Anyone familiar with Devon will know that it is an extremely beautiful part of the country and (as I have discovered) that the North of Devon is a particular gem. Anything that I could say in words would not even begin to portray how beautiful it is, so I have assembled, a collection of photos that will sum up my day.
Before I allow you to feast your eyes on the beauty of my assembly of pictures, I would like to mention some very special people who designed and facilitated this "Magical Mystery Tour." Sandra and Pete (Sandra's son), who invited me to their part of the country, are also responsible in allowing me to do the amazing leadership course that I mentioned in a blog post here a while ago. So a huge thank you to them for being a part of my amazing experience in this beautiful country and for immersing me in the most picturesque sites for a day.
After some thought, I realise that I could just pop some pictures into this space but I would rather take you through my explorations and show you where I went and what I did there. Sound good?
First, I arrived at the train station in a town called Barnstable (which is pronounced "barn-stable" for reference.) I was welcomed here by Sandra and Pete whom I had never met before so I spent a few split seconds, as I was disembarking the train, stressing about whether I would have to approach random people and ask if they were here to pick me up. None of that was necessary, although it would have been quite an experience in itself.
We then drove to Instow, to get a taster of some of the lovely sites to come.
I had to jump out of the car to get this shot overlooking the Estuary
Next was a town called Bideford. Here we popped into a place called Golden Bear belts, and had a peek into the process of leather belt making. Each belt is customized to the preferences of the customer, so no two belts are exactly the same. This is also all done in the most environmentally friendly way.
The next league of our tour was to the only place in the British Isles to have an exclamation point in its name (yes, it is possible, apparently.) There is a story of how Westwood Ho! came to get such an extraordinary name and it involves a bestselling novel (back in the day) and a brainwave as to how tourism could be induced in the village. I was also treated to possibly the most delicious vanilla Ice Cream that I have had in my life.
A Panorama overlooking the coastal views that one would get from Westwood Ho!
Next, was off to lunch at what is described as the best pub in all of Devon: a claim with which I will not argue. The home of this pub (the old Smithy) is a place called Welcombe. I had a veggie burger which can actually compete with other non-veggie burgers that I have had, yes, it was that good.
The exterior of The Old Smithy
Pete and I conversing about something. It's probably very interesting.
A candid of me saying something. Photo Credit: Sandra (she is a photographer so a few more pictures will pop up that were taken by her.)
After lunch we went for a coastal walk along Hartland and its quay. It is very hard to walk along this coastline and not say "wow" or "amazing" or "beautiful" at every single corner that you take. It's not only beautiful because of the nature that lies around it but also because of the geology of the area, where you have these gigantic cliff faces that seem to have buckled into grotesque yet oddly charming formations. It almost seems as though the rocks will start moving and crumbling as you walk over them. Another beautiful yet slightly unnerving feature, is the stillness of the water. It seemed almost counter intuitive to be near the sea and have it be so quiet. It was very peaceful though.
Driving to Hartland.
Some burnt shrubbery. It looks quite artistic, don't you think?
A snap by Sandra of me taking a snap of the beautiful views.
I especially love the rays of light in this one.
Some of the rock formations I was speaking about. And the still water.
Some flowers.
A view of the quay.
To end off the tour we went to what I think should be referred to as a postcard town. Mostly because you could take a picture of anything in Clovelly and you could place it on a postcard and it would look outstanding. Understandably this picturesque town is appealing to many tourists and I found myself wondering how the residents felt having all these strangers walking through their town taking pictures of their houses and streets.
At some point my battery died so I could not take too many pictures but luckily I had a photographer with me so I did get some lovely shots.
Some donkeys that we came across at the top of the village before we started walking down towards the quay. And note the cobble stones which run all the way through to the bottom of the village onto the quay.
A view of how the main street stretches to the bottom of the village.
I wonder how this resident feels about my taking pictures of the flowers on their balcony.
A look at the quay and some boats.this is the point where my battery died so the following pictures were all taken by Sandra.
One of the boats and a leveled view of the quay.
We had some natural fruit juice after a tiring decent through the village. We were also joined by Jen who is on the left.
Some wide angled views of the surrounding area.
When we got back to the top of the hill I thought that this cow was in some need of photographing so Sandra did the honours.
The "Magical Mystery tour" then drew to an end and it was time for me to head on home. It was back to Barnstaple and onto a train that would take me to Totnes. I was lucky enough to meet a lady called Amanda who was on the train with me so it wasn't a lonely ride back. And it also meant that I didn't run the risk of getting onto the incorrect trains because she was very familiar with it all.
Again, the hugest thank you to Sandra and Pete, for ensuring that I had a truly magical day, and for adding to my memories, an incredible tour around the North of Devon.
That's all, Bye! :) x
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