Back to top

Hazel, horses and holly

West Exmoor, Barnstaple
Horse-logging, Devon
The exterior of Exmoor Bunkhouse, Lynmouth, Devon
The sitting and dining room at Exmoor Bunkhouse, Lynmouth, Devon
A dormitory at Exmoor Bunkhouse, Lynmouth, Devon
Horse-logging, Devon The exterior of Exmoor Bunkhouse, Lynmouth, Devon The sitting and dining room at Exmoor Bunkhouse, Lynmouth, Devon A dormitory at Exmoor Bunkhouse, Lynmouth, Devon

At-a-glance details

  • Dates13 October 2019 to 19 October 2019
  • Holiday typeTrust
  • AvailabilityPlaces available
  • Activity type Rural skills, Special interest
  • Cost£160
  • Physicality8
  • Holiday code19ATZ266
  • AccommodationExmoor Bunkhouse
View on map

About Hazel, horses and holly

Learn the art of traditional horse-logging.

Our West Exmoor estate incorporates some of the Trust’s largest woodlands in the South West and needs careful management to preserve its unique character and beauty. To ensure that our woodland management is effective, truly sustainable and low impact we are using traditional horse logging techniques. Join our ranger team to learn how this ancient skill translates into up-to-date management and help us coppice hazel, clear holly and check out fungi in the glorious autumn woods.

About the accommodation

A stone-built barn that was converted in the 1970s and is situated on the Watersmeet Estate on the North Devon coast. The bunkhouse provides a warm and comfy place to relax after a hard day’s work. There are two dormitories, a leader’s room and bathroom upstairs plus an additional bathroom downstairs. There is a pleasant garden with picnic benches and a barbecue. If you want to venture a little further, there is a delightful country pub a short walk away. The views of the coast and surrounding countryside are dramatic and spectacular. 

Notes for guests

A standard kit list can be found on our Essential Information page. 

Enquire and book

Call 0344 800 3099

Opening times

Monday to Friday: 9am to 9pm
Saturday: 9am to 7pm
Sunday: 9am to 1pm
We are also open 9am to 5pm on bank holidays.

Email working.holidays@nationaltrust.org.uk

Places nearby

Map

Map Loading...
  • Selected icon Hazel, horses and holly
  • Working Holiday Working holiday
  • National Trust Place icon National Trust place to visit
  • Multiple places icon Multiple places
Looking towards Watersmeet House tea garden, river in forground trees in background

Watersmeet

Dramatic river gorge, ancient woodlands, tea garden and shop in stunning surroundings
The beach at Heddon's Mouth, Devon

Heddon Valley

Towering cliffs, coves and a wooded valley within Exmoor National Park
Early morning on Exmoor's coastline at Bossington Beach

Bossington

A peaceful coastal hamlet on the edge of the Holnicote estate, with distinctive thatched cottages.
Horner Water in Horner Wood

Horner Wood

One of the largest and most beautiful ancient oak woods in Britain, a National nature Reserve nestled on the Holnicote estate.
A view of Arlington Court across the lawn on a summer morning

Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum

Intriguing Regency house and impressive collection of horse-drawn vehicles, set in a picturesque garden
Sunrise at Webber's Post

Webber's Post

A fine lookout on the Holnicote Estate with views over Horner Wood and the wild expanse of moorland stretching up to Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor.

Share this working holiday

Hazel, horses and holly

West Exmoor, Barnstaple
Call 0344 800 3099
Email working.holidays@nationaltrust.org.uk

Similar working holidays

Spring lambs

Fell farm experience

Wasdale, Cumbria
Holiday type: Trust
Activity type: Farming, Rural skills

Find out what life is like on a working farm during lambing season.

Wed 17th April for 7 nights - £170
Checking dormice nesting boxes in Devon

Exmoor charcoal, dormice and red deer

Holnicote Estate, Somerset
Holiday type: Short break
Activity type: Active, Coast and countryside, Survey

Learn traditional woodland skills of charcoal making and coppicing. Take part in the annual dormice survey and join the National Trust's only deer stalker for a fascinating insight into Exmoor's famous red deer.

Mon 23rd September for 4 nights - £180
Charcoal burning

Charcoal and coppicing

Grasmere and Great Langdale, Cumbria
Holiday type: Trust
Activity type: Rural skills, Special interest

Join local rangers in hazel coppicing and small-scale charcoal production.

Sat 12th October for 7 nights - £235