Clyst St George is in the countryside just outside Exeter
Next morning, we left Clyst St George and headed to the Devon coast at Budleigh Salterton
to visit Lynne's other cousins who live in London and have a holiday home there because their son is a GP in the area
The world sometimes seems much smaller than we think
When Gordon and Margaret Ross were looking to buy their apartment in this block they were chatting to the developer
Somehow South Africa came up and one of them mentioned that they had a cousin in Cape Town called Lynne
"So do I!" said the other! And, yes, they were talking about this Lynne
A weird coincidence, or synchronicity. One cousin comes from Lynne's mother's family
and the other from Lynne's father's family and they had never met nor knew about each other
The Ross cousins, Gordon and Margaret. Gordon, at 82, still plays squash twice a week
We walked down the hill to the high street to their favourite Italian restaurant
Called Marco's Italian, we thoroughly recommend it. They have a Facebook page
If you are in the area, do try it. We had one of the best meals on our trip
John spotted that the local wine merchant has a good selection of wine,
including this excellent South African Cabernet Merlot from Vergelegen in the window
Gordon knows his wine and ordered a bottle of excellent Montepulciano d'Abruzzo which went so well with the food
John’s starter of tomato bruschetta with balsamic vinegar and rocket
Lynne had two starters instead of a one and a main. The squid was tender, crisply covered in batter
and the garlic dipping sauce was so good that she could have buried her face in it!
It made her realise how important garlic is to our diet, and we had not had much on this trip
Gordon had the excellent Moules Marinière
Lynne’s second starter was fresh local Scallops dressed with bacon - absolutely phenomenal
The three main courses were Veal Limone and Veal Marsala served with polenta, all very authentic and much enjoyed
Only in Britain! Everyone seems to have a much loved dog, or two
Wherever we went we saw them walking with their owners
Water is left out for them everywhere, and many hotels and BnBs are happy to accommodate them as guests
while the owners are on holiday. They sit silently in restaurants and are so obedient
They are kept on the lead and we don’t remember ever having to watch our step in the street
The sun came out and the beach looked very tempting but we had to head off to our next AirBnB in Torquay
which is known as the Queen of the English Riviera and indeed it does remind one of the coasts of the South
- France and the Cape!
- France and the Cape!
However it was on a wet afternoon that we arrived at our accommodation for the next three nights
It was an annex of this large house, set high on Braddon Hill above the city, easy to get to and with plenty of parking
Our separate apartment had its own terrace outside, overlooking the garden, with a small sea view
And we did have sunny days on which we sat out and enjoyed a sundowner or a meal there
A large comfortable lounge with the well-equipped kitchen on one wall
A good bed is so important and so are bedside lamps
Here they were both provided, but so many places forget that people want to read in bed
(We carry head torches in case that happens). And it has a good bathroom next door
Down to the beach the next morning for a walk. We met lots of these carrion crows (Corvus corone)
Thatcher’s Rock seen from Meadfoot beach
The sea is Mediterranean blue and the beach is covered in small pretty stones
We were beginning to wind down and feel we were now on holiday rather than travelling
And that was the plan for this part of the trip
Yachts in the bay
and people Supping (Stand up paddling on a surf board) with their dog
Blow up canoes
We met these two dogs first, then their owners
The young black dog was so enthusiastic and wanted to play with the puppy,
but he was a bit large. However, dogs do not see size and the brown puppy was so happy to play
We chatted to his owner, a Yoga teacher, who was trying to do puppy training on the beach
Lovely to see happy, bouncy dogs
in and out of the water
John caught a bee on some local flower on our walk
and the next day we went to another beach called Anstey’s Cove,
which has a steep path down to the water and a café that serves welcome beers when you arrive
The climb back up gives you good exercise points on your FitBit!
After our walk, we drove the short distance to Babbacombe, walked along the front
and then headed for Hanbury's famous Fish shop where we bought fish and chip takeaways to enjoy back at our AirBnB
and, the next day, Lynne wanted to revisit Cockington a lovely unspoiled village on the edge of Torquay,
which has a lovely walk down through the woods alongside the stream to the sea front
We did it nearly there and then back to Cockington. So we deserved some refreshment
Picture book thatched cottages
Beautiful gardens, one with this unusual rose
and something we were seeking!
We were so lucky; unbeknownst to us, we were the last customers admitted
They brought the menu, but we knew exactly what we wanted
The Weaver's Cottage Cream Tea, with coffee for John and Green Tea for Lynne. Scrumptious. Decadent, Fattening
Who cares? Clotted cream and scones with home made strawberry jam is a thing of beauty
The big debate is do you put the jam on first or the cream. We tried it both ways and prefer the jam on top,
which apparently is not done in Devon. Tough. The scones were warm from the oven and light as a feather
A view from the sea front
An hotel in Torquay worth coming to?
Another Devon beach, but we couldn’t see how to get down there. There have been bad rock falls on these cliffs
Next day, we were off to Cornwall for a week’s holiday by the sea
Next: From Torquay to Plymouth, then to Mevagissey in Cornwall
All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
