Day 1 - North Devon

With the hectic pace these past weeks we jumped at the opportunity to take a four-day long weekend. We've been talking about visiting the picturesque Devon and Cornwall. To do it justice we knew we needed so spend some time in the region so in the few days leading up to the break Merrilyn researched the area and what accom was available.

The timing isn't great. School holidays have started in earnest this week and most places are heavily booked. But she did manage to find a B&B in North Devon and an Inn in South Devon.

We started at 9am and headed south west for Exmoor Forest in North Devon. Acciessing the region is simply a matter of heading due west on the M4 and then SW on the M5. The traffic was flowing so we arrived in Minehead at lunch time.

Our first stop was the Tourist Information Centre. These are well worth a vist as the local staff usually have good pointers on local sightseeing. This one was no exception. Minehead is on the coast with a bluff on the northern edge. We got advice to travel to the north cliff and from there walk to a small village called Selworthy. Sounds great.

Before that we visited the local supermarket and picked up some sandwiches. Here's a tip - you can often buy good quality sandwiches very cheaply at Safeway equivalents. For about 10GBP we had sandwiches, a paper (for later!), drinks, some fruit, and an icy pole for James.

We decided to have lunch on the beach. The beach at Minehead is pretty much your standard Englich beach. A little sand (that's a bonus), pebbles, and due to a hugh tidal variation, a silty sludge for about 50 metres. As soon as James saw this he exclaimed "That's not a beach. There's no sand. And there's no water"! Priceless.

The day was heating up so after lunch we decided to explore the rocks and the sand. It was a slow 30 minute amble to the water's edge. We had to stop off at all the little things that took James' interest.

When we finally reached the water's edge we were filthy. The sand is a sort of sludge and our feet and clothes were black! I took a panaroma which you can see on flickr here.

We drove up to the North Cliff which is covered with flowering gorse and heath. Seeing the small signpost to Selworthy we pulled over. The route to the village is along a creek that winds from the cliff top through the forest with tall tree providing welcome shade from the hot
day. James wasn't in the mood to walk too far so it was up on my shoulders for a ride. After a pleasant 15 minutes walks downhill we arrived at the spectacular village. The National Trust has a large landholding in Exmoor and keep the houses in top nick. We just had to stop at the tea room for some scones, clotted cream, and tea. (Mama - we thought of you. You would have loved it!) It was a joy to wander the gardens and take lots of photos. The township is perched on a valley wall and there are views over the roof tops to the Exmoor Forest. I guess the only hitch with the walk down was getting back up to the car. Probably wothwile exercise given the afternoon tea we'd consumed!

It was about 5pm when we returned to the car and we knew the B&B we were staying at was only about 30 minutes away. So we quickly decided to explore the northern coast a little more and arrive at the accom after dinner.

So our next stop was Lynmouth. Along the way we journied high on the cliff tops and saw some wonderful coastline. I guess we hit Lynmouth about 6:30 and the evening light cast its orange hue. The village is sited on an inlet and framed by Foreland Point. Due to the tidal variation we found fishing vessels sitting on the river bed. James thought it was funny. We even say a fisherman drive his truck up to the side of his boat. Easy access when the tide is out. You'd want to remember to drive it away!

Lynmouth is also home to a cliff (funicular) railway. Its a facinating contraption and we know Papa will be interested to read some details. There's a wikipedia entry here.

From Lynmouth we drove to Combe Martin. Until this stretch of road we'd basicllay been driving on single carriage roads winding with large hedge rows on either side. Occasionally the tree canopies would join overhead to form gorgeous green tunnels. On this stretch however the road narrowed to a really only a single car through. There are frequent pull over areas to allow vehicles to pass but you do have to be very cautious. And winding through the villages you come across old houses that cause the road to narrow even further. Some even have posts out front in an attempt to prevent cars driving through the lounge room!

From Combe Martin we left the coast and circled back through Exmoor Forest to our B&B, Cutthorne, just out of Luckwell Bridge. Its a beautiful old farm. Apparently there has been a farmhouse on the site since the 16th century. We parked our car in the courtyard (still originally sighted). The "modern" farmhouse is 250 years old. Our room was on the top floor and overlooked a barn and fields full of sheep. Apparently this is same view as the original house would have enjoyed. Arriving upstairs at about 8:30pm we found the windows flung open and a cool breeze coming in. There was an antique four-poster and James' bed was set up by the fireplace. The room had its own ensuite and plenty of charm.

Before bath we headed to the barn. This is newly constructed using traditional methods and where the original stables were located. James was excited at seeing his first real barn. Inside were some hay bales he just had to climb. There was also an owl nesting box in the rafters. After picking up small pine cones "too put in my fireplace", saying hello to the sheep, and making friends with the cat we all had bath and James was off to bed. I finished the day reading the paper in the the bath. Now thats a luxury I haven't enjoyed in a long time!

Our Devon photos are here.