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.

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