Glorious Devon

7th November, 1992
8th November, 1992
9th November, 1992
10th November, 1992
11th November, 1992
12th November, 1992
13th November, 1992

Saturday 7th November, 1992

Okehampton photograph
Ruins of Okehampton Castle, Devon


Drop Cap e took leave of our hosts, June and Jim Merry, with mutual regrets and good wishes. They were great and I would love to stay there again. Off to "Glorious Devon" and it was beautiful until we stopped at Okehampton for shopping and lunch, when it started to mizzle. We looked at Okehampton Castle ruins while we were there as we had plenty of time. It was quite impressive, a beautiful site with stream and picnic area. There was also a black cat emotionally blackmailing us for food as we were eating our sandwiches. The custodian told us he spends most of the day with her, sharing her food but is really employed to catch mice in farm buildings down the road. Obviously not a starving feral.

Harford Park brochure

Harford Bridge Caravan Park, Devon


Drop Cap e arrived at Harford Bridge Park by 3.15 to a warm welcome and a rather good chalet. It has heating in all rooms, a great stove, lots of bench space, and very comfortable furniture, even a verandah with patio furniture - huh! There is a lovely brawling little river at the bottom of the park with a restored ancient bridge crossing it.The park is situated in Dartmoor National Park and we are surrounded by the moors. So far, there is no sign of the Hound of the Baskervilles (but around here he would have to be on a lead - NO EXCEPTIONS).


Drop Cap e have a lot of plans for this area but the weather forecast is not good, so we will have to trim our sails accordingly. See what tomorrow brings.

Sunday, 8th November, 1992


Drop Cap ay dawned mistily but nothing like the appalling forecast so we mapped out a circular tour, starting in Tavistock, two miles from here, proceeding to Plymouth and then to Launceston and home. We set out, arriving in Tavistock about 9.30. This is where it started to go away from our plans. Tavistock is quite a large town, with the remains of an abbey now serving for the Police Station. It (Tavistock) is the birthplace of Sir Francis Drake and had a lot else to offer as well.

Morwellham photograph

Mac on the trail, Morwellham Quay, Devon


Drop Cap s we drove I noticed a sign in Tourist Attraction Brown which said "Morwellham Quay". I hadn't a clue what this was but thought it might have something to do with Sir Francis Drake (it didn't) so I suggested that we follow it. The road led out of town and we were thinking of turning back when we arrived at Morwellham Quay. This is a relic of the industrial revolution, a copper mine complete with river port, canal, two inclined planes and a system of water wheels. It has been rescued from utter dereliction by a Trust and they are building, or rebuilding the old port, with shops, inn, cottages, working craft shops etc. We rode a train into the tunnels of the copper mine which had tableaux of the hardship of the miners' life and work, a water wheel pumping out the lower levels and generally a very interesting trip into the bowels of the earth (it was quite deep enough to fit Glastonbury Tor on top).

Waterwheel photograph

The Biggest Waterwheel, Morwellham Quay, Devon


Drop Cap e followed the trail around and, all in all, spent several hours there, so we abandoned the rest of our plans and drove up the moor to Lydford, which has a gorge and waterfall (caged in by the National Trust which charges admission). It was a bit late to walk three miles and getting wet and misty so we didn't. We looked at Lydford Castle instead, another ruin, then came home across Dartmoor, with the mist falling, very atmospheric. If we have the chance we may return.

Monday, 9th November, 1992


Drop Cap xcept for one thing, I would prefer to draw a veil over today. It was a tale of frustration. The weather was truly awful as we made our way to Plymouth. (What is it about these British seaside resort places - the weather there is the worst we have encountered - Brighton, Scarborough, the Hebrides, all awful.) Plymouth however, was quite nice, the Hoe, with parks and gardens and famous Bowling Green led past Smeaton's Tower (which used to be the Eddystone Lighthouse until superseded by a bigger and better model and they set it up on the shore instead) to the Plymouth Dome, an incredibly detailed view of the history of Plymouth and how it affected world history.As a sailing port through which passed Drake and Co., Raleigh, the Pilgrim Fathers and the Mayflower, and Captain Cook, it has had quite an effect. The displays were very good, audio visuals, live actors telling tales, computers, radar, TV etc. That was the high point of the day.

Drop Cap hen we left we went into Cornwall and visited Launceston then came home. That's enough. It seems to have cleared a bit, the moon is out. We plan to strike at Land's End tomorrow so I hope it remains fine.


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Tuesday, 10th November, 1992

Lands End photograph

Lands End, Cornwall


Drop Cap oday was great. We arose early and by 8.30 had started out to Land's End, ninety miles away. The weather was peculiar, showers, then bright, over again until we actually arrived at Land's End, when it turned bright and sunny (cold and very windy of course) and stayed that way. There was an admission charge to Land's End (two pounds per adult) which covered parking, two exhibitions + one VERY good audio visual with great special effects and,of course, the view, tourist trap shop, hotel and bar, kids playgrounds, and this was with half the place closed for winter. We thought it very good value, had our picture taken at the signpost, ate a real Cornish pasty for lunch and enjoyed it all.

Lands End photograph

At the signpost, Lands End, Cornwall


St.Michaels Mount photograph

St. Michael's Mount, Marazion, Cornwall


Drop Cap fterwards we drove round the coast to Penzance (we passed a pub called "The Pirates" but the rest of the town was very pleasant, a boat filled harbour, steep streets, very nice.) We left Penzance and continued along the coast to Marazion where I photographed St.Michael's Mount rising from the bay. Its causeway was covered and invisible and it looked invincible on its rock.

The Lizard photograph

The Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall


Drop Cap rom there we went down to the southernmost point of England, the Lizard. Land's End is the westernmost point. The Lizard was spectacular and less commercialised than Land's End. I took a photo but it was getting rather dark. Home from there via Truro, St.Austell and Liskeard. A very enjoyable day. I hope the weather remains kind because tomorrow we tackle Tintagel, and even Merlin had difficulty getting there in bad weather.

Wednesday, 11th November, 1992

Tintagel photograph

Ruins of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall


Drop Cap ast night was wild, rain pouring down and the wind howling round our chalet and shaking the walls. However, when we left this morning there were patches of blue among the scudding grey and we headed for Tintagel, legendary birthplace of King Arthur. By the time we got there the strong wind had mostly cleared the clouds so we rugged up, hoods and long johns (Mac) and set out. It is a halfmile walk to the site of the Castle ruins, half of that straight up. The castle, which is medieval, much later than Arthur, split in half in the 15th C. and one half is on an island joined to the land with a steadily eroding neck of rock. They have put a timber bridge over it and up we went. The scenery was absolutely spectacular! The rugged Cornish coastline is very beautiful but dangerous. The ruins themselves are picturesque but it is the site and the associations which make it stand out. Regardless of the unlikelihood of Arthur's ever having been there, the whole town of Tintagel has jumped on the bandwagon with a vengeance. (Merlin's Surf Shop has to be seen to be believed - a painted sign showing the old enchanter, beard flying, surfing down the face of a wave) and dragons, crystals, bardic runes etc are everywhere, like at Glastonbury. But, exhausting as the climb was, I was glad I did it.

Tintagel photograph

Ruins of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall


Clovelly photograph

Cobbled High Street, Clovelly, Devon


Drop Cap fter coffee we headed back to Devon to the village of Clovelly. This tiny picturesque spot has no vehicle access. The road to the sea is VERY steep cobbles. We stumbled down and down and DOWN till we could see the 14th C. harbour wall and quay with little boats on the strand, but we chickened out on the last bit down to the port, thinking of the walk back UP. Actually, although my knees and calf muscles were complaining badly, the upward journey seemed less perilous than the downward one. At least you could use the cobbles to push down on and get a bit of boost. Going down I was too worried about slipping and twisting an ankle. Going down is harder on my arthritic knees as well.

Clovelly photograph

14th Century Seawall, Clovelly, Devon


Drop Cap hen we had made it back up, we were thinking of food so we stopped in the next town, Bideford, to have a "cream tea". This is not quite the same as a Devonshire Tea in Australia because they give you "clotted" cream, not whipped. I don't know how they clot cream but it is very rich and thick and spreads more like butter than whipped cream. It was very nice, though, we didn't miss not having lunch.


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Thursday 12th November, 1992

Jamaica Inn photograph

Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall


Drop Cap e had a very historical day today. First we went to the Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor. This old inn featured in Daphne Du Maurier's book of the same name and trades on it, with a Daphne Du Maurier room and Joss Merlyn Smugglers Bar etc. While we were there it began to hail, tiny peppercorn sized hail, but solid water nevertheless. Not much, but noticeable. We had coffee there then drove on to see Dozmary Pool, which by local legend is where the Lady of the Lake gave Excalibur to Arthur. She would have got her white samite very dirty!

Doniert photograph

King Doniert's Stone, Bodmin, Cornwall


Drop Cap hen on to the moor for some prehistoric sites. King Doniert's Stone, 8th C. , the Trethevy Quoit, a prehistoric burial chamber, and the Hurlers Stone Circles, not one but three, all on a desolate moor, with a wind like ice.

Trethevy photograph

Trethevy Quoit, Bodmin, Cornwall


Restormel photograph

Ruins of Restormel Castle, Lostwithiel, Cornwall


Drop Cap e went on to have a very pleasant lunch in Lostwithiel, then to Restormel Castle. The custodian wasn't there, but it was not locked up and was really great! The form was circular, and amazingly intact. You could walk all the way around the battlements with a great view. There were lots of rooms, some of which were easy to recognise. Maybe we are becoming experts. When we got back to the car we found a flat tyre. Luckily, we had the car park to ourselves and were able to change it. We've had a lot of trouble with tyres losing pressure, but this is the first flat.

Friday, 13th November, 1992


Drop Cap oday we awoke to heavy frost again, brilliantly clear and bright and cold. We had to chip the ice off the car before we could open the doors! We went off and spent most of the day out on the moors. Dartmoor is very beautiful in good weather, rather bleak and covered in lumps of granite, dung and ponies. (cows and sheep too). We crossed the moor to Moretonhampstead where we bought some sandwiches and cake for a picnic and then headed for Lydford Gorge. The gorge itself was closed for the winter (amazing isn't it) but the shorter walk to the White Lady Waterfall was open so we did that. There were two routes, one long and easy, one short and steep. We took the long way down and walked to the falls which were quite gushy and we had our coffee and cake there. Then we walked up the short and steep way which was steps and really not as bad as I had thought.

Postbridge photograph

Pre-Medieval Clapper Bridge, Postbridge, Dartmoor, Devon


Drop Cap e drove back to the moors and stopped in the Forestry Commission carpark at Postbridge where there was a pre-medieval Clapper Bridge alongside the post medieval granite road bridge. I was hoping to see one of these bridges made of slabs of stone so I was really pleased, it was a surprise because I had no idea it was there. Then we had our picnic in the forest, freezing to death. It was getting very cold and the sky and sun had misted over, however we had a good run home and lots of time to pack and clean up.

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