Hi everyone
We've been to South Devon this month for our Birthday holiday. It has been chilly but sunny and dry so we've made the most of it. It's not usually quite this cold but we has a cold front lurking around us during that week, but we still managed to se what we wanted to and have s good time.
Sorry I haven't been able to add the photos but here's a link to where they live here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/105628058638963280461/SouthDevonOctober2015
Enjoy!
Siobhan xx
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Saturday 10th October
Our journey was quiet and uneventful, we left just after 8am and arrived at Stonehenge at 12noon. We booked a ticket, thankfully we're EH members so it didn't cost us anything. As soon as we arrived we got our tickets, hopped on the shuttlebus and there we were, looking at the stones! We took our time walking around the stones taking photos before we went back to the visitors centre and had lunch.
Last time I was here I was around 16 or 17 I think, and it was just an underpass and a gift shop. Now there's the new visitors centre which is rather nice, with some exhibits and an explanation of how it changed over time and some examples of the type of houses lived in at the time. I think they have put a path running much closer to the stones than what I remember before, so it was nice to be closer!
Lunch in the cafe was soup for me and a salad for Mathew. Plenty of choice on offer however I was annoyed that the Ploughmans, Salmon salad and the Pork pie salad all came with coleslaw and a mayonnaise based potato salad....!
Onward we went to Avonwick where our cottage was, at the end of a farm house we were given a little intro by Marijke and Nigel, the welcome/intro book in the cottage we guessed was written by Nigel with a very opinionated and amusing summary of the local
pubs (the food is middling, sometimes good), shops (I always go in with low expectations and am never disappointed) and garden centre (I can hide in the cafe and have a slice of cake while Marijke wanders around). All in all a very amusing read!
The evening comprised of rugby, Strictly, Doctor Who and Spaghetti Bolognese. Yum!
Last time I was here I was around 16 or 17 I think, and it was just an underpass and a gift shop. Now there's the new visitors centre which is rather nice, with some exhibits and an explanation of how it changed over time and some examples of the type of houses lived in at the time. I think they have put a path running much closer to the stones than what I remember before, so it was nice to be closer!
Lunch in the cafe was soup for me and a salad for Mathew. Plenty of choice on offer however I was annoyed that the Ploughmans, Salmon salad and the Pork pie salad all came with coleslaw and a mayonnaise based potato salad....!
Onward we went to Avonwick where our cottage was, at the end of a farm house we were given a little intro by Marijke and Nigel, the welcome/intro book in the cottage we guessed was written by Nigel with a very opinionated and amusing summary of the local
pubs (the food is middling, sometimes good), shops (I always go in with low expectations and am never disappointed) and garden centre (I can hide in the cafe and have a slice of cake while Marijke wanders around). All in all a very amusing read!
The evening comprised of rugby, Strictly, Doctor Who and Spaghetti Bolognese. Yum!
Sunday 11th October
Today we went to Dartmouth Castle. We made our way to the car park a little way away from the Castle and walked up to Gallants Bower (a fort which defended the Castle during the Civil War) before heading on down towards the Castle. We saw views of Dartmouth Harbour although it was quite overcast. We decided it was a 4 o'clock kind of day today - we woke up and it felt like 4am because it was so dark (it was 6am). Then when we had lunch it seemed like 4pm (it was only just noon!) and then when we had finished for the day it was finally 4pm!
Walking through the woods, we finally arrived at the Castle, took a look at the gun battery and then at the castle itself before a quick look at the Church. Afterward we had lunch in the tearoom next door which I think is the smallest, cutest cafe ever! And they did Redbush Tea - bonus! After I had a Panini and Mathew a crab sandwich, we bought some tiffin each and walked on, via a route which was closer to the coast, back to the car park.
We then went on to Dartmouth and had a little look around, it is rather pretty with some impressive buildings, and some really nice little shopping streets. It is a quirky town and very pleasent to walk around.
We made our way back to the cottage where we were greeted by Ginger, one of the farm cats before going inside. Dinner was a chicken roast followed by sticky toffee pudding...
Walking through the woods, we finally arrived at the Castle, took a look at the gun battery and then at the castle itself before a quick look at the Church. Afterward we had lunch in the tearoom next door which I think is the smallest, cutest cafe ever! And they did Redbush Tea - bonus! After I had a Panini and Mathew a crab sandwich, we bought some tiffin each and walked on, via a route which was closer to the coast, back to the car park.
We then went on to Dartmouth and had a little look around, it is rather pretty with some impressive buildings, and some really nice little shopping streets. It is a quirky town and very pleasent to walk around.
We made our way back to the cottage where we were greeted by Ginger, one of the farm cats before going inside. Dinner was a chicken roast followed by sticky toffee pudding...
Monday 12th October
Mathew's Birthday of course began with the opening of all the presents before breakfast! As we left the cottage we met the small tortie cat which is apparently always hungry. She settled herself under the table on the patio as we left. Today the sun was shining in a clear blue sky and we made our way to Dartmoor. The breeze was chilly all day but there were no clouds so it was nice and warm lower down in sheltered areas.
We first visited Wistman's Wood which is a well known high oakwood. The trees are short and their branches are twisted and windy. The ground is covered in mossy rocks and gives the place a somewhat magical feeling, as if a pixie or elf might appear from around the corner. It was early morning so the sun was shining through at an angle which lit things up nicely. A little difficult to walk around, but definitely worth visiting - the best thing is actually to work your way from the bottom of the wood upward, as its on a slope.
We came out of the wood and continued walking up to nearby Longaford Tor (pretty breezy up top!) followed by Litterford Tors which were lower down but still pretty breezy. We had lunch here watching a lone pony grazing on the moor. The moor itself was dry and the grass short, we had a great view of the moors rolling around us. Onward we went to Grimspound, a Bronze Age settlement on the moors. We climbed nearby Hookney Tor which gave us a great view of the whole of Grimspound from further up.
Afterward we stopped off at a couple of viewpoints before we made our way back to the cottage where we had tea and cake before Mathew made his Birthday Paella followed by Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake...!
We first visited Wistman's Wood which is a well known high oakwood. The trees are short and their branches are twisted and windy. The ground is covered in mossy rocks and gives the place a somewhat magical feeling, as if a pixie or elf might appear from around the corner. It was early morning so the sun was shining through at an angle which lit things up nicely. A little difficult to walk around, but definitely worth visiting - the best thing is actually to work your way from the bottom of the wood upward, as its on a slope.
We came out of the wood and continued walking up to nearby Longaford Tor (pretty breezy up top!) followed by Litterford Tors which were lower down but still pretty breezy. We had lunch here watching a lone pony grazing on the moor. The moor itself was dry and the grass short, we had a great view of the moors rolling around us. Onward we went to Grimspound, a Bronze Age settlement on the moors. We climbed nearby Hookney Tor which gave us a great view of the whole of Grimspound from further up.
Afterward we stopped off at a couple of viewpoints before we made our way back to the cottage where we had tea and cake before Mathew made his Birthday Paella followed by Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake...!
Tuesday 13th October
Today we went to Lydford Gorge and met up with by brother and sister in law, Mark and Maggie. Lydford Gorge is a half way point between where we were staying and Tintagel, where they live. We'd been there before but they hadn't, so it was new to them. The ground is a little precarious so its best to wear walking shoes or boots with good grips on. I also took one of my walking sticks, althought there are some hand rails to hold on to in places. We made our way part way around the Gorge before gthe path took us down. Its aparrently the deepest gorge in the southwest. We enjoyed many views of waterfalls, and the light on the water running along the bottom of the gorge, and the colours of the leaves were pretty good too!
Eventually we made our way out but not before going to see the Devils Cauldron which is slight more precarious to go and see but its definitely worth it! We finished with lunch outside, although it was chilly the sun was out and it was dry enough. We swapped presents, said our goodbyes and left to go back to the cottage.
Eventually we made our way out but not before going to see the Devils Cauldron which is slight more precarious to go and see but its definitely worth it! We finished with lunch outside, although it was chilly the sun was out and it was dry enough. We swapped presents, said our goodbyes and left to go back to the cottage.
Wednesday 14th October
Today we enjoyed pottering around the coast. We began with a walk around Start Point which had a lighthouse. The walk to the lighthouse was a normal main road and we couldn't go into the lighthouse complex. Here, we turned to the hill nearby which hid the coastline - it was a rocky hilly cliffside on which was an official path which took us around the cliff edge contours. It was a little overcast with a dramatic sky but the sun periodically came out. It was nice to walk slowly, take our time and enjoy it properly. We reached the beach where we turned off and headed back to the car.
Onward we went to Prawle Point where we had lunch before exploring. There was a beach here but we were interested inthe rocks - it was very unearthlike terrain with the weathered rocks and we enjoyed exploring the rock pools which contained the strangest looking purple anemones in the smallest spaces! We spent all afternoon wandering around here before heading back to the cottage.
Onward we went to Prawle Point where we had lunch before exploring. There was a beach here but we were interested inthe rocks - it was very unearthlike terrain with the weathered rocks and we enjoyed exploring the rock pools which contained the strangest looking purple anemones in the smallest spaces! We spent all afternoon wandering around here before heading back to the cottage.
Thursday 15th October
My Birthday today! Present opening happened before breakfast of course, and I had decided that I wanted to go to the Golden Hind in Brixham today. I had discovered later on about the Smuggler and Pirate Experience not far away so I thought we'd do that too! Arrrr!
We arrived in Brixham while the weather was still overcast but it wasn't wet! It took me a few minutes to decide what to do first, but we started with The Golden Hind replica which had just opened as we had arrived. Onboard we went and we were greeted by a pirate who told us a few general things about living aboard a ship like this one, before we continued exploring for ourselves. The boat was small, but it was really nice, and the museum was below deck and perfectly atmospheric. Back on deck the pirate was deep in conversation with two other visitors so I didn't disturb him - I wanted to have a photo with him so I though I'd try coming back later.
By the time we had finished the sun had come out and we went across the road to the Smuggles and Pirates Experience. It was short but quite fun, with videos of characters based on real documents discovered from the time of smuggling. The storyline followed a smuggler and his wife, and we had to spot gold coins along the way although I'm not sure we spotted all the pieces of eight...!
Back outside, the sun had come out and so had the tide. We went to a restaurant across from The Golden Hind to have lunch, and afterward I managed to catch the pirate on the boat and have my photo taken with him. I have to say he did an excellent job of multitasking photo posing and answering a question someone had about one of the flags on the boat!
Leaving Brixham, we made our way to Coleorton Fishacre and explored the Gardens. We could have explored the Art Deco style house as well but we were just interested in the gardens. After we had finished in the gardens, we stopped at the cafe for a cream tea and Mathew (not me, amazingly!) managed to get clotted cream all over himself. He got in a right mess and I managed to get my scones looking pretty perfect...!
Bellies full, we went back to the house and went back out again to a pub called The Sloop Inn where we had dinner. I had fish in a creamy sauce and Mathew had the fish pie.
Friday 16th and Saturday 17th October
We started the day at Kents Caverns, almost missing the tour as Mathew had to go back and get his glasses as he realised he was wearing his sunglasses and we were about to go into a cave...! There were just four of us in the group and it was a pretty good, consice tour of the caves with a small museum like exhibit at the end.
Onward we went to Berry Pomeroy Castle where we started with lunch in the Castle Cafe just outside the entrance. Oooh cheesy chips are rather nice on a chilly day..! We explored the castle for a while before returning to the cafe for cake and heading off back to the cottage.
The next day, all packed we managed to go straight home in one go, clear roads and good weather allowed us to get home in time for lunch.
Onward we went to Berry Pomeroy Castle where we started with lunch in the Castle Cafe just outside the entrance. Oooh cheesy chips are rather nice on a chilly day..! We explored the castle for a while before returning to the cafe for cake and heading off back to the cottage.
The next day, all packed we managed to go straight home in one go, clear roads and good weather allowed us to get home in time for lunch.
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