Spring Lambs & Country Life at Our Dorset Farm Campsite

Newsletter for February and March 2026

CAMPSITE

March was rather quiet for campers even though I had a special offer on offering £2 off a night from Good Friday to the middle of September, if people booked and paid a deposit by Maundy Thursday. But there was still plenty of maintenance to do before the Easter weekend. Sam sanded down the cabin front door and repaired the step going into the cabin, and Angi did some painting. [1] [2] Martin installed Starlink Access which now gives the campsite and farmhouse a Wi-Fi speed of 100 Mbs, and in the long run a cheaper bill for any phone calls made. [3]

FARM AND GARDEN

The first lamb was born two week’s early much to everyone’s surprise. [4] It was a Suffolk Texal Cross. The rest of the expectant ewes were waiting patiently in the barn, [5] and soon lots of other lambs followed with much bleating in the yard! [6] My cows have started to have their calves and this one was the second one to be born this season. [7] Nelson and Gertrude went outdoors into their patch in March and in 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days we should be seeing some piglets. In the meantime Sam and Alisha bought another sow with 4 piglets. [8] Alisha sells her pork and lamb to campers and friends. [9] George sold two of his Indian runner ducks and then they went to live in another part of Dorset. [10]

When the ground had dried up enough Alisha rolled all the fields that would be made into silage, as well as spreading farmyard manure and a sprinkling of artificial manure in some fields. [11]

The lawns were getting out of control so the mowing started early. [12] We have peacocks living at the farm next door who spend a lot of time visiting Crabbs Bluntshay. On occasions they managed to get into my metal greenhouse, had a fight and ended up breaking panes of glass. This is the second time it has happened, [13] and I hope it won’t happen again!

There have been lots of primroses everywhere this spring, even in the lawn, and also on the roadside near Broadoak which made a spectacular photo. [14]

MALCOLM’S BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENT

My late husband was a commercial beekeeper and he had acquired a lot of equipment over the years. Most of it had been living in the garage. We advertised it on the web and quite a lot of it has gone already. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] Since these photos were taken the large honey melter has been sold [21] as has the small extractor [15] and display frame. [16] We think that there is some interest in the smaller honey melter, but we may have to take the feeders [18] and the water heater [17] to a beekeeper’s sale sometime in the future.

PURCOMBE MORNING RAMBLE

[22] Just up the road from Bluntshay there is Coppet Hill, based at Purcombe Farm, Whitchurch Canonicorum, which hosts various courses about the countryside. This event was an early morning photographic ramble over several fields. We walked along one hedgerow and amongst the variety of local species growing there we came across catkins [23] and pussy willow. [24] Further along we came upon a natural pond which had been there for generations supporting a variety of wildlife: ducks, frogs, toads and newts. Foxes, deer, stoats and other wildlife drink from this pond. [25] Later on there was a fairly new hedge, planted with hazel, hawthorn, holly, blackthorn and crabtree. Nationally, during the 1960s and 1970s many hedges were bulldozed out as part of the Government’s scheme to rationalise field sizes and cut down on hedging work. In the last 20 years there has been a definitive move to gradually replace the desecration of the ancient hedges by replanting new hedges with native species. [26]

En route on our circular tour we came across another pond, much bigger than the first one. This had originally been a slurry pit when Purcombe Farm was an intensive dairy farm. Diggers were used to create an island in the middle to attract even more wild life to the area. [27] When we stopped for a breather, it proved to be an ideal spot for a photo shoot of the highest hill in Dorset, this being Lewesdon Hill, [195 ft]. [28] On a section of the route, which was part of the Monarch’s Way, there were numerous daffodils along the banks. It seems that the Romans brought daffodils to England, and one was planted whenever a Roman soldier died. [29] Prior to the use of much artificial fertilizers on the land in the Vale, there used to be daffodils across many fields. Today they are limited to being around the hedgerow verges where the artificial fertilizer did not reach. On our way back to base we passed by a newly planted wood with a variety of saplings including wild cherry, field maple common alder, hornbeam and oak. [30] We rounded off our photographic adventure with a hearty English breakfast at the new study centre.

SNOWMAN DRIVE AND BLACKDOWN

As usual this event drew a huge crowd. [31] Blackdown Village Hall was heaving! This game is exactly the same as a beetle drive except that you draw a snowman instead of a beetle. [32] After we paid our entry fee we were either allocated the colour blue or pink. From then onwards we had to play oppose the same colour [say pink]. If you won a round both pinks would have to move, one to the next highest numbered table and one to the next lowest numbered table. [33] Meanwhile the blues remaining on the table would stay put, ready for the winners from the last round to join them. At half time there was a break for delicious puddings. [34] [35] You could sit at a table for an eternity if you never threw a 6 for a body, or 5 for a head! As you can see from my sheet I only managed to score 87. [36] The top score could be 168, but the top number than night was 128. I was hoping to get the booby prize but the lowest score was 79! There were many children at the Snowman Drive and so age related prizes were allocated as well as adult ones. It was amazing how many children under 12 had high scores!

BIG BREAKFAST AT BROADOAK

[37] These events are as popular as ever, even in small hamlets like Broadoak, where you need to book to make sure that they have ordered enough food for the diners. We were greeted by Pippa at the door [who organises lots of events at Coppet Hill]. [38] George was busy at the other end of the hall making endless toast, [39] and Sue was kept busy with tossing rashers all morning. [40] There was a constant supply of tea and coffee, [41] and the event went off very well. [42]

SYMPOSIUM ON TREES AT WOOTTON FITZPAINE

[43A] This event was organised by the Climate Change & Ecological Emergency Working Party of the Char Valley Parish Council and was chaired by Hilary Joyce.  [43B]

Chris Goode, the Community Ranger for East Devon and Blackdown Hills as well as Mid Devon around Exeter and an area in West Dorset, [44] started the meeting and gave us a history of the Forestry Commission/Forestry England and woodlands in the UK:

• Estimated that 80% of UK was covered by woodland during the post glacial period
• 3800 BC to 40 BC – woodland cover halves to 40% – Neolithic agricultural development caused woodland to decline as land was cleared to grow crops and graze animals
• By 1086 Domesday Book records woodland cover as 15%
• In 1900 UK woodland cover is at just 5% of total land area
• FC was set up in 1919 as WW1 put huge demand on UK’s national timber reserves
• In 2025 the UK is now up to 13% woodland cover, and the FC’s nurseries have grown 7 million new trees
• With the current drive for the green economy the FC are acquiring more land for planting

Charmouth Forest [150.1 hectares] was planted in the early twentieth century because of a national timber shortage.  The Forest covers Wootton Hills, Champernhayes and Wyld Warren.  Most of the area is actively managed to provide timber for local and national businesses, and to improve the quality of the remaining trees.  The area is rich with diverse ecological habitat and is used by otter, dormice, bats, and nightjars as well as other important flora and fauna species.  Buzzard, kestrel and goshawk are known to roost and hunt within the forest areas.

Scots Pine, Beech, Norway spruce were planted in Wyld Warren in 1953. These will be felled and restocked soon.  During 2025 33,000 saplings were planted during 2025 in Charmouth Wood such as Douglas Fir, Redwoods, Japanese Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Scots Pine and Monteray Conifer.

The deer population has increased dramatically and cause major damage with uprooting, and nibbling new saplings, as well as marking older trees and stripping the bark.  Deer have to be strictly managed and the reintroduction of lynx to keep the numbers down has been suggested.  Grey squirrels are another serious problem as they eat and damage the trees.  A current feasibility study is being carried out about reintroducing pine martins to help balance the grey squirrel numbers and revive the red squirrel population.

Chris also mentioned that with changing climate, as a very simplistic starter, we are looking for species from the middle of France or similar from elsewhere in the world [Korea and Japan, North and South America all have promising species to offer]  Ideally we need to do the simplistic ‘lets replace Ash with a single species thinking and instead replace it with a dozen species so we end up with more diverse woodlands.’

Leo Henley-Lock from the National Trust, [45] was the next speaker who gave us an overview of how global warming is affecting our native trees.  The oak is probably somewhat more resilient to drought than other species given it is deeper rooted than some.  But the oak is also under pressure from pest species like oak processionary moth, powdery mildew on leaves  and also acute oak decline.  Stress caused by drought conditions will make all trees more vulnerable to diseases and pathogens irrespective of species.

But it is fair to say that most of our broadleaved tree species, particularly in the south of the country, will be under increased pressure if the predicted temperatures by the end of the century come to pass, and that also temperatures are likely to be rising faster than our native vegetation can adapt.

Therefore, over time it is likely that we will see a change in the distribution and range of tree species.  Local conditions/site aspect will play a part as the trees on the south facing well drained slopes will suffer initially, whilst it may be that trees on north facing slopes will persist for longer.

Lucy Sommers, [a horticulturist and co-producer with Environmentalist Chit Chang] was the last speaker.  They have a 17 acre agro-ecological site: a multi-crop orchard of 2 acres combined with 5-6 acres wildflower meadows and grassland.  Their acreage, near Eype Bridport, is called Cock Crowing Farm.  Like many people now working with plants Lucy and her partner Chit began life in other careers [research and product design] before studying horticulture and permaculture techniques. [46]

In 2020, they came increasingly concerned about the negative impact of climate change on the insect population, on pollination, on the food chain, and ultimately food security.  All compounded by the grain crisis in Ukraine where many will remember bread flour was rationed in several supermarkets.

So, in 2022, rather than heading for retirement, they decided they would try to do a little bit towards helping.  They purchased two previously arable fields in Eype.  They sowed three wildflower meadows from scratch alongside creating a new orchard of what they hope would be trees and shrubs able to resist any surprises that the climate might bring.  Mostly, they have chosen trees which are welcoming of ‘warming temperatures’ whilst able to resist some periods of extreme cold: examples of which are Toona, [Chinese vegetable tree], Chilean guavas, Persimmons and the very delicious Nashi [Asian] pears which they had grown some years ago elsewhere. Other examples are [47] Plum Yew, Blue Sausage Fruit Tree. [48]  They have also planted  700 hedging trees to improve new and existing hedgerows, and 100 specialist nut [including pecans and sweet chestnuts], fruit and some unusual but tasty native trees and shrubs.  The new hedging plants are generally native trees eg hazel, cornus [dogwood], holly, wayfaring tree, blackthorn, hawthorn, and field maple. [49]

At the end of the meeting the general consensus was that within 25 – 50 years we will be planting trees which are native to the Mediterranean area which will cope with hotter climates and droughts.  Native trees like the oak will have disappeared from our landscape for ever.  If there are any oaks they will be species from southern Europe.  Other trees may be more exotic.  Kew Gardens are experimenting now to discover which tropical trees may be suitable for planting in this country.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Pippa Streatfeild, Lucy Sommers, Chris Goode, Catherine Taylor, Jade Mowlem and Hilary Joyce.