WEEK 1

DAY 3

We were becoming acclimatised to the weather and the roads but it was a false comfort as today was to be a test of our stamina, patience and endurance. We decided to follow the tourists to Torbay then head north to Exmoor.......

Torbay

Torquay and Torbay are only a few miles south of Kingsteignton where we were based but we soon ran into the thick of the British driver on holiday. The roads were narrow, winding and choked with cars. We crept past Torquay not even daring to enter this town, and on to the beach at Torre Abbey Sands. It was early morning, late summer but still you could see the rows of hotels, trinket shops, and deck chair lenders, just as we had seen in all those dreadful British comedies. They were now also dreadfully REAL.

Torre Abbey Sands before the deckchairs had been unfurled

Bathing sheds (not boat sheds) at Torre Abbey

Entering Torbay had been slow, but departing was a nightmare - over an hour to crawl the 2-3 miles to join the A385 and then we only went from crawl to walk.

Buckfastleigh

Eventually we reached our next goal, the Buckfastleigh Otter and Butterfly Park. Here we watched the otters (mostly North American species) run, dive and swim as they became more excited about lunch. They gobbled down their fish and we moved on, going north on the A38, then turning NW on the A382, eventually meeting the A377 at Copplestone and heading for Barnstaple. We then turned NE on the A39 and entered Exmoor.

Lynton and Lynmouth

These two towns on the north coast of Exmoor were names long-known from the book of Lorna Doone by RD Blackmore. We approached Lynton, being the town at the top of the cliff, and it was obvious that half of Britain had decided to visit on the same day. The small town full (actually over-full) of people, so we drove on, down the short steep hill to Lynmouth at the bottom. A lovely harbour town, but it too was awash with people. The afternoon was fast disappearing and we had to return to Exeter that night, so on we went. 

(Lesson: allow TIME to visit these famous places - either arrive very early and leave early, or arrive very late, stay the night and experience the location in the early morning).

Rain was imminent (again) so we headed for Foreland Point then continued east along the rugged coast.

Oare Valley

East of Lynmouth the traffic and people decreased markedly (I still wonder how they all got to Lynmouth in the first place) so we headed off the A39 into the Oare Valley, home to RD Blackmore and the setting for Lorna Doone. Despite the fame of the location, the narrow steep rural road (or the late hour of the afternoon) kept the hoards at bay and we found the Church at Oare with its commemoration to Blackmore all but deserted.

Looking west from Foreland Point towards Lynton

The parish Church at Oare

Back on the A39 east then south on the A396 we headed back towards Exeter, reaching Tiverton about 6.30pm. Dinner was needed so we tried the local Indian curry and were satisfied with the fare. The food, drink and break was welcome after the winding slow drive on the A396. We then broke our habit of keeping off the motorways, using the M5 as a quick return to Exeter and Newton Abbott.