Southole Barns

21/11/2024

Unusual wintery stuff today! Pretty but chilly! Nothing better than to be cosied up inside after a bracing walk in weather like this 🍁❄️🔥

05/11/2024

Is the coast or countryside calling you for the festive period? We have the perfect cosy getaway for you whether you are on your own, a couple, a family or a larger group.

With sleeps 2 and sleeps 4 barn conversions, pet free and pet friendly options sleeping a total of 1 to 14 plus cots.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty right on the North Devon coast and South West Coast Path on the rugged Hartland Peninsula Devon and Cornwall are there to explore.

3 night stays minimum over the holidays for maximum flexibility.

https://www.southole.co.uk/

20/10/2024

We’ve had some beautiful weather this week (and thankfully dodged the worst of Storm Ashley overnight!).We ventured to Castle Drogo-National Trust on Thursday and did the stunning Teign Valley Gorge walk. Starting at Drogo, walking along the top of the gorge with beautiful views of Dartmoor, then through woodland before dropping down to Fingle Bridge and walking along the River Teign in full flow with a picnic stop, though the woods before the climb and scramble back up around Sharp Tor to the castle.
Desperate to go again in a couple of weeks when the leaves have even more autumn colour.
Last time we went the castle was under renovation so it was lovely to explore it again with the kids now it’s back to normal and it is lovely. Our Downton Abbey fan daughter loved it and even youngest, who has the attention span and energy levels of a springer spaniel, found it ‘OK’!
It’s probably the most modern National trust we’ve been too and very ‘unstuffy’. The wide corridors and lightness, especially in all the functional servants quarters and storage areas, are so weirdly modern. Fascinating building and the feel of the two sets of lives lived in it was really striking. I think we all found the staff areas the most engaging-the butlers quarters and the bell system were particularly interesting to all of us for some reason.
Actually it would be lovely to have been given more information on the key staff and put some faces and names to them, as well as the family.
Maybe running around after two kids and three dogs I found I could more easily relate to them 😅.

10/10/2024

I Never thought the first time we would see the Northern Lights would be from home! Beautiful skies tonight.

08/09/2024

I think Hattie is asking to be tumble dried after a rather wet walk this morning! Some fine coastal mizzle to enjoy-supposed to be good for the complexion apparently! Surely it must be good for something?

03/09/2024

Ginny Weasel getting into some Autumn snuggles today and tucking herself in for a cosy snooze after a dewy walk.

02/09/2024

Autumn prices and availability are go! Pumpkins and blackberry crumble at the ready (though possibly not together)!

Once again a walk down the lane finds me kicking through the early Autumn leaves and admiring the cobwebs in the hedgerows with their haul of dewdrops. Can summer really be over already? The mist drifting across the valley and the blackberries in the field certainly seem convincing though we haven't...

13/08/2024

https://www.southole.co.uk/post/late-summer-sale
Last minute sale with short breaks from £345!

The last few weeks of the holidays are now reduced so grab a break while you can! From £345 for a short break in one of our sleeps 2 + cot barns. Just head to our availability page to get booked in.

29/07/2024

Latest availability for summer-Sleeps 4 Roseland 2nd to 6th August if anyone is looking for a long weekend break and then from August 17th onward we have availability.
Sleeps 4 Greenway from August 17th onwards.
Sleeps 2 (plus pooch) Clovelly 1st to 5th August then 11th onwards.
Sleeps 2 (plus 2 pooches) Smudgers from 10th August.

26/06/2024

Current availability for the summer! We have sleeps twos from August, pet friendly and pet free, and sleeps 4s (one or both) except for 10th-17th August.
We also have availability before the summer holidays so if you fancy a pre-school holidays getaway we have space. Short breaks also welcome, min 5 nights during the holidays, min 2/3 nights in June and July.

29/03/2024

I don’t think I could ever regret time spent planting bulbs in winter once spring has arrived! I still can’t decide which of them are my favourites though! The flouncy? The little ones that look like they’re shouting “Whoohoo” into the wind (plenty of practice for them at the moment!)? The pure and simple? The traditional? We put loads in on my birthday in November and I’m sure we’ll plan to do the same this year for even more blooms in the spring.

23/03/2024

Easter bunny photo shoot! Cute bunny vs evil Bond villain bunny! Whispa, ever the character! Which one should we use as our Easter advert though?

20/03/2024

Finally some sun on the blackthorn blossom to show it at its lacy best. So pretty! And Hattie looking saintly, if a little obsessive, amongst the celandine which is just staring to carpet the meadow. We’ll gloss over the fact that on the other side of the hedge Poppy was rolling in something unmentionable and had to make one of her frequent visits to the hose of doom before going back inside.

05/03/2024

I’m sure for most dogs going for a walk actually means walking? Two of ours seem to go for a dig while the other does flying lessons! Broken dogs 😅!

03/03/2024

Availability in sleeps 4s Greenway and Roseland, and sleeps 2s Clovelly and Week Stay Mary Barns from 30th March, and in sleeps 2 Smudgers Barn all through Easter.

19/02/2024

https://www.southole.co.uk/post/easter-breaks
Latest news from us in warm and wet Devon this week!

It's feeling like Spring is in the air now as it has been so mild even the daffodils are out! March and April are a lovely time to visit as the few attractions which close for the winter months open up again and it's warm enough for the over 5s to want an ice-cream (let's face it, it's never too col...

19/02/2024

Post half term blues? Why not book for Easter to give you something to look forward to?
During the Easter hols we have Smudgers (sleeps 2 pet friendly) all through, Greenway (sleeps 4), Roseland (sleeps 4), Clovelly (sleeps 2 pet friendly) and Week St Mary (sleeps 2) available from 30th March.
https://www.southole.co.uk/

03/02/2024

I can’t tell you how excited we were to spot this in our meadow! It’s been two years since we released the last of our harvest mice in an attempt to reintroduce them. We’ve seen hide nor hair of them since and given the healthy populations of owls, grass snakes and adders, not to mention the odd cat, we were hopeful rather than optimistic.
This beautiful nest was in the opposite side of the field from the release site so they’ve moved across and established a breeding population.
These engaging, fierce and fascinating little warrior mice are really rare here and habitat loss, intensive farming and pasture mono-cultures are to blame. It’s so important that we protect and nuture these meadow and hedgerow habitats to ensure these native species, and the food chain that they are part of, are still here for the next generation to discover and be delighted by.
So much re-wilding seems to focus on woodland, also a precious habitat for sure, that it’s easy to forget we need a variety of habitats-including farmed and managed ones like these too.
We also need to love and encourage the ‘unsightly weeds’ such as dock and teasel and our hundreds of native grasses as well as the more glamorous poppies and cornflowers in our meadows-they provide the seeds to keep the small furries going through the winter months.
Also, controversial here, but harvest mice are way cooler than dormice! Just saying! 😉