I can’t see over the hedges! Getting lost on country lanes in Southwest England
 

Just came back from 5 days in Southwest England.

Got in at Heathrow 20 min. late. Not too bad. Waited 20 min. for our Hertz bus to bring us to the rental agency. We finally got our car and set off for Chippenham for our Premier Travel Inn room.

The Travel Inns can be found throughout England. They are a basic motel without breakfast. Very much like a Motel 6 in the states. It was a hot evening and we had a fan in the room to welcome us. It was the only fan we saw for the rest of the trip.

Bath
The next day we went to the park and ride for our journey into Bath. It was a brutally hot day. We found the park and ride without trouble and hopped on our double decker bus that brought us into the city. Park and the ride was quite cheap, around £1.50.

Bath is an old Roman town made of stone of the area. Everything is light brown, quite a change from the green countryside. We went to the Roman Baths and had our first scones at the Pump. A beautiful room with a live orchestra and a sweating snobby waiter, we enjoyed the atmosphere immensely.

We then continued to tour the Roman baths, finding it very interesting and worthwhile. We then got on the city bus tour until we got off at the Costume museum. It’s located behind the circus, which is a basically a roundabout with a circle of buildings on the outside and beautiful huge trees in the middle of the grassy inner circle. We walked through the museums, asking ourselves who John Bates was and talking about the clothes of the past. It’s worthwhile if you are interested in the history of clothes since you can see some back to the 1700’s.

We continued on our tour and then went for the skyline tour outside of the city. I enjoyed this only for the beauty of the countryside and because we were on top of the bus and could see OVER the hedges.

We finished our tour of Bath with a tasty pasty (which does not rhyme) and our mandatory bottle of water. It was hot throughout our trip (England is having a heatwave) and we continually bought COLD bottles of water.

Swineford
Not wanting to continue our trip on the motorway, we drove through the countryside, getting a bit lost, as we tried to find Glastonbury. We asked the bus driver in Bath how to get there and he told us to take a left, then take another left, then take a right at the Kings Arms pub and then a left at the White Hart pub, etc.. Needless to say, we got lost. We stopped in front of a beautiful pub (The Swan, I believe) at Swineford and asked a pleasant couple sipping beer where we were. They took one look at us and knew we were lost. We said, yes, we are lost in Swineford. They immediately corrected us and said it’s pronounced “Swinford”. They were a bit taken back at our pronunciation. We apologized as he again told us directions.

Glastonbury

And so begins a leg of our trip that leads us into mystical, magical England. We finally reach Glastonbury and liked what we saw. A small village with beautiful houses on a main street. We walked up the street and began wondering why so many stores sold “magical, mystical and spiritual” things. The word “Avalon” kept popping up again and again. We asked two young locals what was so special here. Ah…King Arthur, of course! He is supposedly buried in the abbey. We were told to see the Chalice Well and the Tor to catch the spirit of Glastonbury. Since it was evening, we missed the abbey. The chalice was closed as well, so we drove up the hill to the Tor.

Ah the Tor. I have many favourite places in the world and this has become one of them. It was a beautiful warm evening and the sun was about to go down. The Tor is an old standing tower on an almost perfectly shaped grassy hill. We walked up the trail to the Tor, passing cows and beautiful scenery along the way. After a 15 min. walk, we reached the top and what a sight! The people who came to watch the sunset were definitely into spiritual enlightenment. Woman were practicing yoga, a “hippie” family brought their bongos and banjo while their children ran around naked. A lone man was sitting on a stone, tuning his guitar. Another couple were practicing tai chi, facing the north. And, among the spectators, a lone man was playing his block flute. The sun began to set upon the sea with a beautiful red sky. People were quiet. The only noise you could hear was the man playing his block flute quietly. And when the sun set, people clapped with appreciation. Then a barefoot man began to play his didgeridoo within the walls of the tower. Merlin would have been proud. I was in another world.

After leaving our mystical place, we then went to Taunten Dean for our next night at a Travel Inn. We booked ahead because we were afraid we wouldn’t find any accommodation for the night. This was again a basic Motel 6 without a fan and thin walls. We slept almost naked on our beds because it was so warm.

Next day…. on to North Devon.

I'm enjoying your trip immensely (vicariously) especially the Bath part. MORE!

Thanks, schuler. More please.

Yes, More, please Sir!

Looking forward to the Devon installment schuler!

Great stuff so far! I so sympathize on the fan thing -- I could have killed for fans on my Irish trip last month :)

It sounds wonderful, but I wonder why you did not stay at B&B's. When we were in Southeast England last year, we really enjoyed staying in B&B's and getting to meet and talk to the owners. We paid 50-60 pounds for a double with great breakfasts.

Ummm.wow..the visual image I have of Tor is making me take pause...I can't decide if that's something I shouldn't miss or something I should avoid. :)

We are staying in Chipping Norton which is in Oxfordshire...so I'm not sure how far Tor is from there...but can't wait to see where all you go so we might add some day drives....thanks for the report!
Tara

The Chalice Well and gardens are worth the trip to Glastonbury, even if you find the Tor strange and downtown too hippie :)

The gardens are extensive, and have several separate areas for relaxing in, as well as the beautiful well and fountains. Note the red color of the stone in the fountain, from the high iron content of the water!

I found the Tor a little disappointing when I went, as it was literally swarming with loud tourists, children running and screaming everywhere. It must have been beautiful at dusk with everyone looking reverently at the sunset!

However, even with the noise, the view was absolutely stunning.

Chippy to Glastonbury is a surprisingly tortuous 2/2.5 hour drive along roads liberally spattered with speed cameras. To get the most out of Glastonbury, you really should understand its history, and that of Avalon, first.

Basically, the legend that Christ and/or Joseph of Arimathea and/or the surviving disciples came to the area came first. Then the Abbey was built, but it lost pilgrim income to the booming Beckett cult in the 13th century, so miraculously Arthur's remains were discovered.

The whole thing was suppressed during the Reformation. AFAIW, the hippies rediscovered it during the Flower Power area, and the hippy industry was sustained by the annual Glastonbury Festival. Hence the town's truly bizarre mix of conventional shops, warlocks' coves, many varieties of Christian church and a couple of bookshops awash with titles at the far reaches of lunacy.

If staying at Chippy, buy your divining rods on special somewhere in Glastonbury, then try them out at the Rollright Stones.

Peace and love

Thank you all for the comments.

B&Bs are coming up.

We were lucky with the Tor. I think we were the only tourists. We would have liked to have seen the Chalice Well, the Abbey and more. We had done no research on Glastonbury and were taken back on what it had to offer. If I ever have the chance, I'll definitely go there again during a late afternoon.

Thank you, flanneruk, for the history. Glastonbury is truly unique and mystical. Especially when the tourists are gone.

North Devon: Sampford Brett and Dunster

We continued on our trip with my English friend driving barefoot while I was trying to figure out our map. We ended up buying a detailed map so we wouldn’t have to ask the friendly locals for their well-meant directions. As we drove in the direction of Lynton, we began passing thatched roofs. Look, our first thatched roof! Our second! And more and more began peeking over the hedges.

Sampford Brett
On a whim ( or was it female intuition?) we went up a small lane to take a closer look at a beautiful thatched roof house and came into a breathtaking tiny hamlet called Sampford Brett. On the left side was the old church, dotted with old grave stones, on the right was the old school (labelled: The Old School) and gorgeous old houses on the two streets surrounding them. We went by the old barn (labelled: The Old Barn) and parked near the new barn. There was a woman’s gathering going on and friendly folk waved to us as we drove or walked by. It was the quintessential hamlet. A perfect place to live or use as a set in a film. I highly recommend anyone driving down the A358 to stop and have a look. It will make you want to buy a house there.

We continued our drive to Dunster, a village recommended on this board (thank you!) Dunster is a medieval town with a long downtown street. It was another sizzling day so we walked in the shade of the old buildings, past the old yarn building until we finally found the old mill. The old mill area is breathtaking. Thatched roof houses in white and pink nestled closely together with flowers blooming in the front yard or along the house walls.

We walked back to the car, stopping to buy scones and peppermint chocolate ice cream (both not to be found in Switzerland). We skipped the castle since we had a long journey ahead of us.

Next: Selworthy, Allerford, Bossington

schuler - Looking forward to more and glad to hear B&B's coming up.

Sandy

What a kick, schuler! I was just about to ask at calville's swiss thread if we could expect a trip report soon. Yea! I'm enjoying this very much, because I visited some of the same places when my friends and I stayed a week in Monkton Farleigh (just between Bath and Bradford on Avon). Thankfully, it must have been before global warming, because I don't recall any hot days. (We human beings are really damaging this small planet irrevocably I fear.)

I'm sorry that you did not have a chance to explore the abbey at Glastonbury. I found it to be very beautiful and serene. (I don't recall any crowds at all at that time, mid-80's.) On the other hand, I didn't climb the Tor, so I missed out on that experience. (It will be on my list for the next time I can find a fearless UK driver for a travel partner.)

Then you mentioned Dunster! I thought the name was familiar so I did a google search, and sure enough, we were there, too. You're bringing back all sorts of lovely memories. Thanks so much! J.

Hi J and Sandy: Thanks for your comments.

Selworthy, Allerford, Bossington

Leaving Dunster, we continue driving towards North Devon. We are still searching for wonderful town villages and, oops, we just passed the sign that points to Selworthy. We attempt to find a place to turn around, which is not easy on these roads, and after a successful u-turn, we head for Selworthy. As we drive up the road, we again see hedges on the left and right. And a bit of yellow. Is that a thatched roof? Is that a house? We drive up to the parking lot, located below a beautiful white church. We decide not to get out (mistake, I know) but turn around and continue our drive. Behind those hedges would have been a few beautiful yellow thatched roof houses. But the driver was getting hungry and there were no restaurants in sight so we continue our drive.

Just a bit down the road, I see Allerford and a brief glimpse of a beautiful tiny stone bridge. Halt! Turn around. That’s where we are going. We drive into the hamlet of Allerford and are transported back 100+ years. The beauty, the serenity, the Englishness of it all. The stone bridge arches over a babbling brook strewn with green plants. Behind it is a beautiful thatched cottage, framed with an English garden. We get out and take pictures. We then continue down the country lane, passing more picture perfect country cottages until we end at Bossington.

Serendipity. We are in heaven. A perfect hamlet with wonderful thatched cottages that haven’t changed over the years. I believe the area is under National Trust, so they aren’t allowed to change a thing. We go to the car park and decide to eat at Kitner’s tearoom. We went out to the back and found ourselves in the perfect English garden. The menu was exquisite and a bit Italian. Even our waitress was Italian. However, the food was divine (I ordered a tuna ciabatta) and dessert, scones, of course, were out of this world. The clotted cream was whipped and white, the best throughout our whole trip. The prices were reasonable too. I would return to this gourmet paradise at the drop of a hat.

Here’s a website with a picture of this fantastic restaurant:
http://www.pbase.com/moorlands/image/25422688

Next: Lynton, Appledore and Clovelly

Lynton

Lynton is a village right on the sea coast. You drive downhill and there it is. It would be quaint if it weren’t so commercialized. And the stone beach is nothing to get excited about. After seeing such beautiful villages before, I was a bit let down. Souvenir stands and lots of tourists. Did I mention most tourists we spoke to were English? We did have a nice double clotted cream ice cream cone though.

Lynmouth

Drove up the hill to Lynmouth. It would have been a nice town to explore because of it’s architecture and non-commercialism. However, it was time to go to Appledore.

Appledore

We drove a bit through Exmoor along the A39, admiring the wide open spaces and wondering who Lorna Doone was. We passed Barnstaple and went right into Appledore. Appledore is a fishing village on the mouth of the Torridge River as it enters Barnstaple Bay. It’s not commercialized and you won’t find many restaurants. We parked the car on the river side of Appledore, knowing that when we come back, it will be full of seagull droppings… there were so many flying around! We walked through the narrow alleys and were suddenly thinking: are we in England or Greece? The blue buildings and alleys, the heat and the lack of noise, made us compare it to the tiny alleys of Santorini and Naxos. We had a coffee and a pot of tea in a tiny café to escape the heat. Yup, hot drinks will do it everytime.

Northern Burrows

We continued our drive towards Westward ho! and got a bit lost. At an intersection, we asked a very attractive middle-aged man directions. He advised us to visit the Northern Burrows. It’s the oldest golf course in England and one of the few places where golfers golf among cows, sheep and ponies. A quick right and there we were! We didn’t have to pay admission because it was after 6.00 pm. We drove along the flat ground and were amazed at the beauty and serenity of it all. There really were animals grazing among tee offs (which were roped off). We parked our car in front of a long wall of beautiful pushed up rocks. We walked over them carefully, hoping not to twist an ankle, and met a long sandy beach being caressed by waves. Walking quite a distance, we cooled off our feet in the water and then walked back over the natural wall of rocks. I wish we could have taken some of those beautifully polished rocks with us for my garden.

Clovelly

We continued our drive to Clovelly not knowing what to expect of this village. Clovelly is pronounced cloVELLY. We arrived at the empty parking lot after 7.00 pm. Empty? We were confused. This was supposed to be a major sight. We walked by the admissions entrance. What? Pay for a village? We later found out this village was privately owned. Since we arrived after opening hours, we could walk freely down to the village. It was a downhill walk on a cobblestone lane that does not allow cars. The village is white with many thatched roof houses. It’s not commercialized (except for the entrance fee), but it’s situated on a steep slope with a main street and a side street. The streets lead down to the coast. The houses are small and many have English gardens in front of them. It really is beautiful and not big at all. I think we saw two restaurants and no tacky souvenir shops. The road is so steep that village inhabitants use makeshift sleds to transport their goods from their cars to their homes. We saw many of these sleds parked in front of the doors. This village is not for people with walking problems. It’s steep. They do have land rovers that will take you from the entrance to the bottom, but you’ll be taken down a side road and won’t see the main village at all.

The best thing about Clovelly was that there were no tourists. None. People don’t come here after closing hours, except for a few confused souls like us. We walked down to the coastline and had a nice dinner in the restaurant. I had a potato jacket with cheese and my friend had fish and chips. We drank at least two glasses of yummy English cider (not alcohol free) and spoke with the locals. It was a great way to end the evening. We walked back up through the empty streets of Clovelly, again marvelling at the serenity and beauty and commenting on how glad we came at this time of the evening.

It was time to search for a B&B.

We had seen many B&B signs travelling along the northern coast. We wanted to go inland because our goal was to visit the southern coast the next day. We decided to go to Holsworthy, looking for a B&B along the way. We drove out of Clovelly, seeing many B&B signs and chose to drive small country lanes to Holsworthy. There should be plenty of B&Bs to choose from, right? WRONG! There aren’t. We drove to Holsworthy, seeing not one B&B along the way. All we saw were high hedges. Hedges, hedges and more hedges. As romantic as country lanes sound, all you’ll see are hedges. It can get frustrating.

It was getting dark and the signs were getting hard to read. We were determined to stay at a B&B and drove past the hotels in Holsworthy. We were straining our eyes trying to read the signs and suddenly…B&B! We go down another country lane to find it. We drive up to the house, which looked a bit run down, and a hippie-ish man came out to greet us. We were desperate and were ready to stay in any B&B. The man was very nice but told us that he couldn’t take any guests. Oh no! It was dark and we had enough of searching. We inwardly panicked. B&B owners are truly caring and helpful. This one was no different. He picked up the phone and called around, asking about room availability. No luck. After 15 min., he found a place for us in Tinhay. “Was £70 for a double room too expensive? It’s a four star B&B,” he asked. “No, no. That will be fine,” we answered. He then went on to give directions. I took out my map and followed them, being very glad to have it with us. We drove 10 min., going down country lanes in the dark, which were very dark because of the….high hedges, of course.

Tinhay Mill B&B and restaurant

And finally, without getting lost, we drove up to a beautiful old cottage in Tinhay. It was called the Tinhay Mill restaurant. It was 11.00 pm and the owner, Margaret, was there to welcome us. She showed us our cosy and quaint room and explained that it was en-suite (a bathroom within the room). It was a tiny bathroom, but everything was clean and operating perfectly. We went down to the living room and had a glass of wine before we went to bed. We celebrated our success in finding a B&B.

We slept well that night and went down for breakfast the next day. Margaret is a gourmet cook and has even written her own Cornish cookbooks. We had a SCRUMPTIOUS breakfast of plain yogurt, different fruit, cereal, eggs, ham, fried tomatoes and mushrooms and brown toast. I really recommend this B&B. It’s not big, 3 rooms only, but quiet, welcoming and cosy. I wish we could have eaten dinner there as well.
Website: http://www.tinhaymillrestaurant.co.uk/

Coming up… Padstow, Tintagel, Bocastle, Crackington Haven, Widemouth Bay

Really enjoying your report. Brings back so many memories. My sister lived in Dorset for many years so understand about the high hedges!! I can just see in my mind the beautiful villages from your description. I think there is no where more beautiful than an english village in the late afternoon summer sun. aaahhhh, bootiful. Schnauzer

Oh, schuler, you missed something with Lorna Doone - a big Victorian historical romance set in the late 17th century, which gets remade for TV about every ten years. Just the thing for a wet weekend with a large box of chocolates.

http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/7/13/frameset.html

schuler:

How kind of the hippie-ish man to find you Tinhay Mill - You couldn't have done better. You were taking a chance waiting so late in the day to find your B&B. Glad it worked out for you.

I am very much enjoying your trip report.

Looking forward to more.

Sandy

Thanks for the replies. It's nice to know someone is reading this.

Margaret, the B&B owner, convinced us to visit more of North Devon. She persuaded us to see the area between Tintagel and Widemouth Bay, promising us beautiful coastal views. So we changed our plans and decided to start the day off in Padstow.

Padstow
Padstow is a coastal town nestled in Padstow Bay. It is bustling with lots of tourists, souvenir shops and restaurants. We walked by Rick Stein’s Café, who according to my German guide book ,is a famous chef who makes Fish and Chips to die for. We walked down to the harbour and past the row of donated benches. We enjoyed reading the words of dedication posted on the signs of each bench. We then walked up to the Prideaux Place, which must appear in some Rosamund Pilcher films. The Swiss love her films and many come to Devon just because of them. I haven’t seen one yet. After walking to the front door of the mansion, we turned around and walked to the church, through the graveyard and up through the forest trail, back to our car park. We weren’t really impressed with Padstow after seeing so many other towns.

Tintagel

Tintagel (pronounced TintAJEL) is rather a barren coastal town, located high on the coastal cliffs. It’s a village that didn’t impress me… at first. We drove in and went down the only street in the village until we found a car park. One pound for the day. We walked down the street, admiring the old post office. It’s the most beautiful building of the village and most authentic too. We continued to walk to the sea, passing a restaurant where we could see them make pasties. Hmm…. too good to pass up. We found ourselves a table behind the restaurant and ordered scones and tea. They were delicious but our most entertaining experience was watching the seagulls. Behind a bush, we heard plates rattle and an awful noise. I got up to see what the commotion was all about. And there, on a picnic table full of plates and food left by the customers, were six seagulls, grabbing at anything they could find. Plates and silverware went flying as the huge birds greedily picked at the food. The waitresses ran to the table to shoo off the birds and pick up the mess. This happened three times. Watch out for those seagulls!

Farther down the road, we saw King Arthur’s castle. Or a kitschy imitation of it. Built as a castle but functions as a hotel, it looks like something Disney would dream up. It stands with it’s back toward the sea. Quite dramatic actually. We walked around the hotel and looked down upon the cliff’s and the ruins of a fortress/castle that may have once belonged to King Arthur. We didn’t have the time or energy to walk to the ruins but took in the magnificent coastal views.

Boscastle

Boscastle is located at the bottom of a valley, where the river meets the sea. It’s a poor looking town that was washed out by a flood a few years ago. We walked to the harbour and back. It’s rather drab looking village and I was glad to leave it. I’m sure there are people who love this village but I found it rather depressing.

Crackington Haven

Why did we go there? Because we wanted to drive the coastal road. Getting there, you have to go down country lanes framed by high hedges. You know there are coastal views and beautiful pastures just a few meters away and you can’t see them. So frustrating!

Crackington Haven is a hamlet located at the bottom of a valley. It has a few houses and a nice beach where lots of people were bathing and enjoying themselves. I liked it there and could understand why the locals would use this as a place to meet and have fun. The beach, located in protected area, is flat with lots of sand and framed with rocks.

We used the public restroom and loved the silver handwashing box to wash your hands. Put your hands in the hole and push the soap button. Down comes the soap. Push the water button. Down comes the water. Push the airdry button and whoosh, comes hot air. And you never have to move your hands (except to push the buttons.) A GREAT invention.

We drove down the coastal road, stopping to admire the views and backing up a few times so that oncoming cars could pass. We ended our drive at Widemouth Bay and decided to drive towards Okehampton to find a B&B. You would have though that we had learned something about finding a B&B the night before. We didn’t.

Next…Okehampton, Dartmoor, Totnes, Dartmouth and Paignton