The first green adventure of the year comes from East Devon, as intrepid Environmental Coordinator Jon Pressling reports here on the beautiful scenery that awaits visitors to Hemyock, a tranquil village near Collumpton. 

The village of Hemyock near Wellington is a tranquil place tucked away on the edge of the Blackdown Hills. Here you will find a traditional pub, church, post office and mile upon mile of open countryside rolling across the hills. The sort of place where everyone knows your name but where visitors will often just pass by without even realising in matter of seconds. The village itself was where the Cadbury family, of chocolate fame, originated from.

So it may come as a surprise to find over 100 people, in the middle of December, lining up for a race up to the Wellington Monument and back. Foolish, brave, mad - all justified names for us as we stood shivering waiting for the start gun. However on this occasion Mother Nature had got the better of us intrepid competitors as the course was deemed too icy and dangerous to run on. Not to be defeated and having come all this way though we were offered a cross country alternative. This proved to be far more enjoyable though and allowed the opportunity to fully appreciate the breathtaking panoramic views this area had to offer.

Within minutes of climbing out of Hemyock and across several fields it was already worth the effort, even if our aching limbs didn't agree. Although only three miles from the village to the highest point on the Blackdown Hills, it felt so much longer and this was compounded by the fact of carrying half a field on my shoes and legs. Having never really visited this area before, always just passing by on the neighbouring M5, it felt even more special witnessing such spectacular views across both Devon and Somerset. This is what winter days are all about as you feet crunch frost covered leaves as the low laying sun beats down on you from the vibrant blue sky. Days like this are few and far between so you have to make the most of getting out whenever you can.

The Wellington Monument itself stands 53m high and was built to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo. It is now owned by the National Trust with work currently taking place to reclad the monument. There are many routes up to the monument itself, each offering alternative views and during the summer you could picture this place as an ideal picnic spot with plenty of space for children to roam and explore. On a day like this though summer seems such a distant memory although this particular day is the shortest day of the year so the countdown begins.

On following the same route back we must have looked an interesting sight to the locals as we tried our best to stay on two feet through a maze of ice. Survival was the name of the game as we provided great impersonations of Bambi on ice. The incentive of free mulled wine and mince pies only spurred us on to the finish though, where we stood recounting tales of bravery and near misses. Anyone with earshot of the conversations would be forgiven for thinking we were part of a polar adventure and not just back from a gentle country jog.

If this is what the Blackdown Hills has to offer then I will certainly be back for more sooner than expected. The only problem I could foresee is that should I bring a bike next time there will be a constant distraction of all those fantastic views. It is also worth noting that the name Hemyock originates from the British stream name for summer, not so appropriate on this day however.

 The charming village of Hemyock is just one of the many treats that visitors to the South West can enjoy. Blue Chip Holidays has a great selection of properties in the area, why not check out a tranquil break in this beautiful region today?