Romantic Exmoor

Dear Coco

Our first day in Exmoor we spent walking around the narrow roads and over the bridges in the village.

 We went into the church which is really old and has slightly crooked Norman pillars and an ancient wooden door.

 The outside has strange gargoyles and weathered stone.

 and the inevitable graveyard. Beyond is Winsford Hill.

 We said hello to our Exmoor ponies again,

 did a bit of shopping in the local village shop,

 and walked a little way up the hill where there are fabulous paths for hiking.

 We then drove to see the Tarr Bridge - also an old clapper bridge. near to Winsford,

 and then struck of northwards to explore Lorna Doone country. This is the little church at Oare which is reputed to have been the setting for the novel of Lorna Doone and the place she was shot by the rascal Carver Doone.

There is a plaque to R. D. Blackmore, who wrote the novel, in the church. He must have been a good sort as he named his whole house after his dog Gomer, a Gordon Setter.

 By now it had started pelting down, so we drove home via Porlock and Dunster Castle, which was closed,

 past some wild Exmoor ponies. Magical!

Then all too soon it was time to set off for our next adventure. We said goodbye to Exmoor and its ponies, and headed off into the green and rainy interior.
More soon -

Marie Anne is calling me to play with the kitten who is just adorable. Here he is in the bookcase in my bedroom.
Love to all at home
from the Food Lady

Postbridge to Exmoor

Dear Coco

We had a last look at our spectacular view from our Cornish bedroom wndow and set off to our next destination: Exmoor.

We stopped en route to see the pretty village of Postbridge in Dartmoor National Park. Someone had draped some bright red ribbons in the grass and sedge on the edge of the East Dart River. This bridge was built in the 1780s.

Just next to the bridge was another bridge which is thought to have been built in the 13th century - called a clapper bridge. Apparently it was to enable pack horses laden with tin to cross the river.

This area is good for seeing Dartmoor ponies too. I thought it would be a fantastic place to walk - but I have a feeling that it is even rainier here than Cape Town!

Mom and I kept driving along narrow roads with tall hedges on either side - where we had to negotiate past huge tractors and strange farm vehicles. The roads are all quite busy so you cant dawdle too much before an impatient car comes up behind you.

We had to pass through Exeter on our way to Exmoor and I had read that the Antiques Roadshow was in town that morning so we decided to drop in and have a look. 

 It was all taking place in the cathedral and on the cathedral green and Mom and I had fun wandering around and trying to hear what the various experts were saying.

 People bring their antiques and stand in long queues waiting to see the experts who then evaluate their treasures Some people bought their dogs too. Not sure what the expert would say about this one!

Rupert Maas taking a smoke break outside the cathedral,

and another dog in the queue.

Inside the cathedral.

Mom was particularly interested in the ceramics and here she is listening to Henry Sandon evaluating china objects.

We eventually had to pull ourselves away and make for our next destination - the Royal Oak Inn in Winsford - deep in the heart of Exmoor.

Mom has been here before and we went exploring in the footsteps of Auntie May who came here as a child a hundred years ago.

We soon met an Exmoor pony that lived with its foal in a field near the church. So very pretty!
Well, I need to get up and have breakfast now Coco darling. I would love you and Laddie to be able to come here and join Jethro for a walk along the cliffs of Whitburn. But I don't know if you would behave well with their tiny new kitten, so maybe its just as well you can't.
Until later,
love from the Food Lady

Heligan and St Ives

Dear Coco

 Our next garden, just up the road from our B&B, was the Lost Gardens of Heligan. It was a started by the same chap who did the Eden Project, and we both really loved them. This hairy little British bee is quite different to our bees.

 Lots of colourful, old fashioned flowers

 and healthy-looking vegetables were growing, some for the taking,

 and Mom and I both fell in love with this potting shed.

 Mom's best fuschias

 and lots of pretty gardens to explore.

Even the shop was fun - although everything is SO expensive for us - each little packet of seed costs the equivalent of about R25.

I was keen to see St Ives, so we set off and had to park high up on the hill and catch a bus down into the town as the streets are really narrow and crowded with people. We went into the Tate St Ives, but was quite disappointed as I was hoping to see some of the well-known Cornish artists, but only found their paintings on cards in the shop.

We also found a shop with your name, Coco, with one of England's well-behaved spaniels waiting outside.

The dogs are generally in better shape than the humans here!

We drove home along the coast via Cape Cornwall, once a tin mine, which was beautiful and wild. We discovered a South African link as a chap called Francis Oates, who was the Chairman of De Beers, built a house here called Porthledden, which he modelled on Cecil Rhodes's house, Groote Schuur, in Cape Town. He planted mesembryanthemums from South Africa, which have naturalised here and are called "Sally my handsome" by the locals who couldn't pronounce mesembryanthemum. 

In the twilight and our Sat Nav led us down little narrow roads in the southern Cornwall area and suddenly announced "In 800 yards, take the ferry" which is what we did. It is called the King Harry ferry and it takes cars over the Fal River every 10 minutes.

Still missing you all terribly, but will be home very soon, 

lots of love from the Food Lady

Eden

Dear Coco

This is our B&B in Cornwall - a lovely house called Broom Parc overlooking the sea.

On our first morning there we went for a walk along the cliff path which has some spectacular views and I just wished you could have been there to join us.

There were butterflies in the ivy, bramble berries and lots of flowers out, but the weather was quite a lot cooler that it was to begin with.

 Mom was also missing her spaniels. I think that spaniels are the most popular dogs here - but there are also lots of westies and scruffy little terriers - but we haven't seen one Scottie.

We found the gate to our house and

 I tried to take a photo of the Tika, the dog who lives there, but she was not very obliging.

Mom and I then set out for the village of Megavissey but we couldn't find anywhere to park so we drove round to another little beach called Gorran where we watched some schnauzers playing and

 where we met a cute terrier called Teddy and his Jack Russell brother.

 We then drove to St Austells and visited the huge and impressive domes of The Eden Project.

We walked on their new aerial walkway in the Rain Forest dome

 and admired some of the South African plants in the Temperate dome

 including some new ones like this arum lily hybrid called Zantedeschia "Mango".

Mom and I then went back to the coast and walked down to the beach of Polridmouth where Daphne du Maurier set Rebecca, one of her novels that Mom and I both really enjoyed. All you can see is a little cottage on a lake but apparently the house, Menabilly, is somewhere up there ...

and the walk from the car park down to the beach was very pretty. These are some wild foxgloves.
Time for bed again I am afraid - and I will continue tomorrow - we seem to be really busy here and Marie-Anne and Vincent have lots to show me so I will sign off now Coco and contnue soon ...
love to the Lad, the Alph, Simon and the Fat Cat
from the Food Lady