Summer Holiday Updates at Wray Valley
As the summer heat intensifies, there’s no better time to seek refuge in the cool embrace of Wray Valley’s temperate rainforest and refreshing stream. Our latest newsletter takes you on a journey through life at Wray Valley, inviting you to unwind and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.
Why not take a few moments catch up on everything that’s been happening at our lovely B&B, Eco-Bothies and Campsite. We’ve been so busy in the last 3 months there has not been time for a newsletter. The next couple of months are just as hectic so this is just a quick one this time. Don’t miss the discount code for the Eco-Bothies.
After a baking April and May, the school holidays arrived at the end of May and it started to rain. The weather forecasters predicted so much doom and gloom for the May bank holiday weekend that we had one group cancel with just under a week to go. As it turned out the weather was nowhere near as bad as predicted, with brilliant sunshine on the Friday when they were due to stay. We even got to have our first pizza evening of the year on the Sunday.
And now just as the summer school holidays are starting the current heatwave has ended and we are back with changeable British weather. But unlike the rest of the country we’ve had no thunderstorms – yet.
The learning point from this is that the weather in the South West of the UK, particularly on the sheltered east side of Dartmoor is very changeable and often not as bad as promised – but the forecast can change dramatically for the better or worse within 24 hours. We don’t mind if you decide at the last minute that its not good enough for you to camp but please let us know so we not sitting here waiting for you! And remember that there are no refunds if you cancel less than 7 days before your arrival.
Happy reading!
Enjoy the Hay Meadow at its Best
The combination of rain and sunshine has really encouraged everything to grow pretty exuberantly here at Wray Valley. The brambles on the riverside path need cutting 3 times a week. The wild flowers in the Hay Meadow are coming to their peak.
In the last newsletter we told you that a couple of pitch locations are changing this year to comply with the planning permission for the campsite as thee original locations were identified as being within the 1:100 year flood zone. The new locations are finally ready to use now the rain has encouraged the grass to grow and we’ve had our first campers on the Nearly Wild Orchard pitch.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the beauty of Wray Valley. Book your stay today and create lasting memories in our enchanting Dartmoor landscape!
Citizen Science
If you’ve been following us on social media you’ll have seen that we’ve been getting involved in some citizen science activities in the last few months. Here’s what we’ve been up to….
Devon Bat Survey
For the last 2 years we have taken part in the Devon Bat Survey and this year was no exception. We signed up on the website and picked the two grid squares on our land. We then booked in to have the bat detector kit for 3 nights on each. One detector was placed near Water Meadow pitch and the other was in a glade at the northern end of Lower Moor Wood.
The combination of the woodland and river mean that we have lots of bats! Its interesting to see the effect that the weather and the month has on numbers and species distribution. Click on the graph to enlarge it.
West Country Rivers Trust: Water Quality
We encourage you to take a dip in the Wray Brook to cool off, so we leapt at the chance to become citizen science volunteers for the West Country Rivers Trust. At least once a month we take a water sample from the bridge over the river and test it for turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids and phosphates. You can see a video of Michelle taking her first sample at the end of June in the heat wave. This is a really good excuse for playing with water on a hot day.
Water Vole Survey
We also signed up to the National Water Vole Monitoring Scheme with the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. This involved walking the length of our bit of the Wray Brook looking for telltale markers for the presence of Water Voles. Unfortunately we didn’t find any but it was a fascinating walk anyway in our waders. No photos as I didn’t want to drop a camera in the river. In science, nil returns are as important as postive recordings.
Big Devon Meadow Count
Did you know that our Hay Meadow is registered on the Moor Meadows map? We are slowly converting it to from an agricultural field used for grazing to a wildflower meadow. This year we took part in the Big Devon Meadow Count being run by Moor Meadows and the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre. Michelle went on a half day training at the inspiring Challocombe farm and came back ready to give it a go. We had to survey 10 random 1 m2 quadrats, primarily looking for a checklist of indicator species but recording others as we went. Our results were submitted online and we are looking forward to getting the feedback.
Big Butterfly Count
Next up is the Big Butterfly Count – we are just waiting for some dry sunny weather. We encourage you to do it too while you are camping here. It runs until 10th August.
Photo Credit: Mervyn Newman, Dartmoor National Park
Stables Eco-Bothies: Discount Code
We’ve had our first few guests in the Stables Eco-Bothies. People seem to love them but they are not getting booked as much as we’d like. So they are now listed on PitchUp and AirBnB.
PitchUp’s rules say we can’t advertise them cheaper on our own website than on theirs so we’ve had to put our price up to include their 15% commission. But, if you use the discount code ECO15 it will bring the price back down to what we want you pay.
Please remember that the Eco-bothies are off-grid with 12V lighting and do not include any bedding or crockery but this is reflected in the price. We had a last minute AirBnB guest who thought they had booked a bargain fully-furnished holiday cottage. They where honest enough to admit they hadn’t read the details!
Combine your stay with delicious breakfast and dinner options served in the B&B. Book your hassle-free, eco-friendly stay today.
Online Bookings: Payment by Stripe
We appreciate your continued support and hope you’ve enjoyed your stays at Wray Valley. If you’ve made a booking recently you’ll have noticed we’ve made some changes to our booking process.
There is now an option to make a card payment using Stripe for the deposit or full amount. While we were initially hesitant to implement this due to transaction and commission fees, we decided to make the change to streamline the booking experience for our guests.
We understand that using a card payment option provides ease, especially for those booking from abroad, and offers an added layer of security. Our preferred method of payment for UK guests remains bank transfer, as it helps us to avoid incurring additional fees. So if you could do this for the balance it would be very much appreciated.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We look forward to welcoming you back to Wray Valley soon!
A Night Under the Stars
Are you a teacher at a local school or a parent of home-educated children? Did you know that The Dartmoor National Park Outreach Vision is that :
- by the age of 11 children will have visited Dartmoor
- by 14 all students will have had at least one residential or camping overnight experience on Dartmoor
- by 18 all students will have had an opportunity to contribute positively through conservation volunteering
Here at Wray Valley we strive to foster a love and understanding for nature and sustainable living, so this makes us an ideal location for educational visits and youth group experiences, catering to all ages and interests. Our site is already a popular choice for Duke of Edinburgh Expedition groups and scout camps, providing an enriching environment to learn and explore. We are well-equipped to accommodate home-educated children’s groups, day visits, overnight camping trips, and various youth organisations.
Recently we hosted a 24-hour camping experience for a group of teenagers from a local SEN school. Activities included simple team building exercises, walks and campfire cookery.
NB: This photo is from a bushcraft event showing similar activities.
We tailor activities to suit your group’s interests and objectives, ensuring a memorable experience that inspires a love for nature and sustainable living. We can run your sessions or simply provide a base for you to hold your own events.
To find out more about hosting your educational visit or youth group event at Wray Valley, please contact us today. we are eager to help you plan an engaging and enriching adventure that your class or group will cherish for years to come.
Coming Up in August
August is festival time in this part of Dartmoor. Kicking off with the Bovey Tracey Carnival starting this Saturday – see the What’s on list below. But the big event this year is the 100th Moretonhampstead Carnival Procession. If you are here on Thursday 21st August make sure you don’t miss out on all the fun, chaos and mayhem!
Whats On Locally
There’s something happening throughout the year so why not plan your stay around a local event. Here’s a few of the regular fixtures to get you started.
Many, but not all, of the links below are on Facebook
- Bovey Tracey Carnival – starts last Saturday in July ending with the parade the following Saturday
- Dartmoor Folk Festival – 8-10 August, South Zeal
- Moretonhampstead Carnival Food Festival – first day of carnival week on 16 August
- Chagford Show, 21 August
- 100th Moreton Carnival – a week of fun with a parade of floats on 21 August
- Manaton Show and Fair – 9 August, traditional village fair
- Lustleigh Show – August Bank Holiday Monday 27 August
- Dartmoor Outdoor Festival – 29 August to 5 September, celebrating community and the best of what Dartmoor has to offer
- Bovey Festival – Food & Drink – tbc normally first Saturday in September
- Widecombe Fair – 9 September (always the second Tuesday)
- Devon Open Studios – 6 – 22 September 2025
- Lustleigh Boxing Day Duck Dash – December 26
Thanks for Reading
As always, thank you for your support and for choosing Wray Valley. We hope to see you soon, creating new memories and celebrating the beauty of Dartmoor together. As we wrap up this edition of our newsletter, we hope that you’ve found it an enjoyable read. We encourage you to share our newsletter with friends who might also appreciate the insights and updates from Wray Valley.
Your support means the world to us. We’d be truly grateful if you could take a moment to like and follow us on social media (@WrayValley) and subscribe to our YouTube Channel. By doing so, you’ll stay connected with our latest news, events, and developments, as well as help others discover the beauty and excitement of Wray Valley.
We wish you a wonderful time ahead, filled with unforgettable adventures, memorable experiences, and precious moments with loved ones. We look forward to sharing more stories and updates with you in the coming months and hopefully seeing you here soon. Until next time!
