A week in the West Country 6-12 October 2008

Sunday 5^th October

A bit hard to get out of bed this morning but we met up for breakfast with our friends John & Lyn who also stayed at the hotel. The rain was pouring down and it was grey and miserable and the thought of collecting the caravan in the wet and getting it ready for our travels was challenging. In the early afternoon the rain eased and so we said ‘bugger it’ lets do it and so we headed over to the Walton site to collect the van and brought it back to the house. By this time jet lag or late night had kicked in and so we left most of the arrangements for the next morning. An early night was called for.

Monday 6^th October

And still it rained but we got the van organised and left home at around 10 am and headed off on the M3/A303 in the direction of Exeter and Ivybridge. The journey down was fine without to much traffic and we arrived at the main A38 exit for the site and went down these small country lanes to the caravan site. We did meet some opposition coming the opposite way in the shape of Lorries and large vehicles and at one time I thought we would not get through the gap as the left hand side of the caravan was up against the trees growing alongside the road. But we made it and due to a misunderstanding we missed the entrance of the site. This required a turn around which is not easy with a 26 foot van and a 16 foot car but we made it at the entrance to a farmers field, thank god the traffic was light.

The site is not that big and there was only about 8 or 9 caravans and so we pretty much had a choice where to park. We decided that evening to go to the pub across the road for dinner which was very good and by the time we left it was beginning to rain again and the wind was getting stronger.

Overnight the rain increased significantly and the wind at times reached about 40 plus miles per hours and the caravan was moving in the night because of the strong winds.

Tuesday 7^th October

It was a little brighter this morning as we headed of to Salcombe to meet my sister Annette. We spent a short while at the house and then went to the cafe in Salcombe for a light lunch followed by a local ice cream. Later in the day we visited several other caravan sites in the area and decided that the Camping and Caravan Club site near Slapton Sands was the best and we shall try to get there sometime next year.

From there we went on to Dartmouth which although is a pretty town by the sea the shops are mostly for tourists. We a had a Devon cream tea and then headed back to the caravan site where we spent a quiet evening watching the TV . The wind has now stopped and so has the rain and it is supposed to be nice over the next few days.

Wednesday 8^th October

The sun was shining and it was warm although it had been much colder overnight.

Peter and Annette came and collected us and we headed off to Totnes for some shopping and also a mid morning coffee.

Following a walk around town and some time for photos we headed off to Dartington Hall where we had a nice lunch and a walk around the pleasant gardens. This campus is quite large and they hold many conferences there during the year and there is also a Theatre and so this is a popular destination. We have been there before but it is certainly a nice place to visit.

We got back to the site mid afternoon and Jennifer read her book in the sun and Noel did his blogging thing. Tonight we have decided to have a steak for dinner and no doubt spend the evening watching TV or reading and try to forget the current economic challenges which have seen some of our shares drop alarmingly.

We watched the ‘The Big Cat Live’ which was very interesting. But I must comment as follows. During the programme they said at least a dozen times that the programme was coming LIVE …but then it was filled with video that they did earlier? Work that one out.

Thursday 9^th October

We have decided to extend our stay for a further three nights as the weather is fine and the site is very nice. Not as nice as Slapton but we have agreed that it is to much trouble to move.

Anyway, Peter and Annette collected us from the site and we headed of to Dartmoor National Park . The weather was mostly sunny and we stopped in Princeton for a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie. The cafe was full of ‘old folks’ and it just a short distance from the famous prison. I thought they did day trips around the prison but it would appear that they only have accommodation for minimum of six months provided you have committed some offence or other and so we gave this trip a miss.

We then headed in to deepest moor lands and stopped at Badger Creek for some shopping and looked at the turkeys being readied for the Christmas lunch table. There were also rabbits, ducks and a multitude of animals to look at. We had lunch in a pub which was very nice and then we headed back to the caravan site.

Later in the day we drove in to Totnes and found a shop where we could use the internet and check email as our caravan site does not have any Wifi and I don’t have a 3G dongle (that’s what my wife says anyway). We decided to have a Devon cream tea to round of the day and then returned to the site but first stopping to look at another site along the road. This site is called Moor View park and is open all year round and you can see many of the vans are fully winterised and all sites have direct drinking water, waste water outlets and electric hook ups. Some of the sites also have a nice view over the hills.

Back in the caravan I caught up with my Blogging and also getting some photos loaded. As I don’t have easy access to a internet connection I will load all photos etc when I get home this Sunday.

Friday 10^th October

It was a bit grey as we left California Cross to visit Plymouth. We had a pleasant drive through the countryside and arrived at Plymouth around 1100 hrs. We parked and walked to the Barbican and there we took a one hour boat trip around the harbour.

There were not too many Navy vessels, perhaps three submarines and a couple of frigates. Still it was a nice ride and it was good to see Plymouth from the sea.

We found a very good fish and chip restaurant which had been recommended by Peter called ‘Platters’ and I was excellent. We then did a walk around the Barbican and then headed back to the car for a drive up to Plymouth Hoe and then a slow drive back through the countryside to our caravan.

We had a quick pint of beer across the road in the pub to cheer us up after the stock market going bananas and so to bed.

.

Saturday 11^th October

The weather was great as we went to Salcombe and had coffee with Annette and Peter in town and then we went to the Yacht Club for lunch. We purchased some cream for a Devon cream tea and finally left for home around 4pm. We went the long way back as it was such a lovely day. A very nice day indeed particularly as we had a great view over Salcombe Harbour from the Yacht Club

Sunday 12^th October

We got up early and packed the caravan for our journey home. The weather was great with mostly sun on the way home and the temperature was showing 22 degrees centigrade in the car. We arrived home at around 1430 and then started some of the o unpacking but will leave most for tomorrow.

We have enjoyed our 6 nights in the West Country and look to go back there again next year at a similar time.

Saturday 4th October

We have booked to go to the West Country next week on a site called California Cross which is not far from where my sister lives in Salcombe however we are fist going to the 60^th Birthday party of friends who live in Reading. A late night is expected and so the next day will no doubt be slow. The party was great and a big surprise for Roger and well organised by mainly his kids. It was nice to see so many old collegues and friends

We stayed the night at the Madjeski Hotel Reading and this is near where the party is to be

We are finished

Finally, finally we are finished with the house development and delighted with the result,but not the cost.
We have had a number of visitors recently who are very impressed with the finished product and that can make you feel it was all worth while. The cinema room is up and running and has made a big difference to our film viewing habits as the sound is very impressive with the Mordon Short speakers and Onkyo Audio Visual amplifier.
We have also finally cleared out the garage which was the last place to be tidied up and now both cars can reside in their new home for the first time in 14 months.
We are still waiting for the remainder of our new furniture to arrive(two new settees) and hopefully that will be before the end of October before we head of to New Zealand again.
When we were in NZ earlier this year we met some friends and have agreed to take over their house for several months whilst they are on a grand tour of South America.
We are now planning a short trip to Devon to see my sister and husband for a few days and this time we are going to take our caravan. Lets hope the weather stays good and we have booked a 'Camping & Caravan Club Site' near Ivybridge and so we are planning to leave next Monday morning. We had originally though to take the van over to Norther France and explore that area including some of the war graves but time has gone by whilst recent trouble in the Channel Tunnel has caused major hold ups in travel and so we have decided to avoid that until next year.
Our son starts back with the London Ambulance again today which is great as he had to wait many months to get a placing which was a bit frustrating for him.
We shall probably update the blog a bit more often now as we head off to the West Country and also New Zealand via Hong Kong.