About Sylvia
Farm & Campsite
Sylvia runs the farm and campsite at Crabbs Bluntshay Farm
Barnyard Buzz
Sylvia has been writing a local West Dorset countryside newsletter for over ten years. In 2023 we upgraded here website and the name of her newsletter to that of the Barnyard Buzz West Dorset Countryside Chronicles.
Sylvia’s life has been full of adventure and hard work. She was born in Whitchurch at Peace Farm and attended both the local primary school and Lyme Regis Grammar School. At 13, her family moved to Crabbs Bluntshay Farm, and before leaving West Dorset to work as a bank clerk in Swanage, she was heavily involved with the Marshwood Vale Young Farmers, winning an award for her social planning work.
Two years later, she emigrated to Australia as a £10 pommie, working her way around the country doing a variety of jobs, including picking apples in Tasmania and looking after children on a remote sheep farm in Queensland. She returned to England urgently due to family illness but worked at a bank and sent herself to college to gain secretarial skills before embarking on a journey overland in a coach with 39 other people through Europe and Asia returning to Sydney.
After returning to Sydney, she picked apples in New Zealand, hitchhiked around both islands, and travelled to all the other states of Australia before flying to Bali and travelling through Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. She also visited Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Canada before returning to England.
She completed a teacher training college in London and later taught primary and typewriting at adult education classes. Her college dissertation led to a book about the Marshwood Vale, and she spent many weekends researching it.
After 10 years of teaching and tutoring, she left full-time employment to develop her mother’s basic campsite into what it is today, adding a cabin, hard standings, and electric hookups. She also involved herself in voluntary work, including the Char Valley Parish Council, the local PCC, West Dorset Family History, and the Bridport History Society. She put together two exhibitions, including a study of WW1 servicemen listed on the Whitchurch War Memorials.
Sylvia and her husband Malcolm helped run the farm, improving Bluntshay and introducing a circular farm walk popular with campers. They also practiced cider making and beekeeping. Today, Sylvia has cows, calves, and geese on her farm, and her niece and family rent half the farm, making Crabbs Bluntshay a fully working farm.
Barnyard Buzz Posts
Farm Open Day and Successful Summer for Campsite
We are having an Open Day on the last Thursday in October to coincide with the Autumn Half term. I shall be giving a conducted walk around the farm, and Malcolm will be showing people the cider cellar.
Farm and Campsite News for April 2011
Our Dorset camp site and farm has plenty going on this spring from new road surfacing to our quad of lambs being born.
Campsite News and Developments
Before Easter 2012 we hope to paint the outside of the cabin, and garage double doors – which are [...]
Farm News for January 2012
Work around Crabbs Bluntshay Farm at the start of the new year.
Farm & Campsite Updates Feb 2013
Developments on the Campsite Another large sewerage onion was lowered into the ground in February to cope with the [...]
Campsite & Farm News for May
Campsite Conservation Map We had a good Easter with quite a few caravanners parked up for the [...]
Missing Ewe!
Search the Barnyard Buzz Dorset Countryside Chronicles by location, activity type, person’s name, month or year.
News From Our Dorset Farm & Campsite for June ’13
CAMPSITE We have had a steady stream of caravans and tents during May and in June so far, with [...]
Campsite & Farm Update for July ’13
THE CAMPSITE The summer holidays are getting booked out and it will be necessary to open up the field [...]
Farm & Campsite Updates for October
CAMPSITE Now that the main season is over it is a case of doing maintenance and repairs on the [...]
Farm & Campsite Update November 2013
As we are open all year (except when I may take a holiday) we do get the occasional camper during the late autumn and winter.
Barnyard Buzz Newsletter December 2013
The cabin has been closed down for the winter with all the water drained out of the system. The sheep have just been wormed. The arrival of an apple harvester and killer chrysanths sold at farmers’ markets - Newsletter December 2013 Crabbs Bluntshay Farm Campsite
Farm & Campsite Newsletter – February 2014
CAMPSITE Five sets of people came to stay on the campsite during the weekend after Christmas. (1) It was [...]
Buy Sylvias Book
Dorset’s Western Vale
After travelling in many parts of the world the author came home to West Dorset to find a much-changed Marshwood Vale from her youth. In order to capture the changes she decided to research the social history of Whitchurch Canonicorum and other parts of the Marshwood Vale from approximately 1880 to 1985 before all recollection was lost of what was becoming another world.
The book also includes 80 black and white photos, a map and legend of the parish of Whitchurch, local sayings a sample of the dialect, an index of people’s names from the text and an index of local place names used in the text.
Farm & Campsite Newsletter – March 2014
CAMPSITE I have had a new light fitted by the cabin door. This will automatically come on when it [...]
Campsite & Farm Newsletter for April 2014
THE CAMPSITE Prior to the Easter weekend there were lots of last minute things to do. The water had [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter May ’14
CAMPSITE The long weekend at the beginning of May was very busy, with the biggest group of people that [...]
Campsite & Farm Newsletter for June 2014
CAMPSITE A small new area has been created to the right of the campsite. The two electrical hookups were [...]
Campsite & Farm Newsletter for July 2014
CAMPSITE The brilliant weather during the last week or so has brought a lot of people to the campsite, [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter August 2014
CAMPSITE The campsite has been a hive of activity during the last month with many children coming to stay. [...]
Barnyard Buzz Signup – Sylvia’s Countryside Chronicle
Sign up for the Sylvias Barnyard Buzz Newsletter & Blog. Exploring the charming countryside of West Dorset, England. Heartwarming tales, adventures, events and local history from the campsite, farm and local area. A unique perspective of Dorset rural living, the beauty and the people within the community.
Farm & Campsite Newsletter September 2014
CAMPSITE During September we have had quite a few visitors. Two German students camped for one night (1). They [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter October 2014
CAMPSITE During this month we had a group of sixteen 15 year old students from an East Devon school [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter November 2014
CAMPSITE In October a couple with 6 dogs visited for a few days. The dogs were very friendly and [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter December 2014
CAMPSITE Recently I was invited along to a Jurassic Coast training session. The people attending were invited to become [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter February 2015
THE CAMPSITE I thought I would start the newsletter on a sunny note, seeing this is the coldest time [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter March 2015
CAMPSITE We have been busy getting ready for Easter which is fast approaching. Repairs to the hardstandings have to [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter December 2014
CAMPSITE Recently I was invited along to a Jurassic Coast training session. The people attending were invited to become [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter February 2015
THE CAMPSITE I thought I would start the newsletter on a sunny note, seeing this is the coldest time [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter March 2015
CAMPSITE We have been busy getting ready for Easter which is fast approaching. Repairs to the hardstandings have to [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter April 2015
The build up to Easter was quite intense. New leaflets about Dorset and Devon arrived and were put into [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter May 2015
CAMPSITE The annual PAT testing came around again with everything from freezers, extension leads, heat lamps and heaters, etc [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter June 2015
CAMPSITE The last weekend in May was very busy with some people just turning up at the gate (besides [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter July 2015
CAMPSITE The children on site love being involved with the animals and birds. They often help me put the [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter August 2015
CAMPSITE The last month has seen so much activity with all the children who have been staying on site. [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter September 2015
CAMPSITE The August Bank Holiday weekend completed a very good summer season on the campsite. The weather during the [...]
Farm & Campsite Newsletter October 2015
CAMPSITE Things quietened down after the middle of September, and in taking stock of the holiday period it proved [...]
Dorset Farm Campsite & Country Life Newsletter for November
THE CAMPSITE In September a very interesting camper arrived on foot in the middle of the night. After getting [...]
Dorset Farm Campsite & Country Life Newsletter for December
CAMPSITE Several months ago a Malaysian called Ian contacted me with a booking on my campsite for 20th December [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for January 2016
CAMPSITE It appears that quite a few campsites are not open during the winter and if they are they [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for February 2016
CAMPSITE This week I had a Veterans4Verterans group staying overnight with their support team. The V4V started off as [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for April 2016
I spent 26 days in Canada during February and March having a wonderful time with friends and relatives. The [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for May 2016
I am organising a conservation and fossil walk on 6th July at 2 pm. The cost is £5 to be [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for June 2016
THE CAMPSITE The long May weekend and half term holiday were busy. As usual there were all shapes are [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for July 2016
CAMPSITE July on the campsite was busy especially once the school holidays started. The weather was marvellous and the [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for August 2016
THE CAMPSITE August was busy with a lot of people returning to the site from previous years along with many [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for September 2016
CAMPSITE After closing the big field to campers at the end of August the fence had to re-erected so [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for October 2016
CAMPSITE A local potter from Marshwood decided to spend three nights on my campsite in a small tent, surviving [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for November 2016
CAMPSITE I am still getting people in motorhomes and tents staying over night or for a few days, as [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for December 2016
CAMPSITE On Boxing Day night I had a brave soul who slept in his car on the campsite – [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for January
CAMPSITE Bookings are now coming in for this season. I have kept the cost the same as last year. [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for February
CAMPSITE Maintenance work and tidying up continues this month with new sign boards erected and a new cover to [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for March 2017
CAMPSITE NEWS MARCH 2017 I continued to have a steady trickle of campers during the rest of the winter [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for April
CAMPSITE There was frenzied activity to get the cabin ready for Easter. After a spring clean and some painting [...]
Dorset Country Life Newsletter for May
CAMPSITE I have had a very busy May long weekend with quite a few “returners” and also new people [...]