Visitors on the increase!

Half term is upon us and we are pleased to see so many people enjoying the forest- no matter what the weather is doing!
The Tall Trees Trail, adventure play area and new walking trails are proving particularly popular, and visitor numbers appear to be up on last year so far.
There will be a number of events coming up during the summer so keep an eye on our events page also.

Walk it off walk- Exmoor Walking festival

10 people enjoyed a hearty Dunster breakfast on Friday the 6th May- sampling the best the estate has to offer- care of Nick and Melinda of Townsend Farmhouse B&B (http://www.townsendfarmhouse.co.uk/) before setting off on an 8 mile walk led by Andy Player, Countryside Manager.

The walk took in parts of the estate that visitors don't normally get to, as well as some of the more popular attractions. Views of Exmoor, Dunster and the spectacular west Somerset coastline were enhanced even more by the amazing weather!

The walk was such a success that we will be planning some more Walk it off walks in the future so keep an eye on the events page of the website.

Bluebells- catch them while you still can!

Spring has sprung on the estate, and indeed has been far warmer than we have been used to of late. This has meant some spectacular displays of bluebells, but the bracken is beginning to take over so you will need to hurry if you are to catch them!

The picture was taken today in Withycombe Wood (grid ref ST021415), and shows Bob the dog enjoying the bluebell s there. Withycombe Wood is situated just off the A39, and there is a footpath that bisects the wood, and a circular route that goes round it. Cars can park in Withycombe.

There are some great stands of bluebells all over the estate, and you can see them on most of our woodland trails, so it is not too late to catch them, but hurry as they won't be here for much longer!

Forest Fires and BBQs

Now that spring has sprung and the sun is shining over the Dunster estate it is very tempting to bring a BBQ out into the woods or to make your own fire from bits of deadwood lying in the forest and cook up a few sausages.

As understandable as this is, we ask that you leave the BBQs at home, and to not start fires. It will not have escaped your attention that the hot, dry april has led to extremely dry conditions all over the country, and Dunster is no exception. The huge heath and forest fires raging across the county as I write this demonstrate how little it takes to start a major fire- many of these will have been started by simple BBQs or camp fires.

Forest and heath fires can do great damage to habitats and wildlife, and the costs can spiral into millions of pounds- just from one spark!

By all means bring a picnic, enjoy our walks and the shelter of the woods, and save the BBQ for when you get home!

Forest operations diversions- Hats Wood

The felling operations in Hats Wood have now finished, so the diversions have been removed for now. Please be aware that there will be forestry works ongoing throughout the summer, and details of when and where will be posted shortly. There are no planned closures of trails or footpaths, though there may be some local disruption on some routes due to felling. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Hats Wood Circuit diversion

Due to Forest operations we will need to divert the beginnings of the Hats Wood, Longcombe and Black Hill circuits. Diversions will remain in place until further notice. Apologies for any disruption.

Tall Trees Top Ten!

Following the recent loss of the tall tree at Lake Vyrnwy in Wales, Dunster's tall tree- measured in 2009 as the tallest tree in England- may be even higher in the top ten tallest trees in the UK.

The replacement tall tree that was found at Lake Vyrnwy, and was shown on BBC's Countryfile programme, was measured as being only fractionally higher than the Dunster douglas-fir, which was measred at 60.05m in 2009.

We will be checking with the Tree Register where the Dunster douglas sits in this lofty competition, so watch this space!

To celebrate our tall trees we have installed an all abilities trail in and amongst them and called it the Tall Trees Trail- for more information see our website http://www.dunsterestate.co.uk/dunster_wood.html