"With the world seemingly in meltdown with Coronavirus it’s comforting that the natural rhythm of things is unchanged with regard to our livestock. Currently North Devon has escaped any outbreaks of the virus and the first rays of sunshine continue to contribute to a sense of optimism at the start of our lambing and calving season."

We’re not sure that we can call it a “boys” day any more, or certainly for much longer! Last week saw a repeat of the annual gathering of Will’s friends on his shoot day. A great time was had by all and it was good to see old friendships being renewed and reinforced.

We’re delighted that, following our recent Visit England assessment, Orchard Cottage has been awarded a Gold Award at 5 Star level.

Our other two Cottages The Old Stables and Barn Cottage have maintained their high standards being 5 Star and 4 Star (Gold) respectively.

By far the majority of our shooting guests choose to stay with us to complement their day. What better way to start a shoot day than to relax and unwind in the shootroom the night before the day with a sumptuous dinner provisioned with our own home grown and home reared produce. Many teams choose to stay the night after their day as well when the war stories of their day abound!

A special thanks to all of our beating and picking up team for their hard work leading up to Christmas. Everyone enjoyed a full roast dinner on the last shoot before Christmas and here are the team in their very fetching Christmas jumpers!

The rides are cleared, the birds are fed and the pegs in position for the busy shooting season to come. The cover crops have grown very well this year so at least there’s benefit from the endless rain that we seem to be having currently. We’re looking forward to a busy shoot season with visits from our regular teams from throughout the UK and abroad.