birds chirping and a red stag roaring (barking) whilst playing in the field with Charlie, what could be a more perfect start to the day.

Went to a Funeral on Friday for a neighbour who passed away quite suddenly after a short illness. Morning has broken was one of the hymns. It reminds us again to make the most of every day and enjoy what is around us.

It won't be long until we can share our little bit of Devon Heaven with guests again.

25/10/2024

There was a 2 week delay on the sliding doors but yesterday the installation of the windows and doors was completed.
The sliding doors will lead to a raised decking area, a perfect place to sit with a glass of wine while the sun sets across the valley.
We now have a water tight building. Next big change will be the external cladding but a few other things need to be done first.

Some of you have asked how our own barn conversion is going. Well it's basically at the same stage. As of yesterday the last of the glazing was finished and we look forward to getting cladding on that building too.

11/10/2024

What do you think of the Slate Roof? Or is it………..

We had pencilled a local roofer in for mid-June to tile the roof for the lodge and he had already ordered the tiles for our project. Thankfully he was very understanding about the delay and kindly turned up the day after the timber frame company finished on site to get felt and battens on the roof to help protect the building from the elements. With help from a builder friend, we had the job of installing the facias, soffits and vents, then the roofers came back a few days later to tile the roof. They may look like slate, but they are actually a mix of Limestone and Plastic and suitable for low pitch roofs and windy locations with a longer life span than slates themselves. It was the first time the roofer had used Tapco tiles, and he was very impressed.

The window and door holes were boarded up while we waited for the windows and doors to arrive and gutters have been fitted.

We have also had the job of sealing the seams on the specialist breathable waterproof membrane. It keeps the rain out and reflects the sun away to stop the building overheating in the summer.

30/09/2024

You wouldn’t believe how relieved we were to finally see this lorry turn up with the first lot of panels for the lodge onboard. 3 long months after they were due to arrive, but finally they were here, and we could sleep again at night.

The open floor panels were installed first, and we helped get the 2 layers of insulation in (240mm to keep your feet nice and warm) before the floor was boarded out. Then the external walls went up in just a couple of days, followed by the internal wall panels and the roof structure. The whole building was covered in tarpaulins to keep the worst of the rain off. 2 weeks from when the lorry first arrived, we had the shell of a building. The final photo gives you a little peak at the view that you will get from the Kitchen window, what do you think?

21/09/2024

Way back in May, groundworks started for the lodge. The foundations went in, the underground drainage pipes were installed, and the Scaffolding went up.

No Dig foundations meant that there isn’t concrete under the lodge but instead, ginormous ground screws are screwed into the ground after a pilot hole is drilled through the rocks. Some of the screws are 2 meters long and the photo with my mug in it gives a perspective of their size. Several of our regular visitors came to visit us during May & June while they were in the area, which was lovely to keep our spirits up.

13/09/2024

3 Months later than planned but guess what is finally under this tarpaulin!

It’s been a while since we posted an update on our page, read the full storey in the first comment to find out why.

21/04/2024

Still not much to show on the new build holiday lodge quite yet, but as a little teaser, this is the view you will get from the sitting room of the lodge.

The second video shows the area that has been cleared ready for the next phase in just a few weeks. The 4 blue poles mark out the corners of the lodge.

Watch this space for another update in a few weeks!

20/04/2024

Oh what a beautiful morning! Hope you all enjoy a lovely day of sunshine.

28/03/2024

Hope all our followers have a Happy Easter this weekend.

I'm sure I'm meant to be posting photos of daffodils, spring lambs and the Easter bunny 🤷‍♀️.
We definitely had to pick the biggest ball out of the toy box for morning play time today!

It's raining now and melting fast so I'm sure it won't be sticking around for long.

20/03/2024

How good is your imagination?
These are the first photos we have been able to take of the new holiday lodge - in pieces- in a factory!

The main structure of the lodge is being built in panels and will be put together on site (weather permitting end of May). Then a roof will be put on, windows installed, cladding on the outside and we will have a weather proof building ready for us to start on the internal work.

We had a trip to the factory (near Exeter) today and got to see the first few panels that have been made for us, so thought some of you might like to see them too.

Keep watching this space for more updates.....

Ps. my imagination isn't very good either, all I can see is a pile of wood, a bit of tin foil and can just about make out some door and window holes 😝 🤣

10/03/2024

How many of you recognise this local beach? Treated ourselves to a Sunday afternoon stroll in the spring sunshine.
Poor Charlie had to stay on the lead though because silly me commited the ultimate spaniel owner crime of forgetting the ball and he had his eyes on every other ball on the beach.

01/03/2024

Well it wouldn't be a proper winter on Exmoor without some snow photos would it! It's waited until the 1st March to do it but here it is.

22/01/2024

We are still here!
I know a few of you have been worrying about us living in a static caravan in this horrible weather so thought I would let you all know that the caravan is still standing after the gales last night but oh my goodness was it shaking!

I wouldn't recommend living in a static caravan all year round. When it's cold, it takes a lot to keep it warm, when it's windy you shake about and can't sleep for the noise, when it's wet there is nowhere to dry coats and dog towels off. We have the summer to look forward too though, how hot is it going to get living inside a metal box in a heat wave 🤣?

I hope you have all survived the storm without too much damage.

Address

Apple Orchard Barn
Barnstaple
EX314TN

Telephone

01598763711 or 07960 456977

Website

https://www.kipscombeholidays.co.uk/cottages-allowing-dogs

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Videos

One advantage of the dark evenings, I often get to see the Barn Owl hunting in our fields while Charlie is having his play. The bad thing about the dark evenings, the camera footage isn't great.

How many of you have witnessed the starling murmuration when you have stayed here? Each year when they are getting ready to migrate for the winter they start gathering in the local tree tops. For a week or two their numbers keep growing until they are ready to migrate further south for the winter. Up at the lodge doing some insulation and there are thousands of them putting a display on just for us 😉. Turn the sound up snd enjoy this magnificent autumn experience. Who knows, maybe you will be the one to experience it at the lodge in 2025!

The area has been cleared ready for the lodge.

View that will be seen from the lodge.

I think Charlie is going to miss playing in the Babbling Brook 😥. After the heavy rain today parts of the stream are deep enough for a proper swim. I think I shouldn't have bothered putting his rain coat on though 🤣

Got stuck in a terrible traffic jam on our lane this morning. The oncoming traffic were so selfish, they wouldn't let me through 🤣

How many of your dogs have used the mowed track around the Orchard as a race track?

One of our regular cottage guest dogs practicing recall in our largest exercise field

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Our Story

Babbling Brook - Kipscombe holidays is an ideal base to explore Devon, Somerset and Exmoor. We welcome Dog owners, walkers, cyclists or couples wanting a romantic break. Enjoy a relaxing break with great scenery perfectly suited to photographers, artists or those that just wish to be away from it all. We are rural but still within easy access of North Devon attractions and some of the best dog friendly beaches. ACTIVITIES ON SITE The cottage has it’s own fenced orchard just behind the cottage which is perfect for morning and evening use. There is also a large communal dog exercise field with beautiful views of Exmoor - a perfect place for your dog to let off steam and charge about. New for 2018 there is now a 2 acre secure field on site with 6 foot fencing, perfect for dogs who are nervous or reactive, or those with a high chase drive or bad recall. The secure field can be booked for a daily time slot to give you stress free exercise with your dog. Use of Dog Agility equipment is by arrangement only and a supervised session can be given to dogs and handlers who have not done agility before. There is also a Gun Dog Scurry area in the main communal field and a shallow stream for paddling.

LOCAL INTEREST A Tumulas (Medieval burial mound) is located in the field next to us and the site of an old Medieval village can be seen across the valley.

North Devon is a very dog friendly area and you will find plenty of places to go and visit with your dog. We provide our guests with a bundle of leaflets to look through as well as an information pack suggesting the best dog friendly beaches, walks from the door and local dog friendly eateries. For people who enjoy walking or seeing wildlife, we are located just a short drive from Exmoor National Park.