Our Seasons
Throughout the year, a visit to Hallagenna Cottages can offer many different experiences, as one season moves to another. The moorland and surrounding areas offer an ever changing set of things to see and do.
Spring (Mar - May)
April is the month of Daffodils and Bluebells lining the Cornish hedgerows alongside a wealth of other wild flowers. It is also the month the Pony Trekking season starts at the nearby riding stables.
Enjoy a moorland riding experience on ponies to suit all ages and all capabilities (children 5 years and older).
The wild birds make a welcome return to our courtyard and start building their nests and feeding from our bird tables
Easter signals the opening of the local tourist attractions and beautiful National Trust properties which provides entertainment and a place of interest in all weathers
May is the ideal month to witness on your doorstep, the wild new born foals living naturally on the moor alongside their mothers, together with the spring lambs and baby calves. In addition there is the Padstow May Day festival held on the 1st May (unless it falls on a Sunday, when it’s held on the 2nd), with its historic Obby Oss celebrations. A traditional Cornish Pagan Festival, it is one of the oldest surviving customs in the country and is believed to be an ancient fertility rite marking the coming of summer.
Summer (Jun - Aug)
In June, the foals on the moor are still young but slowly gaining confidence. The Swallows and wild rabbits are becoming bolder and can easily be spotted in our paddocks and courtyard. Delfy Bridge, a peaceful oasis on the adjacent moor, is an ideal place for picnics, as the stream provides an ideal watering hole for the free roaming cattle and ponies and splashing fun for dogs and children. Signs offering you the opportunity to ‘Pick Your Own’ fresh fruit, are displayed in the hedgerows pointing the way to abundant soft fruits ripe for gathering and Cornish villages invite all to their local carnivals.
Farmers watch the weather closely to time the cutting of their cereals and hay during a dry period. Combine harvesters, balers and other harvesting machinery emerge to work at speed to bring the harvest in before it spoils. The first Thursday, Friday and Saturday of June is the annual Royal Cornwall Show at Wadebridge which attracts approximately 120,000 visitors annually. Events include live music, crafts, games, falconry, team displays, riding competitions, judging of various animals, a fair, shops and shows.
Autumn (Sep - Nov)
Autumn sees the months of golden leaves, crashing waves, beautiful sunrises and peaceful beaches in Cornwall. The mild Cornish Autumn is an ideal season to see the breath taking variety of golden brown leaves of the trees. Take a walk through Cardinham woods, Respryn or cycle the Camel Trail starting at Wenford Bridge to view them at their best.
Walk the quiet coastal paths and beaches and observe spectacular unspoilt views of the north Atlantic waves crashing against the rocks. Wild Blackberries are easily found in the hedgerows and are ripe for the picking. The Horse-Chestnut Trees shed their shiny brown conkers encased in their prickly green shells.
Local parish churches hold their harvest festivals to celebrate the bringing in of the crops and the end of harvesting.
November sees the hunting season gaining pace from shooting game and wildfowl to hunting by the ancient sport of falconry.
Winter (Dec - Feb)
Due to the gulf-stream, Cornwall has a milder winter climate than the rest of the UK. Hallagenna Cottages is ever changing during the winter season. Crisp frosty mornings and clean fresh air, with swirling mystical fogs and mists on the adjacent moors together with the cosy traditional Old Inn just down the road with its welcoming large open log fire and great food.
Over the winter period, the horses that live with us are stabled at night and during bad weather providing an ideal opportunity for you to visit the stables and say hello. Following a busy day, return to your own traditional Cornish cottage, with its central heating and cosy log burner and relax.
