• Bronze
December 2019

Devon

Our first Christmas in England with Polly’s mother and grandfather. Read more
  • Trip start
    December 23, 2019

    Twas the night before Xmas...

    December 24, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    We have finally arrived at Woolsery after much anticipation and are really looking forward to an amazing Christmas with Polly’s family.
    Polly’s grandad Peter is an extraordinary host and makes us feel so welcome and everything is in order for a wonderful Christmas in England.
    The streets are so beautifully laid out...they are cobbled in most cases and quite small so much so that two cars cannot pass together so one has to find a small culvert to pull over and allow the other to pass.
    Peter bought “Town Farm” and has painstakingly done it up and as a qualified carpenter has done an amazing job.
    Some of the lanes that you travel along to get to Woolsery are tiny and banked on either side by thick hedges sometimes made up of Chinese elms.
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  • Slight change of plan...

    December 24, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    On the morning before Christmas Day, Jen decides to have a walk in the back garden and slips on a rock and falls breaking her arm in two places as well as dislocating it.
    We travel to two hospitals where the doctors have an attempt at setting the arm twice before setting it in plaster for further stabilization.
    We are told that it has to be reviewed in a couple of days time to establish whether the fractures are healing in the right position.

    Jenny was extraordinarily stoic and strong over this period as she must have been in significant pain yet she celebrated Xmas as well as any of us...she is simply amazing.
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  • Clovelly

    December 26, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Visit to a beautiful seaside village with a sea wall and a pub perched on the wall and a tiny village scattered back up the steep ascent.

    Clovelly is a small village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It has a harbour and is notable for its steep pedestrianised cobbled main street, donkeys and views over the Bristol Channel.

    Unusually, the village is still privately owned and has been associated with only three families since the middle of the 13th century, nearly 800 years. The estate is run by the Clovelly Estate Company, led by the Hon. John Rous, a descendant of the Hamlyn family who have owned the village, estate and manor house Clovelly Court since 1738. John Rous is the eldest son of Keith Rous, the 5th Earl of Stradbroke and Mary Asquith, granddaughter of former Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith. The scenery has been captured by artists for its richness of colour, especially in the separately accessed and separated Clovelly Court and along The Hobby, a road cut through the woods and overlooking the sea. The South West Coast Path National Trail runs from the top of the village and the section from Clovelly to Hartland Quay is particularly spectacular.
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  • Clovelly (cont’d)

    December 26, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Thought I might try for a swim here but had to wait till St Ives.
    We managed to grab a table outside and whilst we sipped our coffee an Irish folk band began singing in the pub.
    This was a perfect accompaniment to the mood and ambience of the place and it is so easy to mentally transport yourself back in time to think about what it might be like to live in such a place.
    The historical aspect of England is very appealing.
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  • Devon Dinners

    December 26, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    More fun at Devon especially with a drink at the Farmers Arms which was the quintessential country pub until a philanthropic multi-millionaire decided to upgrade the pub as a tribute to his family who hailed from the town and wanted to give something back to the community.
    He has since also committed to renovating the corner store as well as a local manor house to make it a more desirable tourist destination. He has done a sensational job at the pub and by chance he was in the pub with some friends when I visited with Dylan and Jen and I missed the opportunity to congratulate him on the success of his project.
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  • Wadebridge

    December 27, 2019 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This was a short stop on the way to St Ives for an Indian meal at a great restaurant called The Raj.
    This was Dickie’s call and as usual all the fanfare was appropriate as it was an amazing meal...no google, no trip advisor just brains :).Read more

    Trip end
    December 27, 2019