Our apiary is in Buckfast, Devon, close to the Abbey on the southern slopes of the Dartmoor National Park.
Surrounding the apiary are gardens, orchards, ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and heather moorland. It is this diverse mixture of flora which gives our honey its golden colour and floral taste.
Here are just a few of the flowers, shrubs and trees our bees will visit each year. In early spring; snowdrop, crocus, wood anemone, willow and blackthorn. In spring; bluebell, apple, hawthorn, plum, holly and beech. In summer; field poppy, dandelion, blackberry, clover, honeysuckle and cornflower. In late summer/autumn; Michaelmas daisy, sedum, thistle, evening primrose, heather. Each has a different coloured pollen and so you can watch the bees returning to their hives and see where they have been!
The name “Buckfast” means “stronghold” – traditionally a place where deer and buck were held. It is said that the deer were drawn to graze in the sheltered meadows along the banks of the river Dart. Meadows and pasture, bounded by Devon hedges, still exist beside the leat, and the brooks which feed the Dart – a haven for native plants and wildlife. Beyond the meadows lies Hembury woods – a Lichen-clad, ancient oak woodland. In the spring Bluebells, Wild Daffodil and Wood Anemone carpet the floor of the woods. There is also Gorse and Bell Heather. This variety of habitats supports a rich mix of wildlife.
google536125d3d0694a9c-1.html