Burnicombe Farm – A wild and unique valley
Burnicombe Farm is an organic hill farm of 110 acres in the Teign Valley in Devon. The farm is wild and remote but is only 8 miles west of Exeter so is easily acessable to the M5, A38 and A30.
The farm is set in it's own private valley and is very special because of it's varied landscape, providing a mosaic of habitats for a huge variety of birds and wildlife - Moorland with a huge granite outcrop known as Heltor on the high ground (pictured left), moving down through lush pasture and wild flower meadows, further down the valley to ancient coppice and woodland by the banks of the fast flowing Teign River. The farm is rich in natural beauty and plant and animal life with many outstanding natural features.
The farm is home to several endangered and protected species most notably the Cirl Bunting whose habitat is confined almost entirely to a very small area of South Devon part of which is Burnicombe Farm.
History
The farm dates back to the 16th century and the stone farm house and farm buildings were built around 1570. However there is evidence of life on the farm from the Stone Age as Mesolithic flints were discovered during archaeological digs in 1864 and 1910. The flints are now held in the British Museum. In recent years the farm was unproductive and fell into disrepair and dereliction.
The farm today
The Evans family bought the farm in 2006. Now, fully converted to organic with the Soil Association the farm is a hive of activity and the farm business is growing steadily. The main business is growing blueberries and other soft fruit. We also grow all our own organic grain and pulses to feed our animals and sell barley, wholecrop barley, hay, silage and haylage - all organic. Our organic livestock includes cattle, goats, pigs, sheep, ducks, geese and chickens. We have stocked our small lake with brown trout.
We have fostered 4 wild Dartmoor ponies from the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust, which we are socialising while they grow - the aim is that they will be sufficiently socialised that they may be backed when they are older.
In 2008, due to its natural features, abundant wild life and ancient history, the farm was accepted onto the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme which is run by Natural England.
Farm Weddings and Catering with Van Rouge
Our organic catering business is called Van Rouge (see drop down menu). We cater for festivals, weddings, film crews, corporate events and private functions serving wholesome, seasonal food from the farm - (see drop down menu). As well as this we make hand made artisan ice cream with our fruit which we use in our catering, sell locally to hotels and gastro pubs and directly to the public from our converted vintage Citeron H vans.
We grow most of the food we use in our catering - including fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat and eggs. Everything is freshly prepared and hand made.
Recreation & Educational Visits - having fun and learning from nature
We host recreational and educational visits to the farm so others can enjoy this magical and fascinating place. We organise various activities including wilderness camping trips, treasure hunts, star gazing walks, wild food cooking and dormouse conservation projects.
WWOOFERS are welcome at Burnicombe April to October. E-mail for details.