On the Road Again!

We were up early. When you have a dog and are in a confined space, when he is awake so are you.  We were all three of us ready for breakfast when we went over to collect fresh baguettes and croissants. We opted for one baguette between two for breakfast with Claire's homemade marmalade.  Then we were off. Emptying the grey water at the service point, then on the A35 with the first destination of West Bay near Bridport.  The A35 was again busy even though we had left the site before 11am. One of the problems in this area seems to be the dual carriageway roads become single lane, this leads to tailbacks as the traffic has to merge. The same happens on the A303 near Stonehenge. At West Bay we found a parking area for motorhomes near to the old station. There is a buffet in a short length of carriages. At £1.50 an hour it's cheaper than at home. We had a walk around the harbour and along the promenade to look at the cliffs and see the gang gliders, some up close. ...

Today we stayed locally in Brixham. My brother Neill and my niece Eleanor were going to visit. We were up about 0830, although as usual Reggie had kept us occupied from about 0530. He wakes at dawn and needs to have a comfort break! Once breakfasted I took Reggie for a short walk on the path behind the house that goes to Berry Head. It doesn't show up on Google Maps. We got about halfway before turning around.  The relatives arrived about 1125 and we had a chat and then decided to walk down to Brixham itself. We are about a km to the south on top of the hill. It was hot and so I wore my new Chinese hat. It did the job of keeping the sun off but is still horrible.  It won't last the week in my possession. Going downhill was easy enough with no thought of getting back... Loads of scenic views. Murder on ageing knees. Lunch was by the replica of the Golden Hind in the harbour. A meal-deal from the Co-Op. We took a walk around the ha...

Rather than double-up postings - here is the link to Travellerpoint for this trip.

Although I haven't quite tied up Day 2, I thought Day 3 might be easier. It's the drive down from Back of Beyond to the Garden House in Brixham. The problem is to fill the day. We have to be out from the camp about 10am. Can't  check into the Garden House until 5.30pm. There are a few places of interest I'd like to squeeze in. Clouds Hill, the last home of T E Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia. Just down the road is a monument. I always planned to stop at Dawlish Warren where we had many family holidays when I was a kid. I last went there in 1976. More to add to fill up over 7 hours. Hopefully the weather will be good enough to park up and take in the sun.

So day 1 is sorted.. simply the drive to Back of Beyond and set up for the first night in the camp. We have two nights there before we move on. So for day 2 we need something to fill part of the day. I have been looking at National Trust sites. There are quite a few within a short distance, and a few that would be better off the next day as we head to Brixham. Waypoint 3 is Kingston Lacy . Another country mansion. Either side are two sights on the river. Waypoint 5 is Corfe Castle. I have never been there although in the 80's we used to go to biker rallies in the area nearby. I haven't finished yet as we need a visit to the sea whilst we are out. The start and end is of course the camping ground.

So far we have booked a couple of nights on the way down to Brixham, where we have the holiday stay. But what about coming back? As we will be in the Motorhome-with-No-Name (to be known for now as Van) we should be able to knock the miles off easily enough.   But as we walked the dog today along our familiar stretch of the Royal Military Canal we decided to look for a camping ground on the way back as well. I had a look for some scenic areas where we have been before and would like to try again.  I saw a site on the club site  right alongside the Fleet Lagoon on the Dorset Jurassic Coast.  I had thought of one night after we leave Brixham but the site seemed to only allow booking for minimum of two nights.  No problems I thought.  It will mean Friday and Saturday nights in the Van. The site is called Eastfleet Farm . It's not a club site but affiliated.  So that will cost us £66 for two nights including the extra fee for Reggie for the pitch for t...

With the arrival of the motorhome in the next few weeks we decided to take it to Devon on this staycation rather than the car. If we had decided to buy one earlier we would have sucked up losing the deposit on the holiday home and saved the balance. But, that didn't happen. So instead we will go a few days earlier in the RV/van/motorhome (yet to be named!). By May we ought to have a few trips under our belts.  There is only so much you can learn from books and magazines. So on the way to Devon we have booked a couple of nights at a campsite that's about halfway between home and Brixham. We chose Back of Beyond Touring Camping and Glamping Park . It's an adults only site and for two nights with Reggie it's £69. A motorhome pitch with electricity. The site is quiet and doesn't have the entertainment and all that jazz. So we will see. Once the van is ready for collection we can look at going out locally. Probably for one night to get the hang of it. Plus we have to mak...

Just over a month to go until we head off to Brixham. I texted the owner to check on a few things, parking etc, as once we paid the balance of the rental we got the address. I wanted to see on Google Maps what the property looks like from the street.  Looks okay. We have to decide when to set off from sunny Kent.  Google Map directions shows the A303 route to be a spot under 5 hours. With stops to stretch legs etc, this could be a lot longer. We can't get in until late afternoon and so other than me being frustrated at progress especially past the bottleneck at Stonehenge, we have plenty of time. Even on this map today, there is a red marker on the map. Friends that do this trip regularly always claim plain sailing, but leave home about 5am. Maybe that's what we need to do.  Then we have 11 hours for a 5 hour (plus Reggie break stops)? Last time we set off from Fleet Services along the route and it took 8 hours!!! Google does give that alternative route to the sou...

I checked the email to see when the balance was due and it is next week.  I decided to pay it today before we go to our staycation in Matlock. Once that was done the full address and details became available. That's one thing out of the way. We'll have to see which way to go. Google Maps shows several routes. But maybe anything that avoids the ridiculous bottleneck by Stonehenge is to be taken!!!

Done. After trawling the internet for cottage booking sites I finally found a place that meets our criteria.  I actually wanted a place near to our childhood holiday resort of Dawlish Warren. I couldn't find anywhere in that area that suited us but we decided to stick to Devon anyway. In the end we have booked and paid the deposit for a nice looking place in Brixham in Devon. It has two bedrooms and really importantly when you have a dog, an enclosed garden. The bonus is that it has off road parking for one car. We only have one! So many places are street parking or even council car-parks. Total the cost for a week is £660 and I paid a third deposit today  It's still ten months away so we have plenty of time to refine things about what to do when we are there and of course, getting there.  I think we might have to do the same as friends who live in the same area as us and leave about 5am! Gulp.

It's a toss up between Suffolk and Devon. Personally I am in favour of Devon.  When we went in 2019 it was a long day in the car both days to get to North Devon where we had a cottage.  Next year I will have retired and we will have unlimited time to drive down there.  The Juke is automatic and that will make it easier to drive if the traffic builds up. It has stop/start technology as well as auto hand-braking. I had a look at dog friendly cottages today. Being able to go when we like and not stuck with school holidays means that the rental costs are much lower at the majority of places. With a dog that likes to control his environment and becomes a little protective of the space, I always look for somewhere with a secure garden, and hopefully he'll be able to settle down. He does like to think that most of the area around our house is his territory and will bark at people he considers invading it.  So apartments are definitely out! I have found a couple in Brixham i...

We were up early again as Reggie was on his early pee and poop regime again. In the end we left at around 9.30am. TomTom reckoned it would be just short of 5 hours to get home.  If only.  First stop at the start of the A303. Three hours for 86 miles. Heavy traffic. Very heavy everywhere. Holidaymakers in both directions. Wankers having accidents causing more holdups. We got in the house just before 7pm. Sadly I had to reset the TomTom earlier in the week and so I have lost the complete trip stats.   So that's it... Another superb holiday top and tailed with terrible driving conditions. For the holiday I created a Fuelly profile for the Corsa. Only three fill-ups on the entire trip after starting with a full tank at the start of the holiday.  I had expected it to be higher, but an overall 45mpg isn't bad considering the traffic jams we were stuck in for about four hours in each direction, where we crawled along in first or second gear! And lastly - even though I...

Today we decided to stay local as we set off for home tomorrow. It will be a long day in the car for us and Reggie especially. So our first stop was as ASDA in Bideford to get some cash and fill the car ready for tomorrow.  A disappointing 43.7mpg. I guess all the low gear ups and downs of the Devon countryside. The next was at Tapeley Park just the other side of Bideford. Another estate with a garden open to the public. Again it was on the Gardener's World 2-1 offer and seniors we got in for a fiver. The house looks at first a bit run down but the gardens are very nice. An Italian garden and the kitchen garden are the highlights. We met Hector who "runs the place" and is actually one of the owners of the site. He was accompanied by his English Bull Terrier called Wayne. Reggie barked at first but they got on after mutual sniffing. On the way out I saw the field alongside the carpark had a herd of Highland Cattle. Reggie barked as a calf came close.  To sound a bit "...

Today our day was already planned. A lunch date with Claire's friends from the "old days" in Kent, Robin and Mark, at their house (mansion!!)  near Exeter. They have two golden retrievers and Reggie was okay until they mobbed him and he growled at them a few times. Lunch was great. Company great. Tomorrow last day in Devon.

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. 

Didn't we have a lovely time on Dartmoor?  No we didn't. I set up a route to take in some bronze age and medieval settlements on the rugged moors.  We set off and ahead the weather looked increasingly black overhead and then it simply pee'd down. Roads began to run with water. None of this deterred the locals who continued to drive way too fast for winding country roads.  We aborted and set a course for Okehampton, somewhere to the west of our position. In the end we passed through and decided to head back to the cottage. By chance we saw a sign right to a small town called Hatherleigh. A chance for a cup of something and Reggie to "stretch his legs" etc. There is a Co-Op shop and a nice thatched cottage lined high street. Plus, find of the day, One Market Street Cafe, where we had lunch. Hatherleigh, Devon Pasties and chips for us and a bowl of water and a gravy bone for Reggie. I also had a bonio in his accessory bag. Claire popped into the Co-Op for essentials ...

As is his current trend Reggie had us awake at 5am for his first pee trip. Then at 6am and finally at 7.15am for breakfast. We had sorted the bins as well as the instructions said to have them out for Monday. Different recycling regime to gone but at 4.45pm they are still by the kerb untouched. But back to the morning. Today we decided in a trip more locally (!) to a garden at Castle Hill Gardens. It is in Claire's Gardeners World 2for1 offer booklet.  We spent a few hours there traipsing around the estate and park looking at the follies and plants/trees. Again a lot of uphill and downhill walking! Three days running. Castle Hill Estate Then back via Lidl in Torrington to get lunch etc. And of course cider. We took it in turns to shop and mind the dog in the car. This evening eat in again and plan where to go tomorrow. About time we headed for Dartmoor. 

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...

Miserable start to the day. Well, not at 5.30am when Reggie decided he needed to go out into the garden. At least he had a pee! At 6.30am it was Claire's turn to get up. Parenting a 🐕 seems like having a baby! He did nothing but run off the night asleep. By the time we got up at 8.30am - it is Sunday - it was raining. Grey and very chilly. I thought about getting the woodburner alight but have no idea where to start although it looks to have wood in it. It's a long time since I was a boy scout lighting fires. I did have a badge for it... I also had hand axe and knife... https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/3655/scout-skills-fire-lighting I'd love to share images of the badges but it seems the Scouts have purged the internet. Using a knife and and axe probably not PC nowadays. So once it warms up. Warns up. Where to? posted from Bloggeroid

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...