On the Road Again!

What could be better than a Cornish Cream Tea? A scone with strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream... Maybe two scones would be better! I have ordered a few cream teas over the last few years but usually for special occasions only. https://thecornishcompany.com/ The next special occasion will be Claire's birthday in February.....

Day 1 Actually our wedding anniversary is Monday but we started with the cream teas in advance. Day 2 Lovely.  Bought online from The Cornwall Company. Superb stuff. The box came with four scones, jars of jam, teas but only one clotted cream...

... of the summer. Mind you it's only 14°C outside and lashing down with rain.

As a reward for a walk along the nearby Tarka Trail... Someone has to do it. Later we'll have dinner in and think about tomorrow. We have a lunch appointment near Exeter with a friend and former boyfriend of Claire's. 

We decided on a National Trust site at Arlington Court near Barnstaple. TomTom said it was about 40 minutes away and for once it was almost accurate. The site is also the home of the National Trust Carriage Museum.  After a coffee we set off on the 2 mile circular walk around the estate. Although the weather was iffy when we set off, but it looked up.  The walk is pretty up and down. The first part goes through an avenue of monkey puzzle trees. Amazing. Some are nassive. Monkey Puzzle Trees This was just the beginning! The lake itself wasn't all that exciting.  Along the route were photo suggestions. A photo in a frame and above it an empty frame to show where to shoot. The bridge over the stream from the lake was full of dragonflies. Very colourful. At the top of a steep slope we had a sit down. The house to our rear and the pond ahead. Claire wanted to go to the gardens and headed to the dog poo bin and the carriage museum. The collection is quite extensive. Carriage Mu...

Up late. Well I was. The lack of sleep at the Days Inn with Reggie wanting to go out every two hours and the long hours at the wheel and I was knackered. We chose to visit Clovelly. TomTom reckoned 10 miles until we set off. We had been going a while and it was 9! It looks like TomTom's initial guess is that it's as the crow flies until the route gets planned. Clovelly is pretty famous. We have been before but not with a dog. The descent to see sea and harbour and the Red Lion pub is in three phases. The first downhill to the pottery is slight. Part two from there to the top of the main Street steeper and made of stones not proper cobbles.  Wear Skechers at your peril. The third section is the main street. Same underfoot stones and steps in places. We had a break at the New Inn for a sandwich and a drink. It rained a bit but the prawn and crab baguettes were very nice. I had a half of the local Golden Pig beer. Nice and hippy. Not quite the after taste of IPA. An ice-cream on t...