Contact
us by e-mail
thelinhay@hukeley.co.uk
Telephone
(+44) 1398 331267
All bikes welcome!
The track - by foot or mountain bike
There are trees to
climb, places to hide, and although it is quite steep, there is a track running round the
hill which you can follow on foot for a gentle stroll, or on a mountain bike for an
energetic ride.
The track forms a
500m loop with some quite steep descents and some "drop-offs" for those who like
their off-road cycling to be more challenging!
Pack horse way
Between the
hill and the orchard is an old pack horse track which was used
before the lane past the Linhay was built in 1875.
The track is dug into the hillside
and with spring water running down it there is a microclimate ideal for many plants to
flourish.
The track
is now full of wildlife and plants - ferns, primroses, bluebells,
wild roses, honeysuckle and hedgrow plants and trees. We also
have had a tawny owl living in the trees for part of the year.
Visitors can explore the track - but are advised to bring their
wellies.
Riding past the Linhay
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Around
The Linhay we have 8 acres of fields for our visitors to enjoy.
Traditional cider orchard
In 1995 we replanted 1 acre of the original
orchard that formed part of the farm. Nearly 50 trees were planted, all of them from a
local supplier who specialises in raising tradional cider trees - ones that grow slowly,
but eventually become very large.
We have six different varieties, with names like
Brown Snout and Tom Putt - not like the commercial apple varieties, but the apples that
were used in traditional West Country cider.
We have been getting enough
fruit since 2000 to be able to make some of our own cider in
the Autumn - some years are better than others, but the blossom
is beautiful in the spring.
The hill
Everybody
loves the freedom to explore the hill. It is south facing and
sheltered from the wind so it is a superb place to sit on a
sunny day and enjoy the unspoilt surroundings. Even in winter
it is warm enough to sit outside because of its southerly aspect.
The
hill has a typical Devon selection of trees - oak, ash, hazel,
beech, mountain ash, alder, elm, hawthorne, blackthorn and gorse
bushes.
In
the autumn there are hazel nuts, sloes and blackberries in abundance.
Hazel
flowering in February
The hill
rises about 100m above the Linhay and you get a great view of
the surrounding Devon countryside from the top.
The
hill has been grazed by sheep for the last 10 years and our
alpacas for the last 6years and no fertiliser has been used
on the grass in that time. Because there is no fertiliser used,
we now get a great natural selection of wild flowers and insects
in the spring and summer.
Badgers
live at the top of the hill, buzzards glide around at height
while woodpeckers can easily be seen in all except the winter
months.
Bampton
Hukeley
Farm is just over a mile from Bampton. It is an easy walk or
cycle into the village along a level road. Bampton has shops
selling local produce such as clotted
cream and local meat, and a number of
pubs serving good food.
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