And the element of enlightened self-interest is there: hedgehogs are an important part of the eco-system eating lots of snails and slugs. We know we have at least one hedgehog in our garden, we hope he is gorging on the slimy chaps. No doubt slugs and snails play their part in the eco-system too - but they do tend to eat a disproportionately large amount of baby veg plants, and indeed some more established ones. That's pretty disheartening at times but overall we aren't complaining.
As explained in a previous blog we have picked our local hedgehog rescue and hospital centre as a charity to support (Prickles Hedgehog Rescue). They care for many hundreds of hedgehogs every year who are brought to them injured or orphaned, or simply disorientated. Spilling over in their current small premises they rely heavily on direct donations to survive and we are pleased to donate £10 from every booking we get. First time around, after one year we were able to give £290 and at the end of this second summer we're giving another £150. Not a lot in the bigger scheme of things but they are getting a lot of support from local wildlife carers.
And the element of enlightened self-interest is there: hedgehogs are an important part of the eco-system eating lots of snails and slugs. We know we have at least one hedgehog in our garden, we hope he is gorging on the slimy chaps. No doubt slugs and snails play their part in the eco-system too - but they do tend to eat a disproportionately large amount of baby veg plants, and indeed some more established ones. That's pretty disheartening at times but overall we aren't complaining. As we all know Britain has been basking in a prolonged hot spell - yes a real old fashioned summer. This means that day after day the evenings have that wonderful balmy almost Mediterranean feel. Eating Al Fresco, glasses of wine on the patio, or a cold beer (or cider) in the garden. The cottage patio with table and chairs are the best spot in the whole house and garden to catch the lingering warm rays. Today were were doing just that, watching the bees, some beautiful and colourful moths getting out before the light fades, and listening to the screech of the swifts as they wheel across the sky grabbing insects. We think (and we may well be deluding ourselves) that they seem to gather a lot around our garden as there are so many bugs around it for them to feast on. And they always nest in the eaves of our neighbours, Trevor and Annie in 'Ulverstone' (the nests are now empty as the babies have fledged and left, we gather to spend the next years of their life continuously in the air). But today there was another flying thing to watch, something we also get an awful lot of in Cheddar, and which makes an intermittent roaring noise. Yes, you've seen the title and the pictures ... it was a hot air balloon. Taking off near Cheddar and drifting in the breeze over the gorge is a favourite route. Perhaps there has been a slight drop of these past years - economic hard times? But they never stop and after all Bristol is famous for Balloons: the world renowned balloonist and balloon maker Cameron was based here and the company he founded is the largest balloon maker in the world. THey make many of those weird and wonderful special shapes, but lots of regular balloons too. And probably because of this heritage the annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta is a fantastic three day festival with spectacular mass take-offs and night burns. Not quite so spectacular today but the balloon we saw was very low, moving a a fair speed in the breeze, and we could talk (or really shout) to the balloonists above as the skimmed directly over our garden. And completely silently apart from the occasional roar of the burners as the lifted up a little. Indeed on a balmy evening it is usually the burners you hear before you see the balloon. We cannot guarantee you'll see a balloon if you stay in Gorge View Cottage, but if you are really keen you can treat yourself to a flight! Hot on the heels of Somerset Local Food direct (offering to have fresh produce delivered ready for your arrival see earlier blog) another useful new venture has been started up near Cheddar by passionate foody Alison Finn who has already been running a successful Supper Club in the area. Her new businesses "What's Cookin'?" offers home-made food cooked freshly and delivered to the cottage: either for your arrival or during your stay. She just needs a day's notice. There is a standard and quite extensive menu of mains, starters, sides and snacks, and cakes and desserts. She is though delighted (indeed enthusiastic) to take on board special requests and especially special dietary requirements. She makes her dishes using local produce wherever possible either from her garden or from local organic suppliers. Costs are reasonable and delivery is free (or you can collect). So if you fancy a break from cooking, but something a bit different to the usual take-away options this is a great option. Alison can be contacted on 01934 733964 or 0755 2178268 and we'll be adding her leaflet/menu to the cottage information sheets, but ask if you'd like one send on ahead by email. We love to cycle the Strawberry Line - the reclaimed old railway line that used to connect Wells and the Cheddar Valley villages to the mainline at Yatton and (amongst many things) take fresh strawberries to London markets on specially designed well-sprung wagons. The line closed along with so many others with the 1962 Beeching Act. Then 20 years ago the headmaster of the local comprehensive school (Keith Herring) was shocked when a schoolboy narrowly escaped death in an accident cycling from Axbridge to the Cheddar school along the main road, busy with traffic including school buses and occasional quarry lorries. Looking for a solution he and a small group realised that the old railway track would make an ideal traffic-free cycle route and so worked to get the council to buy it and lease it to them. And so the Strawberry Line track started. Now it extends 10 miles, almost all on the old track, to Yatton and the mainline station (complete with community café). It is adopted by the UK's major cycling charity Sustrans (based in Bristol) and forms part of National Cycle Route 26. Well, cycle it as we do, we have been taking for granted the trusty volunteers who keep the cycle path in good condition: battling brambles, trimming trees, removing rubbish and whacking the weeds. So as we hosted a gathering of a UK sustainable group here at the house and cottage we decided to spend a busy half-day as a line gang: covering much of the Cheddar-to-Axbridge section. Not such hard work, and the weather was lovely. Very little rubbish at all (how refreshing): mostly nettles, brambles, branches and saplings to trim back. We now hope to get more involved over time and maybe make this a more regular event. Onwards and upwards! Somerset is pretty much synonymous with cider making. Around this area are many small farm scale producers each producing a fairly heady mix (called 'scrumpy' in its rawest form). Of course cider seems to be having a revival, and when anything gets popular all the big industrial businesses try and cash in with bland and not-very sustainable versions, using lots of sublte branding and marketing to push it. But the traditional are getting overwhelmed and one producers stands out as a big British success , and that is Thatchers Cider. Still family run (for over 100 years) they are based just a few miles from Cheddar, on the North side of the Mendip Hills and indeed if you cycle the Strawberry Line you'll find a section passes through and along the edge of their extensive home orchards (thanks to Thatcher's providing a critical off-road link for the route). They do a great range of ciders, and perry's (from pears and not apples), bottled and draft, and some single varietal ciders from single apple types (and not blends). You can sample of of this if you care to pop by the "cider shop" at Myrtle Farm in Sandford (a minute or two off the Strawberry Line). Good local product is one thing but the point of this blog is to acknowledge the great sustainable work Thatchers do, most recently resulting in them being awarded the J.D. Weatherspoons CSR award for their care in reducing energy, water and waste in all areas of production. And it gets better as they have recently been working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to develop the orchards even more thoughtfully to support Bumblebees and solitary bees which are hugely important in pollination (and not just for orchards) and which have been seeing a worrying decline in recent years. Of course a delightful way to support Thatchers is by sampling one of their ciders: either in the local pubs, or by taking a bottle of two back to Gorge View Cottage to enjoy in the sun. Bumblebee on blossom Better late than never. The extended winter and rapid spring seemed to have dragged Cheddar and the Mendips fully in to summer this weekend. A glorious four days over the bank holiday weekend: very warm but not too hot; sunny but the odd cloud to prettify the sky; the gentlest of breezes to keep things fresh. Everyone was enjoying it. Even the insects. One of the big benefits of running our garden on sustainable principles (permaculture to be precise) is that it we have a garden that attracts lots of wildlife. And importantly that includes insects, and especially bees. There are all sorts of bees, including solitary bees, but the ones we delight in (and are difficult to miss) are the bumblebees. Some are huge. The one in the photo (taken today) was of a huge chap, the size of my thumb-end, and he was busy working the new (and late) blossom on the cherry tree. Hopefully he was enjoying it as much as we were watching him from close up. Bees of course have been in the news. They are having a tough time: climate, habitat, pesticides, farming methods, and the dearth of wild flowers are all putting them under stress and numbers are falling. Not just the ubiquitous "honey" bees, but the equally important solitary types (like the bumblebees). Important because we need these workers to pollinate our food and we ignore their plight at our own peril. So do look out for them and if you get a chance try and ensure you are planting (and your council are planting) bees and butterfly friendly plants (which are beautiful to look at too). And if you come to stay in our eco cottage then you are welcome to wander the garden and hopefully see them here. Photo: Sarah Peeks It is probably worth assuring those contemplating a break in and around Cheddar that the road up through the gorge, a beautiful and breathtaking drive, or cycle (or even walk), is open again. It was closed for many weeks after flash flood damage to the road surface. Repairs we hampered due to continuous stream of water from the very top. But thanks to a bunch of local cavers some blocked sink-holes in the upper reaches were cleared allowing the water to do what it should do naturally and flow down in to the Mendips and eventually percolate through as the Cheddar Yeo. So good for the volunteers. The road dried up. The repairs got done, and it is all back to normal. There is though a slight tinge of sadness: whenever a road gets closed the route can be reclaimed by walkers and cyclists and they can enjoy it in a traffic free environment. Our neighbouring village, Wedmore, has been making some serious moves in improved dining recently. It started with a big refurbishment of The Swan which is a lovely upmarket pub and restaurant with great food. Another pub, the George Inn was a beautiful building but very run down - but that has now got new owners and a lovely ambience. And now, next to the George we have a new Italian restaurant: Brown Paper Pizza. The name suggests a basic pizza takeaway But this is much more. It is the next venture of Arthur Potts-Dawson the chef and restaurateur from London who made himself famous with his "The People's Cooperative" venture in London and filmed for Channel 4. Before that, and after a career with the Roux brothers, head chef at the River Cafe, executive chef at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant and working with Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, he set up and ran the highly regarded and very sustainably run Water House and Acorn House restaurants. He has now returned to Somerset and started this new venture and rumour has it it will start to spawn more branches soon. Anyway - the emphasis on great fresh ingredients, and a very sustainable operation, are all still there. Although everything is very simple, the ambience is rustic and lovely and the food is great - eat there or grab a pizza to take home and enjoy in the cottage in front of the log burner. Check it out here: www.brownpaperpizzas.com Photo courtesy BBC After the torrential rain and flooding in Somerset last November the lovely road through the gorge was closed. The power of water flooding out of the ravines and gullys broke up the edges of the tarmac, and strewed rubble all over the place. The road down by the shops and cafes and the caves was fine, it was further up in the wilder parts of the gorge that the problems lay. The rubble was cleared up quickly and at first some cheeky locals just drove around the barriers and used the road as normal, but now that has stopped. And yet over two months later it is still closed. Why? Well because, amazingly, the water from the Mendips continues to stream down the sides of the road, and until it dries up they cannot fix things. It says a lot about how wet it was and remained for those months. Hopefully now with dryer weather here it will all come good. Remember, despite some inaccurate alarmist news, the lower gorge with all the visitor attractions is open for business as usual. This does mean that for those wanting to arrive at the cottage from the North via the gorge, you should check with us before you set off to see if it is still closed. There are some fun detours through smaller lanes that you can take, or maybe just keep to the main 'A' route through Wells, or from the A38 from Bristol/M5. We'll post another blog when all is good. There is a big up side from of all of this: the beauty of the gorge can for a short while be appreciated on foot in a car free environment. As with the rest of the UK we've been suffering the seemingly incessant rain. The Somerset Levels get soggy, and the villages further out over South Somerset have had a tough time. But here in Cheddar the Mendip catchment discharges the water from the caves and it flows down the lower gorge, through Cheddar village as a small river called the Cheddar Yeo. At times like this though the river can swell alarmingly, the series of ponds and lakes in the gorge get very full. Anyone sitting in the Riverside Inn can see the images of how the gorge flooded badly back in the Great Flood of 1968. But thankfully the flood defences developed after that bad time (which are very prettily done) do their work and this time the gorge and village generally mostly survived unharmed although pulses were racing for some. The top of the gorge shops were hit a bit, because the water literally came out of the caves entrance (see picture), and the flow down the road was substantial. But only a few unlucky shops and cottages actually had water coming in. Further up the gorge (where there are no buildings the water was still significant and the damage done to the road surface, including a lot of rubble dragged out and down, made it a bit difficult to navigate and so they've closed it for some weeks awaiting road repairs. The canny locals do have a habit of driving around the barriers and cutting up and through the gorge. Probably not advisable so don't do this at home! |
Gorge View Cottage DiaryGorge View Cottage is a characterful and environmentally renovated self-catering cottage, with stunning views Archives
August 2021
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