New Post by Laura from California

"On my last day on Exmoor, I was told it had been raining consistently
in Exmoor since June. Yet my week on Exmoor (September 8 to 14 2009)
was blessed with so much sunshine, I developed sunburn and had to begin
using sunscreen. (An Exmoor first apparently.) My trip was everything
I could have hoped for: Sightings of Exmoor ponies near the Jubilee hut
and on Dunkery Beacon; a cream tea with the most delectable clotted
cream at The Buttery next door to Lorna Doone Farm; my fantastic cab
driver, Colin Strange, who always watched out for me, as I was alone on
my self-guided trip; Martin and Biddy Bale, the proprietors at Conygar
House, my B&B in Dunster, who fortified me each day with hardy
sandwiches made with Biddy's homegrown tomatoes; a breathtaking walk
along the ridge on Grabbist Hill where the bellowing of red deer stags
was music to my ears; taking in the views of innumerable valleys from
Bat's Castle; encountering more friendly people than I could count, all
relishing the gorgeous weather; waving to cars on the road (even the
little kids in the cars waved); saying hello to everyone I met; great
food every evening at Stags Head Inn in Dunster; being able to spot cars
traveling down the roads of Wales from Selworthy Beacon; walking back
and forth across Tarr steps about ten times on a magical Sunday
afternoon; dropping a coin in a box and trekking through Doone Valley;
chatting with fishermen and birdwatchers near Watersmeet; admiring the
thatched cottages in Selworthy. I really had a fantastic time."