Delightful Devon

We had a wonderful few days running around the South Hams last week. The B&B we stayed in was one of the best I've been to. The hosts were very friendly and helpful; their garden is extensive and gorgeous; and they did the most copious breakfasts ever: fresh fruit salad (pears, grapes, melon, tangerines, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries etc, a slightly different mix each day), dried fruit compote, muesli and other cereals, fresh home-made bread and rolls every day, sliced cold meat, cheeseboard, home-made marmalade and two kinds of home-made jam, proper butter, freshly squeezed orange juice, and all the cooked options: local bacon, sausages and smoked haddock, kippers, free-range eggs, baked beans, mushrooms and tomatoes. Most days we didn't bother with lunch, just stopped for a coffee somewhere and maybe a piece of fruit or a scone.

The first day it rained heavily, so we pottered around the shops in Totnes in the morning and at the Cider Press Centre in Dartington in the afternoon. The next day it was showery, so we went to Buckfast Abbey and then on up to Dartmoor. We drove through the village of Holne, hoping to find the cafe we used to visit 30 years ago, but it didn't seem to be there any more so we carried on to Dartmeet and had drinks and snacks at Badger's Holt, still as good as it ever was. A short walk by the river inbetween the showers was very pleasant, then we drove back through Ashburton to Totnes.

The following day was fine so we had a nostalgia-fest, wandering around several places where we used to spend time as children, with many loud squeals of triggered memory. And the last day was my favourite, because the sun shone and we took the boat down the river from Totnes to Dartmouth, a journey I used to do regularly as a child when I lived near Totnes and my grandparents lived in Dartmouth. It is a stunningly beautiful stretch of river with plentiful wildlife: lots of seagulls and Canada geese, of course, but we also saw several egrets and herons, shoals of small fish being driven to the surface by underwater predators, two of the seals which come up the river after the salmon, a pair of shelduck with their shelducklings, and a curlew flying.

We made up for the lack of lunches at local restaurants in the evenings. Our favourite was a lovely riverside pub where we ate twice, including our last night. My trousers feel a little tight, so it's a good thing I've got two whole weeks at home now before I go on holiday again!