HOME REMEDY: Exmoor

This edition, which has a special West Country section, is close to my heart, because for the last 10 years we have lived on the edge of Exmoor National Park. No two days are the same. From the wild high ground of Exmoor you can see the weather blowing in from the west and with it what’s coming your way, changing hourly. On a clear day you can see across to Wales in the north and Dartmoor in the south.

The sense of wellbeing that nature provides is ‘home remedy’ enough for me. A brisk walk blows away the cobwebs, allowing time to mull over bothersome issues, so by the end all seems right with the world. Or just stopping and taking it all in can be a tonic in itself, put beautifully by Welsh poet WH Davies: A poor life this if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare.

Exmoor is of course home to many physical home remedies, like Rosebay willowherb, elder and the delicate lichen ‘Old Man’s Beard’ – this only thrives in clean unpolluted air. Which, luckily, Exmoor is blessed with.

More on these over the coming weeks. Sof McVeigh: www.thehomemadecompany.com