Coast & Camplight

What did you do this weekend? Oh, I spent most of it standing in a pond. Obviously.
Over the winter and early wet spring, one of our ponds had got very overgrown with grass growing. We wanted to clear it out, but we had tadpoles! What if we inadvertently hoiked the tadpoles out before they could breathe out of the water?
On Saturday though we saw our first tiny frog! (Scroll across for picture - we're very excited!) so we decided project pond was on! Queue a lot of standing in ponds pulling out grass.
Fortunately it was a lovely day, and actually standing around in the cool water watching shallows swoop and dragonflies buzz round wasn't a bad way to spend a sunny Sunday. We even roped our poor friend Richard in with the promise of a lovely pint afterwards 🤣
Maybe a bit more to do, but it's now looking much more pond like (pic 3 for afterwards!).
What did you get up to this sunny weekend?

Baby birds in the bathrooms update!
So if anyone remembers my previous post about the wrens nest in Writers Retreat bathroom, we have news! We definitely have chicks!
Check out this fantastic photo by our lovely guest (and fabulous photographer) .cavill of the parent wren coming in to feed them.
I popped my head in between guests, and you can just about see some little beaks in there (pic 3), but I didn't want to disturb them, so I left them to it.
It doesn't make any difference to your shower as the actual shower is at the other end of the bathroom. You just might have some feathery company popping in and out while you wash 🤣 🐦‍⬛
Loving having our very own in the fields!
BBC Springwatch North York Moors National Park

Here's some thoughts about just taking time. As my mum would say, having a minute.
It's so easy to fall into this culture of always being busy, rushing from one thing to the next. Even here, there's always a hundred things I could and possibly should be doing.
For a bunch of apes who were designed to collect berries and hang out in small groups in caves, this non-stop culture of constant input from the entire world can't be good for us. There's no wonder everyone's mental health is suffering.
So this mental health month, if you can do one thing, try taking some time in nature. Which is exactly what I'm doing right now. Taking a moment at the Outpost sat on a squishy cushion, looking at the view, listening to the birds and not thinking about my to-do list.
I try and notice what plants I can see and what birds I can hear. It doesn't matter if you don't know what they're called, neither do they. Enjoy the feel of the breeze and the sun on your skin. Give yourself permission to just rest for a while.
Escapes from the real world and into nature available here..

The Outpost all disco ready for its first guests of the year!
Some new additions and changes for this year, including better lighting, an undercover outdoor seating area, and these fab chairs from Facebook marketplace.
I will take some more pictures, but right now I'm in need of a sit down and a cold beer!

Evening campfire views..

Tales from the farm.
In exciting news, the dragonflies are back! Check out this beauty, just hanging around on the grass yesterday. She's a female broad bodied chaser according to my book, and isn't she beautiful? And massive! Scroll across for idiot dog for scale.
Elsewhere on the pond the bog bean is flowering, and in the depths the tadpoles are big and getting legs. Honestly, is it just me as an adult who is boggled by the whole process of frogspawn to frog? I think you just accept these things as a child, but as an adult, it seems miraculous.
Elsewhere on the farm, the wildlife is trying its best to take over, with birds nests in all the bathrooms except the Wild Woods now. Perfect blue eggs in Northern Skies yesterday, so I'm afraid if you're coming to see us you may have baby birds for company! We're only seeing one barn owl hunting at a time now, so we're hoping this means the other one is sitting on some eggs.
And in the grass of what was once a grass monoculture everywhere there are buttercups and yesterday I spotted vetch and ladies smock growing within the grass for the first time. Our plan of just letting the place rewild, keeping our nerve and letting nature do its job rather than interfering, seems to be paying off, and the wildflowers are coming back by themselves.
In the hedges, the hawthorn is in full bloom, and the gorse smells wonderfully of coconut, and everywhere there is bird song. This week I heard the first cuckoo! And with the help of the .bird.id app I heard a sedge warbler and a greater whitethroat in the fields for the first time.
Nature is amazing. Go out and just notice some today.

Well, this is just about the sweetest thing ever!
Yesterday in our little egg honesty box, there wasn't quite enough money for the amount of eggs that had gone. To be honest, although we were a bit disappointed, we just chalked it up to experience and one of those things. Today, however, we got this lovely little note, and the £2 we were short!
Thank you Michael, you've more than restored our faith in humanity and really made our day! The egg boxes were really appreciated too 🥰

Behold the Wych elm!
In the hedge at the far boundary of our top field are two glorious Wych elms. Unusual for their size because so many of their kind sadly succumbed to Dutch elm disease.
Elm, like alder, are super tolerant of wet conditions like our farm, which is covered in natural springs, so I wonder in times gone by how many elm there would have been here?
Elm were long associated with magic and the journey to the underworld, possibly because coffins were often made of elm wood, which was soft but very tolerant to water. Despite their mythical associations, the Wych part doesn't refer to actual witches, who were said to shun elm trees, but actually means pliant or supple in old English.
The Wych elms are covered in their keys right now, and they are currently green and fresh and taste delicious. If you are lucky enough to be passing one on your travels today, do give them a try.
One day, I'm going to build some kind of magical camp by the Wych elm, but for today, I'm content to just admire their beauty.
Join me for more tree based ramblings and occasional mentions of glamping 🤣

Who fancies a last minute cheeky discount?
Next weekend we have some last minute availability, and hold on to your hats - the weather forecast looks lovely!!
The buttercups and the bluebells are just coming into their own, so enter BUTTERCUPS when you book to get 10% off your stay.
Look forward to seeing some of you in the fields! Get in quick though now the weather has changed!

Today is May Day or Beltane, the beginning of summer.
Let's face it, it's not felt much like summer is coming, with cold temperatures and rain, and then yesterday it was like someone remembered it was Beltane and turned the heating up!
Yesterday was clear and sunny, and you could feel the land warming up. The birds were singing like mad, and it finally felt like summer might come after all.
Last night, I sat out and watched the sunset and the barn owl hunt for the longest time in the cooling of the day. I can't wait for more summer days of sunshine and campfires and long sunny evenings!
Tonight we'll light a Beltane bonfire, but for now I've just read that Beltane dew is supposed to have magical properties affording you health and beauty for the rest of the year, so I'm off for a quick rub of my face in the grass!
Beltane blessings to you all!

Check out this amazing photo one of our guests snapped last week!
The barn owls are so used to guests these days they almost seem to be posing for photos 🤣🦉

Some of you will know that this is the bathroom at our Writers Retreat camp. But can you spot what's new? Or indeed who?
A bird has made a nest in the corner! Excuse my extremely poor instagram skills, but the yellow circle shows you where. Swipe across for a bit more of a close-up.
We knew that Writers is an ideal spot for birds right on the edge of our ancient woodland, so we put two bird boxes up. Are there birds in either of them? No, there are not.
We really don't want to disturb them, but the question is, would you mind if there were baby birds in your shower?!

Sheep!
And it's a big Coast and Camplight welcome to these ladies this weekend.
Everyone say hello to Celandine, Clover, Chestnut, and Cowslip 👋 these four lovely Hebridean sheep are on loan from our friend Jan to give us a hand keeping the grass down. Who needs a lawnmower when you've got these ladies?
They're hanging out in the top field away from the madness for now, but they do seem very friendly, and its very pleasing to watch them munch away on the grass and docks.
I'm sure there will be more sheep spam to come as we all get to know each other.

Here is the latest in an occasional series of interesting things we have found in a hedge.
Ed has been muttering on for some time now that when he was a kid, there used to be a milk churn stand on the edge of the road near our gate. He didn't remember it being used for milk - years ago, the full milk churns would have been left on these for the milk wagon to come and collect - but when he was small they used to put their bin on it.
We had a quiet day (always dangerous!), so Ed decided he was going to cut back the hedge and see what remained of the stand. It was in a bit of a state (scroll across for before pictures), but with a few extra supports, he's put it back with all its original planks in place. And here it is, with some eggs from our chickens ready for sale! In an old ammo box, obviously..
Please do come and get some eggs if you're local by the way, the ladies are laying in earnest now, and we're a bit egg-tastic!

Happy Gotcha Day to this bat-eared ginger squish! We've had the Ginger Vince for 7 whole years today!
Naughty, opinionated, very demanding (aka the ginger princess!) he's also the kindest friendliest dog you could wish to meet. Perfect campsite dog - if you've been to stay you've probably met him, and if you brought a tennis ball, he probably stole it and ate it. Crumpet thief and current holder of the title of worlds best pub dog.
Here he is with Lenny, who he's trying his best to teach the ropes, and with his big dog Lewis, who taught him everything he knows. You'd be super proud of him Lew.
Massive thanks to Sue from PAWS who knew that he was the dog for us, and let us have him even though we lived on a boat at the time.
Love you beans. Chicken for breakfast and off to the pub later yeah?

Here's a secret.
In the early mornings, while you're still in your holiday bed, the wild women of Whitby come out. Before the crowds, while the town sleeps and the beaches are perfectly empty.
They do yoga on the beach, stretching themselves before the sun and the waves. They swim in the sea, embracing the icy cold and the strength of the ocean. They bring their dogs, who leap and play on the beach.
And before the holidaymakers arrive with their buckets and spades, they are all back home. In their jobs and their lives like nothing has happened. But we all know, and I love being part of it.
It's not quite in full flow yet - it is still early in the year, and today was my first yoga on the beach, tentatively stretching myself in the chill before the spring sunshine and reminding myself of what's to come. 🙏
Happy Seal Yoga

If you need a bit of extra chill when you come and see us, I can't recommend yoga by the sea with the lovely Helen from Happy Seal Yoga highly enough!

Also I get to be her poster girl this week - check me out 🤣🥰

Happy Sunday everyone! Time for another member of our tribe to take centre stage, meet Verity, who’s been with us since 2019. You'll often find her embracing the serene vibes of Thursday early mornings in Sandsend or catching the sunset on Tuesday evenings by the sea in Whitby. When we get to those chilly midwinter days then she brings her zest for outdoor yoga inside to Flowergate Hall. ​​​​​​​​
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In her own words:​​​​​​​​
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‘Yoga by the sea first thing in the morning at Sandsend is just the perfect way to start the day. It's a complete reset - an hour to just take time for me, to listen to the waves, watch the sunrise and let Helen take me through a blissful flow. It's the one time of the week I'm not thinking about anything else, just totally in tune with what I'm doing, I absolutely love it! Oh and it does my dodgy back no end of good as well 😄’​​​​​​​​
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You may also have seen Verity if you’ve joined us for harvest moon or blue moon firelight yoga that we hold on her beautiful off grid glamping site which she runs with partner Ed and the help of dogs Lenny & Vince.​​​​​​​​
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Thanks Verity, for being part of our community!

Find your magic!
One of my favourite things about this place is that everyone finds their own magic here.
This is Polly and Rowan. Their magic this week has been all about adventures in the beck and in the fields, making dens in old caravans, toasting marshmallows over the fire, feeding chickens, and collecting eggs. They got wet and muddy and ran out of clean trousers, and fell in the beck in their pyjamas, and generally had a brilliant time.
Polly's Mums magic was a barn owl encounter at 5am. Watching the owls hunt so close over her camp, not knowing she was there, even sitting on the camp sign while she watched.
Then yesterday we met lots of lovely people from Mana MPWR Events who came for a visit and who are bringing their own brand of magic to the site. Planning beautiful healing retreats in the fields in the summer (give them a follow to find out more).
I'm happy with my own view of the magic - the birds and the trees, the plants, and the beck. The pond and its new life. The very essence of nature returning. But there's nothing I love more than to hear about how other people have experienced and enjoyed this place.
So why not come and see us this summer and find your magic ✨️

Foraged Sunday brunch 😋
I would describe myself as a novice forager at best, but there are a few things around at this time of year that are pretty unmistakable.
In our car park this week, these beauties have popped up - St George's mushrooms. So named because they arrive around St George's day, and they're about the only mushroom out and about at this time of year. We are NOT experts, so we watched lots of clips online before identifying and eating them. They have a mealy smell and like to grow in grassy areas (like our car park!) plus are up super early in the year, unlike anything scary they could be mistaken for.
Teamed them with wild garlic from the woods and eggs from our lovely ex battery hens to make a delicious omelette. Served with a mug of builders tea. Just a k**b of butter and salt and pepper not from the farm, which I find very pleasing.
Picture of the hens enjoying a bit of butternut squash for good measure.
Happy Sunday everyone! What are you up to this weekend?

Here's a story about ancient woodland.
At the bottom of our land, where the fields slope steeply down to the beck, there is a slice of woodland. Where the slope was too steep for the farmers who farmed this land to use, this tiny slice of woodland remained.
Because no humans have been able to use this land, it's not changed for hundreds of years. We know this because it's full of species that are only seen in ancient woodland. At the moment, it is full of wild garlic, wood anemone, dog's mercury, wood sorrel, wild strawberry, and primroses. Soon, the bluebells will join the fray, their sweet scent fighting with heady garlic smell. All under a canopy of ancient oak and ash.
Every year we see something new, and with the help of my super knowledgeable friend Jan Hoyland , I'm learning more and more.
On a fallen oak last week, we counted 7 species growing, including one I'd never seen before. This tiny little flower is known as town hall clock (pic 4) because its flowers face out in four directions, like the four faces of an old fashioned town clock. We've noticed a patch of alpine currant here for the first time this year too.
It is a tiny patch of what once was. A remnant. Only 2.5% of the UKs ancient woodland remains, and we are so lucky to be custodians of this fragment. Go and stand in it and appreciate its magic and beauty. Notice every tiny piece of it. But treat it with the respect it deserves.
The Woodland Trust North York Moors National Park

It seems our guests were not the only ones having fun in the sun yesterday!
We had all our tents full of guests, and yet still these guys are hanging around, happily relaxed in the sun.
It's amazing the wildlife we see here, merrily co-existing with us and our guests. All you need to do is stay still, have some patience, keep watching, and who knows what you'll see!
Thanks as always for the fab photos Nick Hodgson Photography
North York Moors National Park

It's a bank holiday and the sun is shining! Just look at that view over the blue sea 🌊💙😍
To celebrate, we're giving you 10% off any remaining stays in April - just enter the code EASTERBUNNY at checkout to get your discount.
Don't hang around we've got limited spaces available! Come and join us and see the spring unfurling in the fields.

Something that really irks me when I've stayed on other campsites are signs that say: 'keep off the grass' or 'no ball games'. No fun and enjoying yourself, kids!
Surely, part of your purpose if you're a child friendly campsite is to provide access to the outdoors for kids? Places for them to run round and just well, be kids.
Here we have no WiFi and no phone signal, so no phones and no tablets. But what we do have is SPACE! We have fields to run round in, play ball games, any games. We have woods to explore and a beck to paddle in and make dams in. You can climb trees and make dens. We have a pond where you can look for tadpoles and dragonflies. You can watch barn owls, make daisy chains, do cartwheels until you're dizzy.
Later, you can sit by the fire and eat fish and chips, toast marshmallows, tell spooky stories, and watch the stars come out.
I can't promise your kids won't go home muddy or wet, but hopefully, they'll go home with a real taste for outdoor adventures.

Barn owl news! We think the barn owls are checking out our new nest box!
Eds Dad thought he'd seen some owl action by the new box, and then Ed saw them hanging around down there as well, so this morning we went for a nosy. And it seems they've definitely been around - lots of owl poo and pellets directly under the box (really, what has my life come to that I'm so excited about owl poo? 🦉🤣). Actually the great pic Nick Hodgson got the other day is not far at all from this box.
As I understand it, barn owls usually use the same nest and roost once they're settled for the rest of their lives, and we've definitely seen them at the old box this year. So is this one of the babies from last year and we might possibly have two pairs? Or have I just got really choosy owls who'd like a couple of boxes one at either end of the farm? One for the week and the other for weekends? I feel an afternoon with some binoculars is in order!
If you'd like to join me on owl watch, we still have a small amount of Easter availability, and Eds bet of an ice cream if you don't see an owl still stands!
Ps Vince looks thoroughly disgruntled because he's being made to stay on his lead because he's got a sore paw!

Dead hedge building.
Although we are rewilding our site, there are definitely bits round the farm and yard itself that we'd like to keep a bit more tidy. So Ed has been having a big clear up before we get super busy for the season - clearing a big patch of brambles (and the associated farm rubbish which has been hiding underneath since the early 70s!) and tidying up the massive holly hedge which is threatening to take over the driveway.
In the old days, we might have had a big bonfire, but instead, we've built a dead hedge round the bee hives. This is a great way of using garden waste to create a habitat for all kinds of small animals, insects, and birds. It provides a bit of shelter from the wind for our beehives (and hopefully puts any small people off going to look at the bees too closely!). It also rots down slowly, putting the nutrients back into the soil.
Like everything here, it's an ongoing process, so whenever we do more clearing, it can be added to the hedge.
I also read a fascinating post yesterday about why you should talk to bees from (totally worth reading!) so I made sure I told them all about what was going on at the farm while we were hedge building. They were inside because it was raining, so not sure quite what they made of it.. when the sun shines again, I'll maybe get some feedback..

Spring equinox! A point of perfect balance. Night and day are of equal length and in equilibrium. The beginning of Spring.
From this point on, the light beats the dark, the days lengthen, the warmth and the life come back to the land.
Also known as Ostara - named from the goddess Eostre/Ostara and presumably the origin of the name Easter.
In fact it's a damp and foggy day in the North York Moors National Park and I've had to borrow a photo from a week or so ago when I could feel the coming of the spring in every pore as I stood by the pond in the sun watching the tadpoles.
But I'm not letting a bit of damp spoil my happiness at the coming of the spring and the warmth and the light. Ostara blessings all!

What wants to see a barn owl this Easter?
With our breeding pair settled back in the box, and one of last years babies hanging around, it really is quite difficult to leave here without seeing one.
In fact, we're so confident you'll see a barn owl during your stay that Ed is betting you a delicious Beacon Farm Ice Cream that you'll see one!
We now have a freezer in our honesty shop stacked with their delicious ice cream, and (if I've not eaten them first!) you can claim your ice cream when you're on your way home if you haven't seen the owls. You'd rather see a barn owl, though, right?
The very lovely ice cream parlour at Beacon Farm is a walk through the woods from our site, and we'd totally recommend a visit when you stay.
Massive thanks as always to our friend Nick Hodgson for the amazing owl shots!