Gorge View Cottage  - beautiful eco-cottage in Cheddar
  • Home
  • The Cottage
    • Overview
    • Garden
    • Photos and video
    • Plans
    • Location
    • Charities
  • Green Tourism
    • Overview
    • Some car-free ideas
    • Green activities further afield
    • Electric Vehicles
    • Local produce & wholefoods
    • Wildlife charity support
    • Green Policy
  • Things to do
    • Overview
    • Places to visit
    • Food & Drink
    • Shops & Amenities
  • Booking
    • Rates
    • Availability
    • Covid
  • Contact
  • T&Cs
    • Data Protection
    • Access
  • Blog

Is it a bird? (Is it a plane?) No it's a badger!

23/5/2014

 
Picture
Mary has been getting pretty irate with the rooks. They keep eating all the bird seed and all the smaller birds get left with little. There are around six or eight of them, not a lot, but they swoop in a couple of times a day and nosh everything that's going. In response (beyond banging the window when she sees them) Mary devised some cunning plans. One included using a ground feeder cage. But night after night it got moved around and the seed was eaten. We suspect early morning raids by the rooks who are notoriously smart, and so to catch them at it I set up my camera trap.
Well after several nights and the cage being moved I started to look through lots of short videos that were captured. Many of cats snooping around, some of small birds, lots of Mary's legs. And then at around 6.00 am a gaggle of annoyed looking rooks. But they didn't find a way in. Looking further and in the middle of the night we caught the culprit - a young looking badger who seems to amble through at around 1.00am every night. He clearly has a liking of seeds and moves the cage around to get at the seed bowl - of course later on the rooks also get a share. 
All very lovely but our cunning planning must continue.

Gran Frondo

5/5/2014

 
PictureGorge climb (Somerset Hills Gran Fondo)
A relatively recent event on the calendar for all cycling enthusiasts if the Somerset Hills Gran Fondo. A well organised day event for all comers with signed routes, marshalling and refreshments. And it all starts in Cheddar. Indeed our current cottage guests came here for a week with the aim of taking part and then relaxing and enjoying the area.
For the serious riders the Gran Fondo itself is a 200km (124 mile) round trip taking in the Mendips, the Quantocks and Exmoor (the "hills" bit) and some easier stuff across the levels - mostly on the way back to give those weary limbs a break.
But you don't have to go for the big one because there is the Medio Fondo (142km - 88 miles, Mendip and Quantock Hills) or the Piccolo Fondo (71km  - 44 miles just the Mendip Hills). By all accounts this is a great event to take part in with around 600 riders. It is not a race but a chance to see some awesome sights, meet some lovely people and get some brilliant exercise. Find out more one their very informative website with maps and gradient maps for all three routes.
Of course Gorge View Cottage provides the ideal base for all of this - but book early.

    Gorge View Cottage Diary

    Gorge View Cottage is a characterful and environmentally renovated  self-catering  cottage, with stunning views

    Archives

    August 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    Activities
    Art
    Cheddar
    Food
    Sustainability
    The Cottage
    The Garden
    The Gorge
    The South West
    Wildlife

    RSS Feed

Gorge View Cottage, Birch Hill, Cheddar, Somerset BS27 3JN      info@gorgeviewcottage.co.uk      01934 744727    /// grounding.bath.pleasing