Join the National Trust online today

The National Trust is a charity and is completely independent of Government. The Trust relies for income on membership fees, donations and legacies, and revenue raised from commercial operations. It has over 3.6 million members and 55,000 volunteers. More than 14 million people visit its pay for entry properties, while an estimated 50 million visit its open air properties.The National Trust protects and opens to the public over 350 historic houses, gardens and ancient monuments and also looks after forests, woods, fens, beaches, farmland, downs, moorland, islands, archaeological remains, castles, nature reserves, villages - for ever, for everyone. Join online today
Why join the National Trust: Join today from only £39.75 for your first year, and help look after the places you love, whilst enjoying:

• Free entry to over 300 historic houses and gardens
• Free car parking at most Trust properties
• Free entry to the National Trust for Scotland and other partner organisation offers 

 Join today and help protect some of our most beautiful places.

"Don’t just drive. Discover" says the Highways Agency

‘Are we nearly there yet?’ It is the dreaded question which will be heard in cars across the country as the summer holidays get into full swing, and which usually signals the tipping point for tempers. The journey to a holiday destination is often considered the final hurdle between holidaymakers and the break they’ve been looking forward to. But with 37 million people choosing to holiday at home last year, it seems the ‘staycation’ is here to stay. And that means those journeys, on holiday routes at peak times, are set to be even busier. Rather than driving you to distraction, the holiday journey could actually take you on a journey of discovery. England is crammed full of fun, fascinating and beautiful places to visit within easy reach of main roads, so it’s easy to break up your journey and turn it into an adventure. Stopping off en route is also a great way to avoid traffic congestion – and the ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ brigade. Using our simple travel tools you can plan a stop-off either before you set off or en route.

• Visit highways.gov.uk/traffic to check traffic conditions
• Tune into DAB Traffic Radio
• Download the Highways Agency iphone app for live traffic information
• Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/holidayroutes
• Check your route on http://www.transportdirect.info/

And to make sure your adventure is a safe one:

• Ensure your vehicle is serviced and ready for the journey
• Check screen wash and tyre pressures including caravans and trailers
• Don’t overload a roof rack or bike rack. Ensure you firmly secure it
• Sun glare can be hazardous for driving. Take a good pair of sunglasses
• Travel prepared for delays by having an emergency kit including a map, warning triangle, fluorescent jackets, first-aid kit, relevant medication, food, water and warm/waterproof clothing
• Take regular breaks on long journeys

The Highways Agency is responsible for England's motorways and trunk roads on behalf of the Department for Transport. For more summer driving tips please visit http://www.highways.gov.uk/summer 

Mobile Website & iPhone App: You can view our website from your mobile at www.highways.gov.uk/mobile For more information on our iPhone app visit: www.highways.gov.uk/iphone REMEMBER never use your mobile whilst driving.

CLICK HERE to visit the Highways Agency web site 

Landing facilities delay Severn Link service between Ilfracombe and Swansea

Due to the delay in establishing landing facilities and an overnight lay-over berth in Swansea, original plans to commence services for the Severn Link Ferry in the spring of 2010 have now been postponed. Geoff Metcalf, Managing Director of Severn Link said, “This is bitterly disappointing but, unfortunately out of our control. Although both ferries are up and running and have undertaken sea-trials without appropriate landing facilities we clearly cannot operate or be granted a full licence by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Services are set to run between Ilfracombe and Swansea and, following the unprecedented level of interest, planning for further services between Cardiff / Penarth, Ilfracombe and Minehead is well underway. But no services can run until appropriate, MCA approved landing facilities and an overnight lay-over berth, which acts as the company’s official operating point, have been completed at Swansea. Geoff Metcalf said, “The council are working closely with Severn Link to ensure some landing facilities will be available to launch the service, although not exclusively to Severn Link, but as part of their overall development plans. Severn Link would like to thank Swansea City Council for their ongoing support. We have been offered a temporary berth from August, but this is so late in the season, that by the time the MCA have had chance to do their final checks and we’ve run our trials from this point, we will be well into the autumn. So, while it is possible that we may be able to run some limited trial services it is with huge regret that we will have to postpone the full launch until next year.” Assuming that permanent facilities will be made available by early next year, it is therefore likely that both the Swansea-Ilfracombe and other routes will launch at the same time. Geoff continued, “We’ve had a remarkable response from the public and from businesses on both sides of the channel. We would like to thank everyone for their enormous support and enthusiasm and assure you that we are all working as hard as we can to bring even a limited or restricted service to fruition as soon as possible. In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with investors, local authorities and the Welsh Assembly Government to put into place the necessary inshore infrastructure at Swansea and on the other projected routes so we can run a fully comprehensive service in 2011.”

Heating up down Peppercombe.

Spring is busting out all over!  Peppercombe 17th April 2010. Warm, sultry with just a slight breeze, hazy blue sky. Welcome sight of a lone swallow on the Horns Cross telephone wire. On the walk down saw two Peacock butterflies each one settling for a while on the track, soaking up the sunshine. Also saw three bumble bees, one Orange Tip which was too flighty to photograph and  an Orange Tip Butterfly, both a Large White and Small White butterfly, two twittering, flirty coal tits and a Blackbird. The white cotton-wool like fluff high on the coast path is flowering blackthorn which is often mistaken for Hawthorne. Blackthorne always flowers earlier and unlike Hawthorne (May Flower) it flowers before the leaves are formed. Good to see the meadows are now dotted with an abundance of lesser celandine and primroses. Other wild flowers making a first appearance include Greater Stitchwart, Wood Sorrel, Wild Strawberry, Ground Ivy, White Hairy Bitter-cress, Red Campion, Alexander, Daisy, Dandelion, Dog Violets and Daffodils. As usual I took a picture of the first budding Ransom (wild garlic) which will soon be accompanied by hundreds on the banks and beside the trail. In the next couple of weeks their pungent smell will permeate the air.

The North Devon Snow Party's over!

The North Devon’s snow party is finally over. In December 2009 there was a cold snap and snow flurries ensuring the UK enjoyed that elusive White Christmas. At the beginning of January a winter flock of lapwings on the field heralded the start of what was to be the coldest and longest snow spell for years bringing treacherous conditions on the minor roads in North Devon coast and country areas. (The last time we experienced such extreme arctic conditions was when we were snowbound in Croyde in the early eighties, our first ever winter in North Devon.) School children were thrilled to be home building snowmen but it was a testing time for local services and those not able to go out for the duration. Congratulations are due to our rural postman who braved blizzard conditions to keep the Royal Mail coming. This was also a time to keep watch on the local bird population as feeding stations were even more vital. Taking advantage of the nuts and seeds on our garden bird feeder were, in various numbers, robin, chaffinch, greenfinch, pied wagtail, house sparrow, dunnock, blue tit, blackbird, willow tit, great tit, mistle thrush, collared dove, field fare, squabbling starlings and for the first time a stunning bull finch. Rising temperatures and gale force winds on the 15th January marked the end of the winter wonderland. By the 16th January the last traces of the children’s snowmen, built on the 5^th January were washed away by torrential rains. On the 17th January the field became a vital feeding ground for a flock of approximately 30 fieldfare. Ominously by Monday 18th January, the field is visited once again by an ever larger flock of between 141 and 150 lapwings. It will be interesting to see which birds hang around for the Big Garden Bird Watch, the RSPB's biggest event of the year which will be held over the weekend 30 and 31 January and encourages people all over the country to count the birds in their garden for just an hour over this one weekend. It's very simple to take part and provides the RSPB with information and patterns in bird numbers that help them prioritise their conservation work. They are also celebrating Big Garden Birdwatch with a special promotional incentive to join the RSPB - new members joining between 19 January and 31 March can choose a FREE RSPB classic apex nest box (normally £11.99) as their free joining gift. Join the RSPB today

Big Garden Birdwatch Results for 2009. According to the RSPB for the first time in the survey's 30-year history, the long-tailed tit has flown into the Big Garden Birdwatch top ten. This highly sociable species increased by an astonishing 88% from last years count. They believe this pleasant increase is because this insect-eating bird has adapted to feeding on seeds and peanuts at birdtables and from hanging feeders. This result highlights perfectly the positive impact that our feeding and bird care can have on some birds. Record-breaking celebration. Well over half a million people celebrated the 30th year of the Birdwatch, making this the biggest bird survey in the world. A huge increase from humble beginnings in 1979 when just 30,000 children took part. Big Garden Birdwatch 2009 was held on 24 and 25th January 2009.

BIRDS ON TOP: The 2009 garden top ten:

Position Species Average per garden

1 House Sparrow 3.70

2 Starling 3.21

3 Blackbird 2.84

4 Blue tit 2.45

5 Chaffinch 2.01

6 Wood Pigeon 1.85
7 Collared Dove 1.44

8 Great tit 1.40

9 Robin 1.36

10 Long-tailed tit 1.34