Homemade Holidays, Yurt eco staycation in Devon

13/10/2024

Thank you Hurricane Kirk for one of the most epic days of surf on Thursday and the great fortune to be self employed ‘wfh’ that day to be able to make the most of incredible surf and beauty of nature and being on the water that day the 10th Oct with some lovely folk. Best waves ridden of my life so far. 🤙🤙

19/09/2024

A few words for Autumn Equinox from beneath the walnut tree at Holyford - a five min read

How the natural world reminds us about balance, appreciation and pausing at this time of the year.

15/09/2024

Wishing you balance in your lives. Something gentle for Autumn Equinox filmed on the hill above Homemade Holidays.

Come and stay if you like. Homemade Holidays is an organic smallholding where there are a couple of beautiful yurts available on AirBNB - Buzzard Yurt has a view like this. I can't share the link here becasue it mucks up the YouTube video linking... so I'll put it in the comments below

Simple, appreciative, nothing too hectic….Looking out over the Axe Valley, East Devon, gentle autumn birdsong and Sunday morning sounds from around.Played on...

15/09/2024

Find Buzzard Yurt on Airbnb here: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/4223102?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2FRT3JhgKEuQ0T9QOlYu9gELhzyKLcZgxyU5KYaZ9nUGwp4kdQOHredrs_aem_AR3sXXNnkV2YeOI1lP93n9zDSesmiKKGfgav-fH_d1BOWlUaeVfcdCh1APmIKMYMX-m_Q1yWoJGF9s1cE3o3DGaa

05/09/2024

Sweet Peas from Holyford... Deep Peace to you:
I've started a new Nature Connected Leadership Blog for everyday people - Seasonal thoughts, reflections and open questions for personal and planetary wellbeing - and you can read it here:

A blog of seasonal thoughts, reflections and open questions on how Nature Connection can help us lead more balanced, healthy and regenerative lives as everyday people, as leaders, as parents and change makers.

22/08/2024

One of the best things about scything rather than strimming is that the insects get much more of a chance to get out of the way… 🤣🪲👀 and come and say hello!

12/05/2024

Kingfisher yurt is available next week for a minimum 3 night stay (anytime between 13th-20th May)

🩵sleeps up to 5
🩵dog friendly
🩵campfire area
🩵next to a wild swimming pond
🩵large private indoor kitchen
🩵compost loo
🩵private indoor solar shower
🩵wood fired hot tub available to rent on site
🩵next to ancient woodland
🩵v close to jurassic coast beaches

10/05/2024

I am feeling happy to be completing the 52+ Plant Of The Week sheet series with Ash. It's been my intention since the beginning to end with what is thought by many to be the Tree of Gratitude.

Without trees I would not be alive, neither would you!

Ash trees reach towards the sky in splendour. Their airy canopies allow light through to let other plants to grow beneath them. Unfortunately our world's beautiful Ash trees are suffering from the effects ash die back. Like many plant and animal species Ash trees provide us with an indicator for the health of our ecosystems.

For many people Ash trees symbolise gratitude because the tips of their branches turn up towards the sky like fingers on a hand, palms raised in thanks and gratitude to the spirit of all life.

Have we humans forgotten this gratitude for what we have in life in our pursuit of 'the mores of life'? We want more, and we import things from all around the globe to our homes, often leaving the price of their acquisition unseen by us, and also bringing with them unexpected and unforeseen consequences.

The world is a complex place full of complexities and feedback loops. The lives of many beings are very precarious. Ok, they always have been, but we humans have made life and the climate we all depend on increasingly volatile.

May we all remember to be grateful for what we have... there are as many benefits of the practice of gratitude to our lives as the gifts Ash trees brings to the forest simply in their being.

This week's POTW sheet is free. My only request is that if you do download it and print it off...please plant at least one tree this year. It will do the world a little bit of good. You can share the sheet with anyone using this link:

World Tree for the Norse, and Tree of Gratitude for many, this tree is a symbol for our time.

16/04/2024

Due to a cancellation Kingfisher yurt is available this weekend (from Thursday 18th April) for a minimum 3 night stay.

BOTH yurts are available the following weekend (25th-28th April)

Soak up the beauty of spring unfurling with magical bluebells and spring flowers around the yurts and in neighbouring Holyford bluebell woods nature reserve.

Lie in comfortable beds listening to the Dawn chorus.

You’ll only need to pack clothes, towels and food, as all bedding is provided, plus you have a fully equipped separate kitchen with oven/ fridge / dining table.

We’ve got lots of books, maps and games for you to borrow and so much coastline and countryside to explore from the yurts.

Each yurt has a private compost toilet and indoor solar shower plus campfire area and BBQ, perfect for outdoor cooking.

Not forgetting the wildlife swimming pond just by kingfisher yurt and the wood fired hot tub for warming up in afterwards!

Link on bio to Airbnb profile for more photos /reviews and booking info

11/04/2024

“We loved our visit to you.”
5 star reviews. Look for Buzzard and Kingfisher yurts on Airbnb.
We’re so proud that we are an excellent place to come and stay with family, friends or alone… amazing walks, wild swimming pond, space for yoga, hot tub, games and music room, officey space, organic veg, good food, sea and surf nearby… and a resident nature connection expert, Chris Holland's Storytelling, nature connection & playful outdoor learning., author of the classic forest school book I LOVE MY WORLD who runs bushcrafty stuff and bird language walks for people who come and stay too.
Message us or look on airbnb for more info.
We are ready to take your booking.

Buzzard Yurt:
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/4223102
Kingfisher Yurt:
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/46350076

05/01/2024

First Holyford pond swim of 2024!

After all the recent (relentless!) rain the pond is very full and was feeling pretty fresh!

Looking forward to lots more pond swims and paddles this year and our yurt guests enjoying it when we open again in the spring!

With the glorious sunshine today the birds were singing, the Hazel catkins were shining and it felt like spring wasn’t too far away…

Very grateful for a hot tub afterwards to warm up in the sunshine.

Thanks .szentivanyi for the photos and great company

20/11/2023

Oh the beauty, freshness and flavour of a homegrown autumn salad!

Tastes all the better in the autumn sunshine…

28/10/2023

Last yurt changeover of the season done ✔️

It’s emotional thinking about all the guests who have stayed with us this year and over the last 13 years, since we first starting renting out yurts for eco holidays.

So grateful for the exchange and how it has supported us to raise our children and grow lots of organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers in a way that encourages wildlife and nourishes the soil. Laying hedges, creating wildlife habitats and rewilding a local woodland and now the neighbouring field too.

Using wood, wind and solar power. Holyford spring water, eco cleaning products plus reusing resources for construction and furnishing as much as possible . And a whole lot of wo/ man power 💪🏼

Many laundry washes have been dried on the line and folded away. Many many wheelbarrows pushed up and down the paths. Wood baskets restocked with kindling, flowers arranged, and so many hours spent cleaning whilst dancing to great tunes in the yurts and kitchens.

It’s a joy to be able to share Holyford with so many lovely folk, enjoying the swimming pond, the hot tub, the music hut and the trampoline…

Hearing so much laughter echoing around the land.

Yurters are now cosy in their yurts with the wood burners going or embracing the rain in the hot tub and the swimming pond!

The amazing autumnal flowers were a surprise for the last guest from her love. She was on the train so kindly left them behind and it was such a treat for the last changeover to reuse and arrange them. The flowers were still looking so good, so filled jugs with them for the next Buzzard Yurters to enjoy.

And one for me too 😊

.

28/10/2023

Last yurt changeover of the season done ✔️

It’s emotional thinking about all the guests who have stayed with us this year and over the last 13 years, since we first starting renting out yurts for eco holidays.

So grateful for the exchange and how it has supported us to raise our children and grow lots of organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers in a way that encourages wildlife and nourishes the soil. Laying hedges, creating wildlife habitats and rewilding a local woodland and now the neighbouring field too.

Using wood, wind and solar power. Holyford spring water, eco cleaning products plus reusing resources for construction and furnishing as much as possible

Many laundry washes have been dried on the line and folded away. Many many wheelbarrows pushed up and down the paths. Wood baskets restocked with kindling, flowers arranged, and so many hours spent cleaning whilst dancing to great tunes in the yurts and kitchens.

It’s a joy to be able to share Holyford with so many lovely folk, enjoying the swimming pond, the hot tub, the music hut and the trampoline…

Hearing so much laughter echoing around the land.

Yurters are now cosy in their yurts with the wood burners going or embracing the rain in the hot tub and the swimming pond!

.

25/09/2023

Come and stay this weekend!

Book both yurts and get one of them half price.

If you rent both yurts with friends/ family then you have the whole site to yourselves with the wild swimming pond and hot tub (optional extra charge)

Both yurts sleep 5 and can have a tent pitched next to them for extra sleeping space options.

Each yurt has its own campfire area, (wood included in price) compost loo, indoor kitchen and solar shower.

The yurts are dog friendly and we are surrounded by great walks and next to ancient woodland.

We are very close to the Jurassic coast with its many beaches to explore and fossils to find.

There is more availability for both yurts in October. Follow our Airbnb links in the bio to see calendar, prices and our 5 star reviews.

www.airbnb.com/h/homemadeholidays-buzzardyurt-holyford

https://www.airbnb.com/h/kingfisheryurt

Contact direct for more info

17/09/2023

15/09/2023

Hard to reach!