A family walking holiday in Exmoor with HF Holidays, based at Holnicote House near Selworthy, transformed reluctant children into enthusiastic hikers through graded walks, steam train rides, and ice-cream stops. The trip, costing £909 per person for four nights with under-11s free, included full board and daily guided walks.
Night mission for tick removal
On the first night, the author's 12-year-old son woke her to request tick removal from a guide, Jill, who cheerfully used tweezers to extract the bug. The author likened the experience to an Enid Blyton boarding school story, feeling safe and looked after. The HF Holidays trip evoked a sense of stepping into British history, from morning briefings in the boot room to pre-dinner hula-hooping on the lawn.
History of HF Holidays
HF Holidays, a cooperative founded in 1913 by Lancashire pastor Thomas Arthur Leonard, originally aimed to give working people access to countryside walking holidays. Over a century later, the spirit survives with communal dining, organised walks, and evening entertainment. Holnicote House, an HF Holidays property since 1952, has 32 rooms sleeping up to 50 guests. During World War II, the mansion became Britain's first mixed-race orphanage for children born to Black American GIs and white British mothers.
Daily walks and activities
Each day, multi-generational family groups chose from four graded walks, from level one (about 3 miles) to level four (about 10 miles with steep ascent). The author's children, aged 10, 12, and 14, initially resistant, became enthusiastic when they realised friends made on the lawn joined the walks. The five- to six-hour walks included snack stops, paddle stops, tree climbing, and ice-cream at the end. Guide Mary, a former geography teacher, engaged children by counting tree rings and identifying leaves. Walks covered buttercup fields, pine forests, and cliff paths, with highlights including a steam train ride on the West Somerset Railway and a visit to Dunster Castle.
Communal dining and evening entertainment
The author, a solo parent, never felt lonely, with long conversations leading to shared meals. Children sat at "kids tables" at dinner, forcing adults to mingle. Meals included three-course dinners; the author's son loved soups, her eldest salads, and the youngest opted for fish and couscous over the kids' menu. The holiday ended with a live ceilidh band, and the final song sparked reflections on the orphanage's history. The author's son told her on the drive home that he preferred this holiday to any beach holiday, despite the ticks.
Pricing and availability
The next four-night Exmoor Family Walking Adventures are on 17 and 24 August, with discounts of up to £172 per person for Easter, August, and October 2027. Under-11s stay free with a paying adult.
