North Devon June 2011

Devon's Narrow Roads

Our week in Fremington was long awaited and so we were hopeful for some good weather, decent walks in beautiful countryside and possibly even a cycle along the coast. Jane was at pains to emphasise how narrow the lanes are in Devon, with high hedges it makes driving a bit risky and even more so when she walked into the village for the morning paper. As can be seen from the sharpness of her shadow we had some wonderful sunshine, cooled by pleasant sea breezes.

Pannier Markets

We visited Barnstaple on Sunday so that we would see it relatively empty. The Pannier Market is a well preserved area that is full most days with local stall holders selling books, bric-a-brac and other items that you might find at a car boot sale. Like all large towns, Barnstaple has all the usual shops with a significant "out of town" shopping area with a Tesco Extra (no town is complete without at least one), B&Q, Halfords, PC World, etc. There are smaller, specialist shops in the town and a large number of charity shops and this is normal for provincial towns and we felt very much at home here - this is somewhere we could live.

Peregrine Falcons

After purchasing a local walks map we decided to take a walk from Buck Mills up a wooded valley, across farmland and back round via the coastal path. Although it wasn't very sunny it was still warm from the previous day and therefore humidity was very high. At the half way point low cloud started rolling in and it cooled considerably, it was quite strange to see the clouds almost forming before our eyes. As usual with our walks we reached the only pub on the circuit only to find it doesn't open at lunchtime on Mondays. Thankfully Jane had the foresight to bring a packet of crisps and a flapjack bar so we had enough to get us around.
The last two and half miles were along the shoreline. We had a choice of going along the cliff top or walk along the beach provided the tide allowed us to get around. We risked the beach but this wasn't a sandy beach but made up of very large rocks and pebbles that moved as soon as you trod on them - it was tough going. It was all worthwhile because about two thirds along the shore we were accosted by several Peregrine Falcons who didn't like us anywhere near their rocky nesting site. The flew overhead and screeched at us until we had finished taking our photos and moved on.

Shoreline Waterfall

Shortly after the excitement of the Peregrine Falcons we came across a superb waterfall cascading over the edge of the cliff.
It has to be said that by this point our ankles were feeling a little weary after all the wrenching they had experienced for the previous hour. We took a couple of quick photos before heading up through Buck Mills towards the car and then back to the cottage.

Tapeley Gardens

Graham and Sue joined us on Monday and after visiting Bideford we stopped off at Tapeley Park to wander around the gardens and admire the grounds.
The house wasn't open for visitors which was no great loss to us because we're not good at wandering around old inherited houses and trying not to yawn. The gardens proved to be far more interesting.

Graham & Sue

We'd had time to settle into the cottage by the time Graham and Sue arrived on Monday evening. We had read comments in the visitors book referring to "The Cedars" a restaurant on the outskirts of Barnstaple, so for Monday night we thought we would sample their wares. It was a bit of a disaster suffice to say the starter came after the main courses and when Jane's soup arrived she was asked "would you like a spoon with that?" Needless to say we did not return there. They are always good company and are happy to do most things so it was good to wander around the grounds at Tapeley. Here they are sitting overlooking a large pond at the bottom of a steep slope down. Perhaps they were resting before tackling the steep slope back up to the main garden area.

Ice House

The concept of a building where ice is kept all year round is quite alien, particularly on a hot summers day however this igloo shaped, brick built structure would keep ice cold all through the summer months. It would have been quite a walk from the house for the staff to go and stock up for a whiskey on the rocks.
The domed structure is superb.

Highland Cattle

It's always good to see rare breeds on a working farm. There was a group of four or five cattle standing in a group. It made us wonder how they managed not to poke each other's eyes out with those long, cumbersome horns. Graham took some photos of this beast as he will immortalise it in watercolours at some later date.

Broomhill Art Hotel - Sculpture Garden

Another garden visit but so different from Tapeley Park. Here the emphasis was on art and sculptures within several acres of ground.
Walking up from the car park, everywhere you turned there was a sculpture that, like it or not, it was always interesting.

The Lovers

We set off around the gardens being drawn this way and that by a variety of styles and subjects. Of course lovers are always something that attracts every romantics eye and Jane was no exception.

Smooth Figures

Steve liked these smooth figures as it fed his enjoyment of smooth lines and symmetry.

Graffiti Artist

These characters were standing in a future environment, supposedly the third millennium. It was a touch Banksyian in the sense that it was a sculpture of a hoodie spraying onto a wall. The characters were made of a mixture of materials, their clothes were cloth but stiffened with something like resin, with a frame of metal which was rusting and decaying. The whole piece displayed a feeling of decay and disease. Is this what the future holds?

Lundy Island

One of Jane's big desires was to spend a few days on Lundy Island but Steve was always quite sceptical that spending a week on an island 3 miles by 1 mile would not keep them entertained for very long. Jane persuaded him to take the two hour ferry crossing from Ilfracombe to Lundy. Steve has never been seasick but he worries that he will be so he's a reluctant sailor. On the journey over Jane wanted to rush from side to side looking at everything that was going on whereas Steve was happy to have a seat and remain where he was.
Although there wasn't a strong wind it was still quite rough however our sea-legs remained steady.

Lundy Island Redundant Lighthouse

The weather was, once again, wonderful with clear skies and a cooling wind off the sea. Our aim was to get away from the 220 other day visitors who had come across on MS Oldenberg and to head north where we were told there was a chance of seeing some Puffins. This would have been a very big tick in Jane's life. Sadly it wasn't to be as most of the sea birds were nesting on cliff faces a long way from where we could get to. We did reach the north of the island and had a picnic looking out to sea sheltered behind some very large boulders - it was quite idyllic.
We saw a number of butterflies, Wheatears, seagulls, a Peregrine Falcon and various plants but sadly no seals or Puffins. Having rested we made our way back to the dock in plenty of time for the ferry back. We don't know what happens to anyone who is late for the boat because there wasn't another one for two days.

On Yer Bike - Tarka Trail

We'd already found a local cycle hire store but on the day we wanted to cycle it was closed so we drove into Barnstaple and found a really helpful hire shop at the station. The bikes were tourers just like our own bikes and were probably the best bikes we've ever hired.
We set off north towards Ilfracombe even though the chap at the bike shop said it wasn't the best part of the Tarka Trail. We stopped off at Braunton for a pot of tea. This seemed like a very pleasant village and so Jane dived into a couple of Estate Agents to find out if there was any building land available.
From Braunton we continued on but after a couple of miles the cycle track went off road and then stopped completely so we turned around and headed back for lunch in Barnstaple. After lunch at a small tea shop next to the Pannier Market we set off south with the aim of reaching Instow before turning around. The Tarka Trail is a very popular cycle track and is used by dog walkers, walkers and cyclists in almost complete harmony. Like anywhere in life there are always a few awkward customers who are not prepared to compromise and we came across a young woman walking two dogs alongside a woman on a mobility scooter taking up the whole track. Steve drove straight between them trying to prove a point whereas Jane was more polite and stepped off her bike to walk around them, at the same time trying to avoid the stinging nettles.
We stopped at Fremington Quay, as pictured, for another drink before cycling back into Barnstaple and returning our backs. It was an excellent day.
For a map of the route click here... Although the map suggests we only travelled 24 miles we think the GPS on Steve's iPhone lost signal for a time so we probably did nearer to 30 miles. We admit to being a little saddle sore.

The Pig Yard