A Family Group Walking Holiday in Exmoor
A family group walking holiday in Exmoor – “I refuse to disturb her sleep,” I whisper urgently to my twelve-year-old boy, who stands half-dressed in the shadowy hallway of a Victorian residence. “But Mum, she told us we could visit whenever! I absolutely cannot risk catching Lyme disease,” he pleads with wide eyes. This unexpected scene unfolds during our family group walking holiday in Exmoor, far from the minor tantrums over additional miles or sore feet that I had anticipated. Instead of simple complaints, we find ourselves embarking on a nighttime expedition to one of the guides for tick extraction.
The door swings open and Jill emerges, tweezers in hand. “Spot another one?” she asks brightly, extracting the creature that has embedded itself deep within my son’s chest. Walking back toward our quarters, I experience something reminiscent of those Enid Blyton boarding school novels I devoured as a young reader, carrying that comforting sensation of security and care.
“Have you found another one?” she says cheerily as she whips out the bug that’s buried its head in my son’s torso.
Heritage and Community
Every aspect of this HF Holidays experience, centered at Holnicote House close to Selworthy, transports us into a fragment of British heritage. From morning announcements in the boot room to hula-hooping sessions on the garden before dinner, we might have stepped directly into 1956. This cooperative organization traces its origins to 1913, when Lancashire clergyman Thomas Arthur Leonard established the Holiday Fellowship, creating opportunities for working-class families to enjoy countryside excursions.
Over a century later, that foundational ethos remains intact: shared dining arrangements, scheduled treks, nighttime entertainment, and an atmosphere suggesting everyone has willingly abandoned contemporary existence for several days. I arrived accompanied by my three children—ages ten, twelve, and fourteen—hoping at least one would become a reliable walking companion. After eighteen years of marriage to my husband, whose partial paralysis limits our activities, extended hikes and muddy scrambles belong to my earlier years. This time, I left him behind for four days featuring four distinct walks.
We occupy two rooms equipped with Victorian sash windows and built-in storage, offering simplicity alongside spaciousness. Holnicote House has welcomed HF Holidays guests since 1952, containing thirty-two rooms—fourteen designated for single occupancy—accommodating up to fifty visitors. Approximately forty people join us this particular week.
During the arrival briefing over scones and cream, the children search for peers their age while I notice other solo parents and grandparents alongside several multigenerational family units. Each day presents four walk options ranging from level one, covering roughly three miles, to level four, spanning approximately ten miles with the most challenging elevation gain.
Our family quickly establishes rhythm: ordering packed lunches, attending evening briefings to select tomorrow’s route, participating in scheduled nighttime events. This experience introduces my children to a distinctive form of British character—tea served in the drawing room, snacks wrapped in brown paper, camaraderie and enthusiasm. Though they represent the only mixed-race children present, they seamlessly integrate into the community of returning HF Holidays visitors.
Their presence connects to the mansion’s remarkable past, when it transformed into Britain’s inaugural mixed-race orphanage during World War Two, providing refuge for children born to Black American servicemen and white British mothers during an era marked by considerable social prejudice.
My children’s initial hesitation transforms into genuine excitement as they discover we navigate this journey together, with friends encountered on the lawn also appearing during our walks. Each day spans five to six hours outdoors. The routes prove expertly timed, featuring snack intervals, water breaks, opportunities for climbing trees, and the delightful prospect of ice-cream upon completion. Even my youngest, initially the most reluctant participant, maintains pace and poses questions about botanical specimens.
Our guide Mary, formerly a geography educator, shares her extensive knowledge with engaging enthusiasm, encouraging us to count tree rings for age determination or identify foliage by species. Borrowed binoculars help us spot the white plumage of a buzzard’s underbelly and decipher the identity of a distant cargo vessel navigating the Bristol Channel.
The walks, punctuated by these moments of discovery and connection, create memories that extend far beyond the physical journey through Exmoor’s beautiful landscape.
