Pier Construction in Somerset, England

Nettlecombe Court is located in a secluded valley at the eastern edge of Exmoor National Park and is run as a field studies centre by the Field Studies Council. The house is surrounded by Nettlecombe Park, a 90.4 hectares (223 acres) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is important for its lichen flora. Records suggest there has been wood pasture or parkland on this site for at least 400 years with the oldest standard trees being over 200 years of age.

A boardwalk currently runs around the edge of one of the ponds. We will be involved in building up to 4 piers extending out from the boardwalk to enable safe access for school groups of less able children that visit the field studies centre to experience pond dipping and other water based activities. The pond is only 200 metres away so is just a short walk from the accommodation. There will be scope to tap into the tutors knowledge and teaching on site with a talk on pond ecology during the holiday.

This is a construction project working with timber and in water.

We will be staying in the house itself in dormitory style bedrooms with washbasins in the rooms and male and female bathrooms and showers nearby. Your days will begin with a cooked breakfast and cereals and toast at 8:30 with a packed lunch and cooked evening meal at 18:00, all provided by the staff on site. Outside there are formal walled gardens and access to the rolling hills that surround the house.

Wind down in the drawing room with leather sofas and an open fire place after a days work. Sitting on the edge of Exmoor creates a fantastic chance to explore this National Park. Alternatively the seaside town of Minehead is 30min drive away and the stunning north Devon coast at Porlock and Lynton (the valley of the rocks) is just another 20min along the coast. There are numerous visitor attractions as well such as Exmoor Zoo, Cleeve Abbey, West Somerset Railway and Dunster Castle and many more.