Easter break – Day 2

This bright spring morning we woke to the crowing of roosters and quacking of ducks in the pond in the farmyard of our B & B. Our hostess Heather made us huge English breakfasts of fresh eggs and fruit which we all downed readily. She was amazed at how much James ate!

We took off soon after saying good morning to the horses Paddy and Basil and drove cross-country through the beautiful East Devon and Dorset countryside. We were enchanted by the church at Stockland and, parking the car in the lane, we ventured inside to find the local ladies arranging flowers for tomorrow’s Easter service. The birds were singing in the trees outside and it was just so springy!

We drove in an easterly direction (only partially aided by the Sat Nav) and came to our proposed stop, Eggardon Hill. This iron-age fort was of particular interest to Martin who loves nothing more than to clamber up and explore these ancient sites! James had slept as we ambled through the countryside but was now full of energy again and looking forward to lunch. Must have been the fresh air up there! The defences of the fort were so steep I thought even the sheep must have trouble sometimes. But it was fun to explore and the view from the top was tremendous. We reflected on how many changes these surroundings had seen, but that’s almost impossible to contemplate! We ate our lunch atop the steepest mound we could find although James changed his mind and suddenly decided that he didn’t want the sandwiches on offer and would much rather sulk to get his way. Which he didn’t!

After lunch and a lot of coaxing over mounds and stiles and fences we got back to the car and drove down to the coast. This particular part of England is called the Jurassic Coast for its rich source of fossils and stunning geology. Building sandcastles on the beach at Lyme Regis wasn’t ever going to guarantee a real ‘find’ but it was great fun! James had a ball collecting water and stones to make his fortifications. It had turned into such a summery day that everyone and their dogs were on the beach. We had brought his bucket from home but had to purchase a spade. Inexpensive fun at 45p!

As evening fell we brushed the sand from our feet and drove along the coast through Seaton and Beer to the seaside village of Sidmouth. The lovely light was a photographer’s delight! We ate fish and chips and sausages for dinner on the stones, almost the only ones there apart from our friends the seagulls. James and I then bought Devon ice-creams before he and Daddy went for a clamber over the rocks.

Photos are here.