Last day on holiday today so up early to get all those jobs done before hitting the road at 09:30. Home by 1pm and unloaded and ready to watch England's finest hour where we thrashed the Slovenians 1-0. Touch and go for the last quarter of an hour though.
LAST ENTRY IN THE BLOG
Thursday 24 June 2010
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Tuesday 22nd June
Clear blue skies, beautiful view across the river here at Baltic wharf.
Travelling by ferry into Bristol today for a wander around the town. Had lunch at a bar on Welsh Back down by the canal and then went wandering around the city trying some new places for a drink.
Then it was time to get back for the Argentina match with it's predictable outcome.
Travelling by ferry into Bristol today for a wander around the town. Had lunch at a bar on Welsh Back down by the canal and then went wandering around the city trying some new places for a drink.
Then it was time to get back for the Argentina match with it's predictable outcome.
Monday 21 June 2010
Monday 21st June
Bit of cloud this morning and not much of a breeze. Off to Dyrham Park this morning before going to Paul & Rita’s in Wales for dinner. 
Dyram Park is a grand baroque house with spectacular sweeping views towards Bristol and was designed by Talman for William Blathwayt, Secretary at War during the reign of William III (of Orange). Lavish 17th-century collections reflect the fashion for all things Dutch, including paintings and furniture. Later 18th-century additions include the Victorian domestic quarters where we joined a taster tour. Lovely formal gardens to the back of the house leading round to the parish church.
Turned out to be a beautiful day and Wales was as nice as England – had a nice BBQ at Paul & Rita’s and saw Anna & David with the boys just before we left, then back to see the end of the Spain Honduras match where the Spanish remembered how to play football. I hope England remember on Wednesday.
Dyram Park is a grand baroque house with spectacular sweeping views towards Bristol and was designed by Talman for William Blathwayt, Secretary at War during the reign of William III (of Orange). Lavish 17th-century collections reflect the fashion for all things Dutch, including paintings and furniture. Later 18th-century additions include the Victorian domestic quarters where we joined a taster tour. Lovely formal gardens to the back of the house leading round to the parish church.
Turned out to be a beautiful day and Wales was as nice as England – had a nice BBQ at Paul & Rita’s and saw Anna & David with the boys just before we left, then back to see the end of the Spain Honduras match where the Spanish remembered how to play football. I hope England remember on Wednesday.
Sunday 20th June
Up at the crack of dawn as we’re leaving Cornwall today to go to Bristol. The plan was to set off at 10am but we failed the lights test. Fortunately just a loose bulb and we still ended up in Bristol at about 2pm after 184 mile drive – you forget just how remote Cornwall is. Part of Bristol was coned off to a cycle anywhere event but a kind council worker took pity on us and moved the cones out of the way so we could get to the site. 
Set up in about 15 minutes and drove to Clevedon Court which is a medieval manor house which has been added to in a higgledy-piggledy way over the last few hundred years which gives it loads of character although all the photos look a bit strange. 
Lovely layout of the ancient gardens but not a lot of colour at the moment. There was still time to get to another National Trust property today that is just a few miles away at Tyntesfield. It’s an enormous estate with what appears to be a superb gothic mansion but unfortunately it was covered in scaffolding and so we decided it was one for another day. Even so we had a lovely mile or so walk through the estate and woodlands.
We decided to eat early as we wanted to get back to the caravan to see the Brazil vs Ivory Coast match so we headed back to the site at Baltic Wharf and ate at the Cottage Inn on the waterfront right next to the site, with such good weather, it was heaving!
Set up in about 15 minutes and drove to Clevedon Court which is a medieval manor house which has been added to in a higgledy-piggledy way over the last few hundred years which gives it loads of character although all the photos look a bit strange. 
Lovely layout of the ancient gardens but not a lot of colour at the moment. There was still time to get to another National Trust property today that is just a few miles away at Tyntesfield. It’s an enormous estate with what appears to be a superb gothic mansion but unfortunately it was covered in scaffolding and so we decided it was one for another day. Even so we had a lovely mile or so walk through the estate and woodlands.
We decided to eat early as we wanted to get back to the caravan to see the Brazil vs Ivory Coast match so we headed back to the site at Baltic Wharf and ate at the Cottage Inn on the waterfront right next to the site, with such good weather, it was heaving!
Sunday 20 June 2010
Saturday 19th June
Cloudy overnight but blue skies and sunshine by 9am. Headed off to Godolphin which was built in the 15th century and was at one stage, the largest house in Cornwall. It’s being renovated at the moment an not a lot was open. 
The garden is around 700 years old and is fascinating to stroll around.
The Lifeboat Inn at Coverack beckoned us at lunch time and so we sat in the small fishing harbour and had our fish and chips out of the paper they were wrapped in.
Beautiful views of the cove on our walk back to the car. 
Wasn’t able to get a car park ticket out of the machine as it wasn’t printing but by the time we got back, there were a few hundred tickets on the ground and it was continuing to print a stream of tickets on it’s own. On the way back, we stopped at Mullion Cove and then back to the caravan to start packing up as we’re leaving for Bristol tomorrow.
The garden is around 700 years old and is fascinating to stroll around.
The Lifeboat Inn at Coverack beckoned us at lunch time and so we sat in the small fishing harbour and had our fish and chips out of the paper they were wrapped in.
Beautiful views of the cove on our walk back to the car. 
Wasn’t able to get a car park ticket out of the machine as it wasn’t printing but by the time we got back, there were a few hundred tickets on the ground and it was continuing to print a stream of tickets on it’s own. On the way back, we stopped at Mullion Cove and then back to the caravan to start packing up as we’re leaving for Bristol tomorrow.
Friday 18th June
Another glorious day with clear blue skies and a heavy dew in the morning. Drove to Glendurgan Garden near Falmouth which has been built around three valleys
and slopes down to the hamlet of Durgan on the Helford River where you can sit on rocks and watch the world go by - a lovely walk.
Very close by was the Ferry Boat Inn down on the river at Helford where we stopped for a coffee – beautiful views across the river and hillsides.
Lunchtime took us to the Norway Inn on the main road to Truro for a snack – very nice pub with St Austell Ales. Then it’s off to Trelissick Gardens in Feock near Truro – it’s been designed around a valley that slopes down to the river Fal.
There’s plenty of colour for June but is probably at it’s best in the spring. As we walked down to the river, we picked up a locally made ice cream and ate it watching the car ferry cross the river.
We stopped at Truro on our way to Pete’s at Crantock and had a little wander around the town. Not a huge attraction. Then it was off to Pete’s for dinner and to watch a dreadful England performance against Algeria who I had predicted that we would beat about 12-0, sadly we drew 0-0.
and slopes down to the hamlet of Durgan on the Helford River where you can sit on rocks and watch the world go by - a lovely walk.
Very close by was the Ferry Boat Inn down on the river at Helford where we stopped for a coffee – beautiful views across the river and hillsides. 
Lunchtime took us to the Norway Inn on the main road to Truro for a snack – very nice pub with St Austell Ales. Then it’s off to Trelissick Gardens in Feock near Truro – it’s been designed around a valley that slopes down to the river Fal.
There’s plenty of colour for June but is probably at it’s best in the spring. As we walked down to the river, we picked up a locally made ice cream and ate it watching the car ferry cross the river.
We stopped at Truro on our way to Pete’s at Crantock and had a little wander around the town. Not a huge attraction. Then it was off to Pete’s for dinner and to watch a dreadful England performance against Algeria who I had predicted that we would beat about 12-0, sadly we drew 0-0.
Thursday 17th June
Housework day today and hopefully a chance to let the sunburn recover a little. Went out early and got enormous Danish pastries and Cornish pasties for lunch – best to leave Jean in peace to battle with the washing machines! Walked down to our local beach at Gwithian Towans across the sand dunes and had a coffee at the beach/surf café where they provide internet access so that Jean could do some work and I could check the Fantasy football. Took a drive to St Ives after lunch – found a parking space down by the harbour and had a stroll through the town. 
Not really our kind of place too busy and really not very interesting – perhaps you need to be in the mood to browse the arty/farty shops which we obviously weren’t. We stopped at the Bluff Inn on the way home which we’d been to before at the New Year but was shut then. 
It’s a beautiful outlook from the garden of the pub across to St Ives in the west and to our beach and lighthouse to the east. No real ale though – it’s a lager/tattoo pub. Home for a sandwich and more footie.
Not really our kind of place too busy and really not very interesting – perhaps you need to be in the mood to browse the arty/farty shops which we obviously weren’t. We stopped at the Bluff Inn on the way home which we’d been to before at the New Year but was shut then. 
It’s a beautiful outlook from the garden of the pub across to St Ives in the west and to our beach and lighthouse to the east. No real ale though – it’s a lager/tattoo pub. Home for a sandwich and more footie.
Wednesday 16th June
Had Pete & Hazel over for lunch with Carol, Chris and Annabell – had a lovely afternoon and ate far too much. Went for a stroll down to the beach over the sand dunes. The campsite is at a great location only 15 minutes walk from the beach and cafes. 
Out in the sun for most of the day and Jean and I are both a little sunburnt – my legs and her shoulders. Should keep us warm in bed tonight as the temperatures are due to drop to about 7 degrees. Saw the end of the game where the mighty Spain were beaten 1-0 by Switzerland – didn’t see that one coming!
Out in the sun for most of the day and Jean and I are both a little sunburnt – my legs and her shoulders. Should keep us warm in bed tonight as the temperatures are due to drop to about 7 degrees. Saw the end of the game where the mighty Spain were beaten 1-0 by Switzerland – didn’t see that one coming!
Tuesday 15th June
Off to Cornwall today so an early start. Very uneventful journey and got to Godrevy Park by 1pm. Had a little tour of the area and settled down to enjoy the weather until it was time to watch the football – Portugal drawing against the Ivory Coast and Brazil scraping through against North Korea. BBQ between games!
Monday 14th June
Rained overnight so a slow start this morning. We’ve been told about the ruined fishing village of Hallsands which is just beyond Beesands on the way to Start Point so decided to have a look first thing. Not a lot to see really as I guess most of it was washed away 100 years ago. 
From there, it was a trek across the narrowest Devon lanes yet to Sharpham Vineyard for lunch, a tour round the vineyard and a cheese and wine tasting. We tasted 4 of their wines and enjoyed the white (sauvignon blanc style) best.
It used the Madeleine Angevine grape which I’ve never heard of – still very pleasant and we had a bottle of this with lunch. By the time we’d finished, it was too late to get to Buckland Abbey so we headed for Blackpool Sands where the Venus Café on the beach came highly recommended so we had a coffee looking out over the beach – beautiful.
Time to head back to the campsite via the Start Bay Inn at Torcross Point for a last cider before leaving Devon.
From there, it was a trek across the narrowest Devon lanes yet to Sharpham Vineyard for lunch, a tour round the vineyard and a cheese and wine tasting. We tasted 4 of their wines and enjoyed the white (sauvignon blanc style) best.
It used the Madeleine Angevine grape which I’ve never heard of – still very pleasant and we had a bottle of this with lunch. By the time we’d finished, it was too late to get to Buckland Abbey so we headed for Blackpool Sands where the Venus Café on the beach came highly recommended so we had a coffee looking out over the beach – beautiful.
Time to head back to the campsite via the Start Bay Inn at Torcross Point for a last cider before leaving Devon.
Sunday 13 June
Yet again clear blue skies and sunshine. We’re off to visit Antony and have decided the best way to get there is to take the ferry from Devonport to Torpoint leaving just a short drive. 
Antony is where the Tim Burton film of Alice in Wonderland was filmed in 2009 and there’s a legacy of Alice left behind. Antony is the home to the Carew-Pole family (used to be Plantagenet pretenders in Henry VIII times). We did the Antony Woodland walk before looking round the house which took us down to the estuary for some good views. The house contains hundreds of portraits of the Carews and Poles dating back to the 17th century. Some of the rooms have superb plastered ceilings (look a bit like wedgewood to an amateur) and have been designed by Robert Adams. It’s about 1:30 now and time to hit the road again for Cotehele that is a Tudor flint house that has the appearance of a small castle. 
As we’re in Cornwall now, a pasty is calling, but having tried all their restaurants, they’re all sold out! Cotehele has 8 miles of footpaths and a bus that ferries you up and down some of the steep slopes. The gardens were superb with hidden parts, formal gardens and ponds, follies and thatched shelters. The colour was magnificent and well planned out and coordinated – wish I could do the same at home. The castle/home was full of tapestries, tester beds and medieval furniture, it had classic 16th century leaded lights and stained glass windows and was in superb condition. Well done to the National Trust. After leaving here, we needed a glass of cider to cool us down so we headed off to the Fortescue Arms in East Allington that Philip had recommended to us. It took us down the narrowest lanes we’ve been along yet. Some of the lanes even had grass growing along the middle of the road! Sadly it didn’t open until 6pm so we decided to head off to the Start Bay Inn for a well earned cider before heading back to the caravan site for a BBQ. 
Sitting outside the pub, looking out to sea and having a nice pint of cloudy cider, it decided to start drizzling so we were driven back into the pub to study the menu. All the fish served is caught in Start Bay and as it was still raining, we decided to try the scallops and monkfish for starters followed by local burgers and another couple of drinks. Apple pie and clotted cream rounded off an excellent meal.
Antony is where the Tim Burton film of Alice in Wonderland was filmed in 2009 and there’s a legacy of Alice left behind. Antony is the home to the Carew-Pole family (used to be Plantagenet pretenders in Henry VIII times). We did the Antony Woodland walk before looking round the house which took us down to the estuary for some good views. The house contains hundreds of portraits of the Carews and Poles dating back to the 17th century. Some of the rooms have superb plastered ceilings (look a bit like wedgewood to an amateur) and have been designed by Robert Adams. It’s about 1:30 now and time to hit the road again for Cotehele that is a Tudor flint house that has the appearance of a small castle. 
As we’re in Cornwall now, a pasty is calling, but having tried all their restaurants, they’re all sold out! Cotehele has 8 miles of footpaths and a bus that ferries you up and down some of the steep slopes. The gardens were superb with hidden parts, formal gardens and ponds, follies and thatched shelters. The colour was magnificent and well planned out and coordinated – wish I could do the same at home. The castle/home was full of tapestries, tester beds and medieval furniture, it had classic 16th century leaded lights and stained glass windows and was in superb condition. Well done to the National Trust. After leaving here, we needed a glass of cider to cool us down so we headed off to the Fortescue Arms in East Allington that Philip had recommended to us. It took us down the narrowest lanes we’ve been along yet. Some of the lanes even had grass growing along the middle of the road! Sadly it didn’t open until 6pm so we decided to head off to the Start Bay Inn for a well earned cider before heading back to the caravan site for a BBQ. 
Sitting outside the pub, looking out to sea and having a nice pint of cloudy cider, it decided to start drizzling so we were driven back into the pub to study the menu. All the fish served is caught in Start Bay and as it was still raining, we decided to try the scallops and monkfish for starters followed by local burgers and another couple of drinks. Apple pie and clotted cream rounded off an excellent meal.
Saturday 12th June
Beautiful start to the day, clear blue skies and sunshine, need to set off for Overbecks at 10:30, 
so a leisurely breakfast is in order. Overbecks is a beautiful Edwardian house with stunning views over Salcombe, the harbour and the bay. The garden is wonderfully terraced providing great views to the next level down wherever you view it from. The house is full of Mr Overbecks’s collection of bits and pieces from all over the world and his collection of stuffed animals, birds and fish. He invented an electric shock machine for nutters.
Time to move on for lunch. Jean had chosen the Winking Prawn looking out over the bay of North Sands at Salcombe and it’s well worth a repeat visit.
After a long drive through some of the narrowest Devon lanes that the SatNav could find (max width 7’), we eventually got to Saltram House. 
so a leisurely breakfast is in order. Overbecks is a beautiful Edwardian house with stunning views over Salcombe, the harbour and the bay. The garden is wonderfully terraced providing great views to the next level down wherever you view it from. The house is full of Mr Overbecks’s collection of bits and pieces from all over the world and his collection of stuffed animals, birds and fish. He invented an electric shock machine for nutters.
Time to move on for lunch. Jean had chosen the Winking Prawn looking out over the bay of North Sands at Salcombe and it’s well worth a repeat visit.
After a long drive through some of the narrowest Devon lanes that the SatNav could find (max width 7’), we eventually got to Saltram House. 
This is a Tudor house that has been added to over the years, set in a large, mature garden with beautiful country views, follies, a chapel and an orangery. 
After this, it’s time to hit the beach at Wembury which is a National Trust area with an old Mill House that’s been converted to a tea room. It’s a beautiful cove with rocks, sand and deck chairs for hire. Time for an ice cream and a coffee.
After this, it’s time to hit the beach at Wembury which is a National Trust area with an old Mill House that’s been converted to a tea room. It’s a beautiful cove with rocks, sand and deck chairs for hire. Time for an ice cream and a coffee. 
After roasting for half an hour on this south facing cove, it’s time to visit another of Jean’s carefully researched pubs. This one is at Noss Mayo which is a village banked on either side of the estuary, the houses all face the estuary with balconies, there’s even a caged trampoline on a terrace 50’ up with a child practising for the 2012 olympics. 
We opted for the Ship on the bank of the estuary in preference to the Swan or the Dolphin which we’re saving for next time. This is a “must come back to”. After a couple of pints of St Austell’s Tribute and a couple of glasses of Sauv Blanc (whoops she said, they gave me a large one by mistake!), it was time to get back to the caravan to see the England match against USA. I wish we’d stayed at Noss Mayo.
We opted for the Ship on the bank of the estuary in preference to the Swan or the Dolphin which we’re saving for next time. This is a “must come back to”. After a couple of pints of St Austell’s Tribute and a couple of glasses of Sauv Blanc (whoops she said, they gave me a large one by mistake!), it was time to get back to the caravan to see the England match against USA. I wish we’d stayed at Noss Mayo.
Friday 18 June 2010
Friday 11th June
Weather a bit hazy this morning so we decided to just take a stroll down to Torcross where Jean had found a nice sounding pub, the Start Bay Inn, for lunch. Before reaching the pub
, we got to the sea front, a lovely shingle bay and having just bought an OS map of the area, decided to head to Beesands which appeared to be a short 1 ½ mile walk across the clifftops. Well it was 1 ½ miles with plenty of climbing and steps but lovely views. Beesands offered a
pub on Jean’s list, the Cricket Inn and an interesting looking beachside seafood café where we stopped for seafood platters. They said we could fetch drinks from the Cricket Inn, 100 yards away, and we tried the local cider (a couple of times). We took a circular route back through fields but with great views and came out at Stokenham and a short stroll back to the campsite. By now the sun was out in it’s full force and we were driven into chairs and sleep. 
, we got to the sea front, a lovely shingle bay and having just bought an OS map of the area, decided to head to Beesands which appeared to be a short 1 ½ mile walk across the clifftops. Well it was 1 ½ miles with plenty of climbing and steps but lovely views. Beesands offered a
pub on Jean’s list, the Cricket Inn and an interesting looking beachside seafood café where we stopped for seafood platters. They said we could fetch drinks from the Cricket Inn, 100 yards away, and we tried the local cider (a couple of times). We took a circular route back through fields but with great views and came out at Stokenham and a short stroll back to the campsite. By now the sun was out in it’s full force and we were driven into chairs and sleep. 
Thursday 17 June 2010
Thursday 10th June - Off to Devon
After long journey, arrived at 5:30 – warden had stayed open for us (just). Quick set up and off to Jean’s selection, the Kings Arms at Strete which is a renowned Gastropub as evidenced by the price of a pint and small glass of wine at £8.30. Had superb fish and chips with mushy peas. Well worth a return visit so long as we’re not feeling thirsty.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)