With the start of a new month comes the first signs of a new season. Spring is just around the corner and you can see the first glimpses of warmer weather and brighter colours here in Ottery St Mary.
One of the first signs of spring is the flowers that start budding around the middle of January and into February, such as snowdrops. These delightful flowers usually bloom right at the end of winter into the beginnings of spring and one of the best places in the county to see them is at Escot Park, which is right outside Ottery St Mary.
Escot Park has over 220 acres to explore, aside from the large country house, there are a host of adventure activities onsite for you to enjoy once you’ve indulged in nature. It has been the home of the Kennaway family for generations and features everything from zip lines to nature trails and even an animal park. What could be better than seeing the first glimpses of spring while enjoying one of their popular cream teas with the view of the house in the background?
After your walk around the park, you can get the blood pumping with a visit to the onsite activity centre or animal park, where you can make friends with a host of cute creatures, including otters and bears!
Fancy a trip to Escot Park? You’ll find it just off junction 30 of the M5, on the outskirts of Ottery St Mary and between Exeter and Honiton. From Ottery, just follow the A30, once you’re here there is ample free parking.
Going car free? From Exeter, there are buses towards Honiton that will take you to Ottery St Mary. From here, you can follow the signs to Escot, it’s about 1 mile from the centre of the village.
If you want to travel around the region, after seeing the snowdrops in Ottery, why not make your way over to the nearby town of Sidmouth where you can see the beginnings of the Valley of a Million Bulbs. Every year, millions of bulbs are planted, coating the cliff tops with yellow daffodils – it might be a little early, but you may just see the yellow flowers peeking out.