Devon & Dorset

Wednesday 16 November

Grey and drizzly this morning as we pack up and head for Brixham in the county of Devon around 2 hours away. This area is known as the English Riviera. But first we stop quickly in Plymouth so Bill can buy himself a Kindle.

Near Brixham is Torquay where famous crime writer Agatha Christie was born, married and had a holiday home, Greenway, which is now administered by the National Trust. Unfortunately it is closed at this time of year.

Most of the day is spent travelling, so we are happy to arrive at our camp site, Hillhead Caravan Club Site, outside Brixham.  It is a big site but not very busy at the moment.

Thursday 17 November

A gloriously sunny day with a top of 13 degrees so we catch the local bus that stops right outside the camp site and head firstly to the fishing port of Brixham. Luckily this bus is quite small as the lanes it drove down were really only big enough for one vehicle a lot of the time. It must have been pension day as lots of seniors climbed aboard and headed into town. There was a real community feel around us as everyone greeted each other and started chatting about local events. Including the murder of a friend that occurred days before!! Seems the police have already apprehended someone relating to that.

Brixham is one of the launching sites from where the American soldiers departed towards the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy. So we are again visiting areas that mirror our travels in France a few months ago.  The Harbour still utilises the large breakwater built during the War to protect the fleet before they sailed across to France.

There is also a replica of the rather small ship the Golden Hind sailed by Sir Francis Drake between 1577 and 1580 to circumnavigate the globe.

The town itself is a fairly small but has a large marina housing many expensive looking cruisers as well as a huge fleet of fishing vessels. On one hilltop are many colourfully painted houses, reminding us of a similar thing in Bristol. There are the usual white cottages but also many new and modern apartments right on the waterfront. And of course a multitude of tourist shops, cafes and pubs. Brixham remains a busy fishing port, and there is a large fairly new commercial fisheries market at the port.

After morning tea we catch another bus to Torquay, birthplace of Agatha Christie. Without knowing it we walked most of the Agatha Christie Mile, taking in the coastal walk, Princess Theatre, The Pavilion, the Museum and the harbour, again with very expensive boats and cruisers moored.

Torquay is a much larger town with most of its shops open but a lot of the tourist attractions are closed for the year. We had wanted to catch a ferry back to Brixham on such a lovely day but they aren't running at the moment.

So after lunch we walked around the shops for awhile before hopping on a bus home.

It's dark by 4:30pm these days and the wind is up again but tomorrow should be another nice day weather wise.

Friday 18 November

Another lovely sunny day with winds keeping the temperature at around 13 degrees again. We're walking into Brixham via Mansands Beach and the Coastal Path which should take 4 hours or so.

There is a bit of mud on the path in places, but nothing like we've had in the past. After about 45 minutes, we arrive at Mansands Beach where we stop for awhile to admire the scene. The “beach” is covered in smooth rocks of all sizes and the water makes a rippling sound over them as it recedes. We have another go at making a cairn.

Until now the walk was downhill so now we take on the very steep climb to the top. 

It's pretty tough going and we end up at around 180m. Once at the top the view of the ocean and cliffs below is spectacular. Every now and again the wind gets up and blows us about a bit. The rest of the coastal path is relatively flat but there is the occasional steep rise to keep us challenged.

Another 40 minutes brings us to Sharkham Head.

As we get closer to Brixham we start seeing many large holiday complexes, all of which seem empty at this time of year. But in summer it must be so busy around here.  And then Berry Head comes into view.

It takes another 45 minutes to walk to Berry Head, and we pass by some nice bays, and spectacular scenery, with Sylvi spotting a seal fishing in one bay.

At Berry Head there is the very well preserved remains of two Forts built during the Napoleonic Wars. These are absolutely massive constructions. Inside the first are several ruined buildings - the guard house, the kitchen and gun powder store – as well as the battlements where canons once stood. 

The second has a guard house (now a coffee shop), artillery and gun powder store and sentry post. But it was also used during World War II so there is a bunker used for spotting enemy planes, and during the Cold War, a bunker to detect nuclear explosions.

By now we were totally exhausted and made the last trek into Brixham, stopping at the first cafe we saw to replenish our energy.  We had completed the walk in 3 & half hours which is pretty good going.  Once again Sylvi sees a seal disappear under the waves. We send out the vibes to see more of them, dolphins or whales but to no avail.

After lunch we stroll the rest of the way into Brixham and take the bus home and treat ourselves to dinner at the camp site restaurant (open Fri & Sat in the low season).

We really enjoyed our stay in Brixham. There's just something about these quaint fishing villages on the coast that make you want to come back for another visit.

Saturday 19 November

A grey morning to start but we're packing up and heading for Poole in the county of Dorset, about 3 hours away.

We take the major roads so it's smooth travelling and for once when we stop for lunch in a designated area there is an amenities block. We've not encountered such facilities in the UK before but they were everywhere in Europe so we do miss them.

As we get closer to our destination we see a lot more cottages and even restaurants with thatched roofs. It really is a lovely look.

Arriving at our camp site, South Lytchett Manor Caravan and Camping Park, we're glad we booked a spot in advance because for some reason it's very busy and the park is full.

Poole is another coastal town and the National Trust look after an area known as the Jurassic Coast where you can do some nice walks. If there's enough to do around here we may stay for a couple of days.

Sunday 20 November

A foggy, 9 degree start but no rain predicted. The buses only run every 2 hours on Sundays but again we're lucky that they stop right outside the camp site.

Poole is a large town with very large harbour housing many beautiful, expensive boats of all sizes. Sunseeker, the boat building company has several operations here and they churn out very glitzy looking cruisers.

This was also where the third largest contingent of American troops departed for the D-Day landing site at Normandy in OperationOverlord.

The town seemed overly crowded for a Sunday but we found out later it was for Santa's Parade. In the mall were a couple of reindeer on display. Their fur looked thick and beautifully smooth.

Facing the harbour are a multitude of cafes and restaurants and a long pathway follows the length of the waterway. The day had brightened and lots of people were out enjoying the sun. A couple of guys on skateboards were being towed along the grass in the park by parasails.

We visit the old Lifeboat Museum housing the historic lifeboat ThomasKirk Wright (1939-62) also know as one of the Dunkirk Little Ships. It was one of the first of 19 boats to arrive at Ramsgate in Kent (Dunkirk evacuation point) on 30/05/1940 as part of a flotilla to rescue British troops, and made a further 3 trips before coming under German attack. Luckily no-one aboard was hit and the boat limped home on one engine. After repairs it continued it's service as a lifeboat in Poole.

Over the past week we've seen several lifeboats and their stations and are very impressed with the work that this organisation does. Most of the crew are volunteers who risk their lives in often very rugged conditions to rescue stricken vessels and their crew.

After lunch we take another walk through the mall before catching our bus home to find just about everyone gone.

The camp site information booth has the story of the Lytchett ManorEstate which was apparently a “safe-house” for French aristocrats escaping the guillotine during the revolution between 1789-99. The house is now a school and the grounds the camp site.  And to top off the day, we a treated to a rare sunset.

In world news – Gadaffi's son, Seif al-Islam was captured near the Nigerian border and will most likely stand trial for crimes against humanity.

Monday 21 November

Grey and a bit drizzly but not too cold. We catch the bus firstly to the ruins of Corfe Castle which dates back to the 11^th century. The National Trust administers the castle and surrounding acres of lush grounds and forest.

In 1086, William the Conqueror ordered the first foundations laid and over time many Kings and Nobles owned and added to the castle. The total construction including surrounding outer walls covers one of the largest expanse of land we've seen for any castle visited.

The last owner were the aristocratic Bankes family (1635). During the castle's attack by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War (1642-51) it was Mrs Bankes who led the defence as her husband was away. Betrayed by one of her own soldiers, the castle was eventually blown up but she was given the keys as a keep-sake for her bravery.

What remains today are the outer walls, Guardhouses, the Keep (where many prisoners were held and starved to death) and the Gloriette (garden building).

As with most defensive castles this one was also built on a hilltop, allowing 360 degree views of any approaching enemy. Today the view is somewhat obscured by fog but it is still very beautiful. As a natural way of keeping the grass mowed, many Soay sheep graze the hillside.

We take a stroll in the village below filled with gorgeous stone cottages, many with thatched roofs, also a large stone church and two lovely looking pubs. We choose one to enjoy a Dorchester Cream Tea which was just as delicious as the Cornwall one.

Back on the bus we head to Swanage another fairly large coastal fishing town. The esplanade along the beach again reminds us of Redcliffe and there are some good sized waves today but no takers.

Further along we come upon a “Private Beach” where you can rent/purchase a Beach Hut to store all your summer beach gear and along with this you will also own the section of beach directly in front of your hut. Classic.

At the other end of the esplanade we could see some white cliffs in the distance. Although they weren't the White Cliffs of Dover, they must have been made of the same material as they were gleaming white.

Just as we got back on the bus to head home, the sun and blue sky made an appearance. It was a great day anyway and we enjoyed seeing more fantastic sights.

The rest of our photos of Devon & Dorset are here.