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Congratulations on the new car, Kari!
This is Jeff, of course, once again having to decline the Tuesday night dinner invite. However, this month I am declining from a seat on United's flight 955 from London to San Fran. Isn't that special ;)? Believe it or not, this is relevant to you (all of you, not just Kari). That is because, as I was romping around England trying to escape my everyday working life, I spent three days at Porlock Vale on the West coast of the green isle riding some really nice horses. I am especially sorry that I can not join the dinner to share my experience. Now, I do recall some talk of taking a group holiday in England or Ireland in 2000. This is an unabashed attempt to persuade those interested in signing on to a stay at the Porlock house. Some of you may have already heard this stuff from Laura who was there a few years ago. The property is now owned by a bright and professional couple (Helen & Kim) who were frequent guests until they succumb to the dreamy idea that they could escape their hectic London existence for one of country charm. From the return guests who were staying with me, the place hasn't changed much since the change in ownership. No one seemed to miss the former owners too terribly. The house and grounds were immaculate. The original house and stables were built in the 1930's for the hunt. It sits within the Exmoor National Forest, directly on the coast. My room's view was of the paddocks that bordered the beach. Across the Bristol channel, I could see South Wales - The local saying goes that, 'If you can see South Wales, it is going to rain. If you can't see South Wales, it is already raining'. I had my share of both - I could also see the village of Porlock through the trees. The house is everything you might think of as the stereotypical country English manner. Able to accommodate around 23 people, it is full of dark wood, overstuffed chairs, a fireplace, antique furniture and artwork. The common areas include three large sitting rooms, a dining room and a well-stocked bar. The guest rooms each have their own private bath (The plumbing works! Something that can not be taken for granted in England), Feather duvets, extra pillows, lots of lace and a coffee/tea service. Phones and TV's are also included for those who just can't stand it. The property is about 20 acres. all of it well manicured. Flowering gardens surround the house. In addition to the original stable, there are a number of separate stalls, enough to house over 30 horses. Most of the land is in grass paddocks that also contain the cross country fences/obstacles Any number of courses could be set up with a tremendous variety of challenges and levels of difficulty - The property has been the training facility for several Olympic eventing teams. Also on the property are two indoor riding facilities, allowing for all weather riding. One is larger than a competition dressage arena where jumping classes are taught. The other is about one half the size of a dressage arena and used for flat lessons. The footing seemed good in both. As it sits with in the Exmoor National Forest, hacking in the woods is literally across the road from the house's entrance. Actually, we rode through the local village on several occasions to access the trails. It's not like there is a lot of traffic to negotiate. The Exmoor is made up of rolling land that borders the coast. We followed small roads and trails up heavily wooded ravines to the windswept tops of the moors. When the weather allowed, we had fantastic views of the ocean and the valleys with pastoral scenes of green farms dotted by sheep herds. The hacks always included a wild gallop through the heather. Aside from the grazing sheep, the moors are inhabited by wild ponies and red deer, both of which I saw. Back at the house, the guests are never lacking of energy due to poor nutrition (they might be hung-over, but never hungry). You will find better food and wine in San Francisco's restaurant scene, but the quality and variety of the Porlock house is really quite good. Breakfast consisted of fruits and cereal followed by a hot, traditional English fare. Dinner was a a white-linen, 4 course affair featuring fresh salads, local game and fish and deserts that were, frankly, obscene. They provide a good selection of wines as well. Casual dress is appropriate, however, they do ask that you not wear your breeches to the table. And, that's about as stuffy as it gets. For all the tradition in the house, the owners and staff go out of their way to keep the mood lighthearted and jovial. Unless you've fallen in with the wrong crowd, you are going to have a great time. Have I forgotten to mention the horses and instructors? Oh my. I am sorry to have kept you in suspense ... The horses were great! For us GGPS folks, they are by far better than anything we've ridden lately. For you, "Oh, but of course I have my own horse in Marin" crowd, I don't think you will be disappointed. They are well-schooled, well-cared-for and happy to work. They are Irish and English bred thoroughbreds and warmbloods. I rode a couple of sensitive thoroughbred mares in flat lessons, and an equine version of a Sherman tank on the trails. I didn't see it myself, but apparently this guy was one heck of a jumper. With feet the size of dinner plates, he must land with quite an earth-shaking thud. I mean, this guy was BIG! My only concern about the horses was that (at least the three I rode) they all seemed heavy in the hands. All the horses I saw wore running martingales. It seems to be something common in the training there. Ok, ok, so I'm getting picky. The instructors, were also great. All the guests seemed happy with their lessons. Of the two instructors I had, both were better than what we normally see at GGPS (Will the Marin crowd please loose the smirks), and one was on par with Lisa McCluskey. I was very pleased. It seems that the instructors talk amongst themselves about the students. Several of us had the experience of changing instructors who made comments about our previous lessons. All hacks are led by someone from the stable (for the singers in the group, there is one girl who has some ditty going most of the ride). So my typical day was up at 7:00 to watch the sun rise (In December, it rises all day and never quite gets anywhere) and take a walk. At 8:30, breakfast was served. At 9:30, the first hack went out and the first lessons started. Lunch could be had at the house or a short drive took us to a couple of small villages where we would find the local pub. One has to remember that Guinness, while for strength, is not for enhancing one's riding in the afternoon. The last lessons begin at 3:30. Much to my pleasure, that left about 3 hours before dinner. Plenty of time for a nap, maybe some reading, a hot bath and tea, and then downstairs to sit by the fire and have cocktails with the other guests. Dinner was served at 7:30, followed by coffee and after-dinner drinks, again, by the fire. All-in-all, quite lovely. I am beginning to better understand the why the English so cherish tradition. If you were wealthy, it was a damn fine tradition. There is plenty for non-riders as well. The Exmoor National Forest is just as accessible to hikers as it is to riders. At least two small villages are within 20 minutes walk. With a car, a lot of good touring could be done down the coast towards lands end. If one is low on motivation, hanging around the house would actually make for a fine day or two. And so, I've already told them that I will be bringing a small contingent of ex-colonists next summer. Helen suggested early June, as it is before the heavy tourist season, but late enough that the cross-country courses should be dry for good footing. They do not like to accept groups of more than 8 people, you will need to bring a UK standard certified helmet for all but the flat work, and they have a strict weight limit of 189 pounds (they do turn down guests in excess) for riders. Discuss amongst yourselves. I'm sure we could have a good time somewhere else, but why risk it. Jeff. *******************Internet Email Confidentiality Footer******************* Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliver this message to anyone. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. 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