Friday 5th August 2011 – London to Dunsford

Up at 5am this morning, packed and ready to go when the taxi arrived at 5:45.  It was just big enough for the 4 of us and all our luggage - a 7 seater van.  He was a nice man and was happy to take us via Abbey Road so that we could get a photo of the four of us walking across the crossing.  Also took as via “little Venice” where people are living in their canalboats along the canals – canalboats everywhere.

Four of us this  time

We arrived at Paddington station in plenty of time for coffee and something for breakfast before leaving at 7.06 (on the dot).  The train travelled pretty quickly (at one stage 180 kph) mostly around 150 kph.

 

At Exeter (9.20am) we were met by Roger.  Roger and Shirley own the house in Dunsford that Jennie and Richard have arranged the house exchange with.  They are leaving for Australia later in the day and kindly volunteered to pick us up from Exeter (7 miles away).  Roger had Brian with him and Brian, generously, took our luggage back to Dunsford while Roger gave us a guided tour of Exeter.  There will be certainly a lot to explore in this neck of the woods.  While all this was happening Shirley was at home preparing a delicious lunch which we all ate a bit later in the Conservatory.  The house looks out over the fields (part of Dartmoor National Park) – a lovely spot.

Lunch with Shirley & Roger

The Begonias are amazing

Richard and I took Roger and Shirley to Exeter about 1:30 so that they could catch the train and plane to Australia.  We called in to Sainsbury to get a few groceries before returning to Dunsford where we all had a read and a nap (some longer than others).  Roger and Shirley said there was a fish and chip van at the end of the street on Friday afternoons which we thought was a good idea.  Went to the corner at 6:30pm and waited with another lady.  After ½ an hour our companion decided that they must be having a break this week so instead, we headed off to Bridford to the Inn.  The smoked haddock was excellent.

Back to Dunsford for a lazy evening before retiring to a real bed in a real bedroom.

Saturday 6th August 2011 – Dunsford (Dunsford Wood)

We had quite a slow start to the day - just enjoying Roger and Shirley’s home and the view out the back across the fields.  Eventually went for a walk around the village – checked out the Post Office/store and the Walled Garden Tearooms for future reference.

Dunsford is a lovely village on the hill above the Teign River.  It contains many dwellings of whitewashed cob and hatch and some 16-17th century granite buildings.

Cob House - Dunsford

Cob is a semi-wet mix of stiff clay and chopped straw.  Walls were made vertical by the eye of the waller – often giving a characteristic and pleasing irregularity.  Apparently, the walls can vary in thickness between 1-2 metres.  Thatch roofs were and still are the natural covering of many of the houses.

Dunsford

Cob is a semi-wet mix of stiff clay and chopped straw.  Walls were made vertical by the eye of the waller – often giving a characteristic and pleasing irregularity.  Apparently, the walls can vary in thickness between 1-2 metres.  Thatch roofs were and still are the natural covering of many of the houses.

The parish church of St Mary dominates the village, with the present building dating from the 14th-15th century.  The bells are often rung and can be heard from Roger and Shirley’s.

Back to have Shirley’s delicious 'left over' salad and ham from yesterday.  We ate out in the pergola as the weather is quite warm again today.

Jill went to bed for a rest while Jennie, Richard and I went for a walk in Dunsford Wood (part of Dartmoor National Park).  Started at Steps Bridge (granite bridge built in 1816) then along beside the Teign River.  The wood was mainly Beech and Oak trees with quite a lot of holly and blackberry as an understory.  No blackberries ripe yet but there should be plenty in a few weeks.  Didn’t see any animals apart from some small fish in the river.  It was a very pleasant walk and took about 2 hours up and back.

Dunsford Wood

Steps Bridge

Dunsford Wood and the Teign River

Got back to find Jill watering the garden – a raised vegetable patch and lots of flowers in pots – very pretty.

Dinner was a barbecue chicken and the remainder of the salad/potatoes and some 'left over' cheesecake - all yummy.

Sunday 7th August 2011 – Dunsford (Moretonhampstead & Lustleigh)

Woke earlier this morning and Jill and I went for a walk to the top of the village and back via the public footpath through the fields to the main road.  Saw a pheasant who was rather startled to see us.

Skyped Bradley, Christine, Aylee and Nate – Aylee played us a tune on the piano; Nate quite chatty.  Also Skyped Damian, Sarah and Christopher - Christopher busy having his dinner.

Headed off for a drive just before lunch.  First to Moretonhampstead about 6 miles away.  Moretonhampstead is a busy little village that began as a small Saxon settlement around A.D. 700.  It is notable for having the longest one-word name of any place in England.  Lots of old buildings were built of stone (one, Almshouses, was built in 1637 and still looked in pretty good condition).   

Downtown Moretonhampstead

The Dancing Tree

Almshouses 1637

Also saw the very interesting Dancing Tree (Cross Tree) which is growing on a granite walled plinth.  The old elm (that the current tree replaced in 1903) had its branches pollarded to give a punch bowl shape so that it could  support a wooden platform.  Musicians played from this platform while people danced in the streets below (and sometimes on the platform).  None of that there now, just the tree.

National Parks in England are quite different to those in Australia.  People live and work within the national park and the farms, villages and towns are protected along with the landscape and wildlife – obviously a bit different to the way they are managed in Australia.

Dartmoor National Park is an area of moorland covering 954 square kilometres (although the area around its edges and in Dunsford is not actually moorland – mainly woodland and farmland.)  The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The highest point is High Willhays, 621 m (2,037 ft) above sea level. The entire area is rich in antiquities and archaeology.  We plan to do some exploring of the national park over the next few weeks.

From Moretonhampstead, we drove on to Lustleigh to have lunch at the Cleave Public House, a lovely old pub that had been recommended by Roger.  Went for a walk in the village and saw many more thatched roofed stone house (granite stone) some built in the early 1600s.  We looked for an alternative route back to the pub but ended up in a nature reserve on the wrong side of the creek – a nice little adventure.

Cleave Public House, Lustleigh

Thatched stone cottages, Lustleigh

On to Bovey Tracey.  Was now 5 o’clock and most things were closed (more so because it was Sunday) but from what we saw it is a town we need to return to.  Back to Dunsford along the Teign valley.

Monday 8th August – Dunsford (Exeter)

Most of us had a lazy morning this morning.  Jennie went to Pilates in the local hall.  Jill wasn’t up to it – a bit bronchial at the moment.

When she got back we drove to Exeter.  Had coffee in the outdoors (in the sunshine) then went to the information centre to get some information on Wales where we intend to visit prior to the week on the canal boat at Stoke-On-Trent.  Also went to the car hire place to organise a car for the above but found that it was cheaper to book on the internet.

Had lunch at the Quays at a pub overlooking the water and pottered around a little in the crafty shops.  Crossed the river in a hand-pulled ferry which was quite cute and had an ice cream/sorbet before returning to Dunsford via Sainsbury (to stock up on groceries).  Jill started a course of antibiotics to try to get on top of her bronchitis.

Exeter Quays

The birdlife was very friendly

A tributary of the Exe River

The Butt 'hand powered' Ferry

After dinner, we turned on the TV for the first time since we’ve been here to see the riots in western London.  It’s all a bit scary.  We picked up and dropped off the motorhome, not too far from Tottenham where the rioting started.

Booked a car to drive to Wales and to Stoke-On-Trent and another a week later (after our canal boat booking) from Stoke-On-Trent back to Exeter.

Tuesday 9th August (Golf at Teign Valley)

Jill had a day lazing around the house today (sleeping mostly she says).  

Richard and I dropped Jennie off in Bovey Tracey for some sightseeing and headed for Teign Valley Golf Course for 18 holes.  The forecast for today was sunny so today was the day.  Actually, all the days have been very pleasant.  While rain had been forecast over the last couple of days it has only been in short showers.  

Teign Valley Golf Club

The course at Teign Valley was very interesting.  Most holes are above the road and the area is quite undulating.  Another situation of having to hit your ball well up the hill so that it rolls into the middle of the fairway.  Lots of 'hidden' bunkers to catch you out as well (me more than Richard). The few holes on the flat below the road are nowhere near as exciting.  We were pretty worn out by the end and our weariness showed on the declining scorecard as the day went along.

Another beautiful sunny day in Dunsford

We had a quick bite to eat and then picked Jennie up before returning to Dunsford.  Jennie and Richard then headed off to see the ‘Pirates of Penzance’, an open-air show by the same company that did the performance of ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ when we were in Banchory.  Jill and I had a quiet evening ‘at home’. Jill says that she did lots of reading while we were away.  Read ‘Life Skills’ by Katie Fforde, a novel about canal boats – good background reading for our week on the canals at the end of the month.  She can be our expert! 

Wednesday 10th August 2011 – Dunsford (Exmouth, Teignmouth & Torquay)

Drove to Exmouth this morning around 9:30.  Exmouth is at the mouth of the River Exe (as you might imagine), south of Exeter.  It is a busy holiday town and is known as the oldest holiday resort in Devon, establishing itself in the 18th century when the English were unable to travel to Europe as a result of the French Revolution. When the railway line reached Exmouth in 1861 mass tourism was born.  The tide was out while we were there - very extensive brown sand flats.  People were using all this space to walk dogs, cycle & fly kites - even saw a car parked on the sand.  There were lots of boats sitting high and dry waiting to be refloated on the incoming tide.

Tide's out at Exmouth

2 mile beach, Exmouth

We walked around the walkway to the mouth of the Exe River (lots of new holiday accommodation being built) and then to 2 mile beach which the locals appear to be rather proud of.  Lots of people were making the most of the sunny weather.  You could hire deck chairs and windbreakers (stripy plastic-type tarp fabric attached to wooden posts - like tomato stakes only fancier/smoother).  You hammer the stakes into the sand to make a windbreak then lay behind it to soak up the sun.  They’re quite popular. Lots of carnival activities along the waterfront.

From Exmouth we drove around to the southern bank of the Exe, to Exminister,  where we parked the car and walked a kilometre or so along the bank to the Turf Hotel for lunch.  It could only be reached by foot, bicycle or boat and we accessed it by walking across a lock wall.  Enjoyed a Monk Fish dinner sitting in the sun.

The Turf Hotel

Back to the car and on the road through Dawlish and on to Teignmouth and Shaldon.  Stopped off at a park at Shaldon (Shaldon on the south and Teignmouth on the north of the mouth of the River Teign.  ‘Twas a pretty little spot.  While we were there quite a large ship came into the river to tie up at Teignmouth.  It was hard to believe that the river would be deep enough.

Teignmouth

From Sheldon, it was on to Torquay.  Was getting late at this stage so it was only a drive through before heading back to Dunsford.

Thursday 11th August 2011 – Dunsford (Castle Drogo & Finch Foundry)

This morning we drove to Castle Drogo, a country house near Drewsteignton, the last castle to be built in England and probably the last private house in the country to be built entirely of granite. It was built by Julius Drewe (businessman and founder of the ‘Home and Colonial Stores’) and his wife Frances, to the design of architect Edwin Lutyens and commenced in 1911.  The castle took many years to complete, with the First World War and the economic downturn causing many delays. Castle Drogo was finally completed in 1930, considerably reduced in scale from Lutyens's 1911 designs, and only a year before Julius died.

The building was gifted to the National Trust in 1974, although the family still has one wing for their use.  

Castle Drogo

The Dining Room - Castle Drogo

We were all very impressed with the whole operation. There is no doubt that the National Trust does a better job than many of the commercial tourist operators (and free entry with National Trust membership).  Maybe it’s because of the extra staff (volunteers) and the fact that they are there because they love what they do.  The original furniture and fittings were still in the house and included furniture that the Drewe’s had acquired prior to moving to the castle.  Apparently, Drewe made his fortune in tea in India and retired to Torquay at 33 years of age before building Drogo.  Venetian chandeliers and glassware were particularly impressive.

The formal garden - Castle Drogo

The fact that it was built in the 20th century also meant that it had all the ‘mod cons’.  Hot and cold water, electricity (from water turbines on the river which also provided street lighting and hotel lighting in the nearby village of Drewsteignton), telephone switchboard etc.  The castle also had some great children’s equipment – a rocker, push toy (like a tricycle with a handle for an adult to push), doll’s house (with electricity and running water).  Another impressive thing about the castle (I guess reflecting the time it was built) was the working facilities for servants - much improved on anything we have seen to date.  The grounds were also quite spectacular – great views over the valley and an extensive formal garden and a circular croquet lawn.  We took a picnic lunch and ate it in the grounds.

From there we drove on to Sticklepath to another National Trust building, the Finch Foundry with its 19th century water-powered forge.   

The Water Wheel - Finch Foundry

The foundry was active until 1960 and was originally used to produce agricultural and mining hand tools.  It contains examples of a tilt hammer, drop hammer, and shear hammer all powered by the water wheels.  There were volunteers (presume they were volunteers) there to show us how the equipment worked - another impressive site.

The workshop - Finch Foundry

Back to Dunsford via Moretonhampstead where we picked up a few bits and pieces at the supermarket.  After dinner it was planning time for a couple days in Cornwall from tomorrow.

Friday 12th August – Cornwall

We were up fairly early this morning as last night we booked tickets for a show at the Minack Theatre just south of Penzance at 2pm.  It was raining as we left so our fingers were crossed that it would be fine for the outdoor show.

We headed north from Dunsford and onto the A30.  It was great to be on an expressway after a few days of country roads.  Have I mentioned the roads!!!  Most of the secondary roads are very narrow – one lane, with hedges up each side.  There are passing spots occasionally but there are quite a few times when you meet someone coming the other way that someone has to back up.  That’s the way it is and everyone appears to take it in their stride.  Anyhow as I said it was great to be able to travel on an expressway for a change.  We were on the expressway for about an hour forty-five (travelled from Devon into Cornwall) before pulling off at Redruth an old tin mining town to check in to our accommodation for the night.  We had had an impossible task of trying to find accommodation (school holidays) and had ended up booking the Crossroads Inn.  Reports had said it was a bit 60ish and ‘rough around the edges but was ‘friendly’ and had a good breakfast.  We weren’t too optimistic when we first saw it – the outside certainly looked as if it needed some TLC but fortunately, it turned out to be a case of not ‘judging a book by its cover’ – as we discovered later in the day, the room was clean, and cooked breakfast the next morning was fine.  Was speaking to the owner (lady) and she had been there since the 60s and had just sold the building to be used as a centre for dementia sufferers.

St Michael's Mount

For now, we have a 2pm appointment, so after coffee in Redruth (amazingly the coffee shop was selling Byron Bay cookies - small world!!) we drove on to Porthcurno via Penzance arriving in plenty of time for our show at the Minack.  Just before Penzance, we could see St Michael’s Mount in the distance but as it was still raining our chances of getting out there today were not good.  Fortunately, the weather cleared as we arrived at the theatre and remained so until the end of the show except for a short light shower at interval.  The Minack is amazing.  It is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea (minack from Cornish meynek means a stony or rocky place).   The theatre was the brainchild of Rowena Cade, who lived at Minack House overlooking Porthcurno Bay and developed from her offering her garden for a production of The Tempest in the early 1930s.

Minack Theatre

Nowadays, the theatre is used from June to September for a full summer season of plays, produced by companies from all over the UK and visiting companies from the USA.  We watched a performance of Thieves’ Carnival, a production performed by a visiting theatre group from Kent.  It was very well done and very enjoyable.  Sitting on the side of a cliff above the stage looking out to sea was quite amazing.

'Thieves' Carnival' at Minack Theatre

As we headed back towards Penzance the rain set in again.  Stopped briefly at Penzance but decided to go on to St Ives for dinner.  Was still raining so it was a matter of getting the rain gear out for a walk from the parking area to town.  

St Ives

St Ives, originally a fishing town but now very much a holiday resort, is like many other English seaside towns, built on the side of a hill running down to the sea.  Lots of narrow streets and old buildings.  When we got to the bay we found it very busy.  There were many restaurants, most fully booked, so it was a bit of a challenge to find somewhere to eat.  Ended up at a seafood restaurant where the food was excellent.

St Ives

We had a bit of a walk around St Ives and then it was further north to Redruth to the motel for the night.  Free wifi was a bonus.

Saturday 13th August 2011 – Cornwall to Dunsford (Port Isaac, Dartmoor)

After a cooked breakfast and a chat with the motel lady, we were off to Port Isaac.  It was still showering, unfortunately.  Port Isaac is probably best known these days as the backdrop for the filming of the Doc Martin TV series.  It’s a picturesque fishing village, like St Ives, on the Atlantic Coast of Cornwall.  The port was originally constructed during the reign of Henry VIII. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the port handled cargoes such as coal, wood, stone, ores, limestone, salt, pottery and heavy goods which were conveyed down its narrow streets. Fishermen still work from the Platt, landing their daily catch of fish, crab and lobsters.

Port Isaac - Tide's out!!

We had a pleasant morning wandering the streets and identifying buildings that were used in the TV series.  Apparently, we only missed the filming of the 5th series by a few weeks.  Had a chat with the lady who runs the shop used in the series as the Chemist Shop, had a coffee (and gluten-free scone) at the ‘Cup Cake’ and bought crab (for lunch) and some fish (for a later time) before heading off.

Doc Martin's House

Had lunch near Trelights and then headed for home across Dartmoor.  We called into Travistock to catch the end of their market.  The Pannier Market has been held here since 1105 when, by Royal Charter of King Henry I, the monks of Tavistock (Tavistock Abbey constructed in AD 961) were granted permission to hold the markets.  Tavistock also has a rich history in tin and textile.  In 1305 Tavistock was one of four stannary towns where tin was stamped and weighed.  This whole area of Devon and Cornwall has an amazing tin history.  There are chimneys from disused smelters everywhere.

From Tavistock, we were in the moor itself.  Our first view of the tors (granite-topped hills) and lots of yellow gorse and purple heather (very pretty).  Quite a lot of black-faced sheep, Dartmoor ponies and woolly highland cattle (we didn’t expect to see them down here).

Also had a stop at Postbridge to have a look at the Clapper Bridge.  Apparently, it’s a fine example of a clapper bridge (made from granite).

Clapper Bridge at Postbridge

Its slabs are over four metres long, two metres wide and weigh over eight tons each, making the bridge passable to a small cart. It was first recorded in 1380 and was built to facilitate the transportation of Dartmoor tin by pack horses to the stannary in Tavistock.

There is certainly a lot to see on the moor and we will need to return.

Sunday 14th August – Dunsford (Dartmoor National Park)

We spent today on the Moor.  Initially, we drove to Moretonhampstead and had a coffee.  Spoke to the man in the coffee shop who gave us information on how to get to Grimspound.

Grimspound is amazing.  It’s a late Bronze Age settlement dated around 1300 BC. It contains 24 hut circles and is surrounded by a massive granite perimeter wall, which is believed may have stood at 1.7 metres in places. The roundhouses, with an average diameter of 3.4 metres, were each built of a double ring of granite slabs with a rubble infill - a technique still used in Dry-stone walling. One hut has a surviving porchway, with the two jamb stones still upright, although the lintel has fallen.  The entire site measures at the widest point 132 metres by 155 metres and nestles between the high points of Hockney Tor and Hameldown Tor at a height of about 458 metres above sea level.  It is generally believed that the pound was the home of a farming community rather than being built from a defensive point of view.

Hockney Tor

Initially, we walked to Hookney Tor which was pretty amazing in itself.  The granite rocks here are nothing like we know them back home (although in some ways they are not unlike the pancake rocks found in Kakadu National Park).  The Tor overlooks Grimspound and from here it looks like a ring of rocks.  When you get to the pound that all changes when you start exploring the hut circles.  While they’re all in ruins (of course) it is still amazing that these are the remains of human dwellings over 3,300 years old.

We wandered around, exploring, for quite a while (and were visited by some Dartmoor Ponies) before making our way back to the road.  Found more highland cattle near the road.  While they look ferocious with their huge horns they appear such docile animals without a care in the world.

For lunch, we travelled along the road to the Warren House Inn, another pretty amazing spot.  It’s out in the middle of nowhere and claims to be the 3rd highest pub in England.  The fact that that is only 434 metres above sea level indicates (I guess) that there are not too many high areas in England.    This particular pub has been here since 1845. The original pub across the road was burnt down and it was probably built in the middle of the 18th century, certainly well before a turnpike road was created in 1792.  The fire in the hearth, it is rumoured, has never been allowed to go out and has itself become part of the folklore of the inn. It is said that when the inn was rebuilt, the glowing embers of the fire were carried across the road on a shovel to the new hearth.

There were lots of photos on the wall of the pub being snowed in 1963.  They were cut off for 12 weeks and supplies had to be carried in by helicopter.

Lunch was good, Jill a burger without the bun and I had fish and chips (and salad and peas - they like their peas in England).  Considering they run a generator to do everything the pub was a very pleasant little spot.

After lunch, we went for another walk on the moor starting from Bennett's Cross.  The origin of its name is not known but in 1902, William Crossing, a well-known writer about Dartmoor, reported that it is mentioned in a document of 1702, where it is referred to in such a way as to indicate that it was already well-known. It has been suggested that it may have been erected by the monks of a local Benedictine Order ("Bennet" was a common corruption of "Benedict") or it may be named after William Bennet, who was a miner who attended a Stannary Parliament on Crockern Tor in the early 16th century.  There are lots of beautiful pink/purple heather and yellow gorse.  We also found a lot of wild blueberries which were edible – Jill says delicious but they were a bit sour in my opinion.  

From here we could see where they were doing an archeological dig.  This morning’s coffee man had told us that they had just made the most significant find in the past 100 years – prehistoric jewellery and pottery.

Back to Dunsford via Whiddon Down – the closest petrol station open on a Sunday.