Notes from a reader who read this article...

I have to say that Journeywoman really encouraged me to take my first oversees trip to England in the fall of 2000, and I absolutely loved it!

On the recommendation made by Yvonne Jeffery Hope, I had an absolutely incredible time at Exmoor Falconry & Animal Farm. Thank you for creating the Journeywoman site which gave me this gift for the rest of my life!

Please accept these tips as my addition to Yvonne's story.

To begin, as a single woman I felt at home at Exmoor Falconry & Animal Farm, right from the start. Everything about the farm had that personal, caring touch, down to a stuffed white duck in the middle of a comfy bed, greeting me at the end of an active day.

I found that one can reach this remote area by public transportation. Trains reach Taunton, a bus travels to Minehead, and finally, another bus from Minehead goes to Allerford. This area is really quite remote, so give yourself plenty of time when getting there by this method.

There is no dinner to be had in Allerford or North Porlock. The nearest restaurants are in Porlock, a little over a mile away. The walk is rural, and I felt pretty safe walking at night by myself. Good eating can be had at a small restaurant called Piggy in the Middle --reservations recommended-- it was way worth the walk.

The Falconry Experience Day is also absolutely worth it. My "hawk walk" was really quite physically challenging, but I loved it! I think the hosts try to gear the experience to the individual's expectations.

Don't miss a visit to the coast there. It's a good walk through the village, and down through the hedgerow. Your view of it is pretty well obscured until the last minute, when it opens to one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen.

Have fun, everybody!