You might like to try and get hold of Arnold Bax's Tintagel - a very atmospheric piece of orchestral music, all crashing waves and surging swells.

I'm enjoying your report and all the villages that you saw.

schuler - You would have thought that we had learned something about finding a B&B the night before. We didn't.

Come on spill the beans .. full details please.

Sandy

Please keep the stories coming schuler!

I was wondering how your trip worked out. Wonderful report so far! Looking forward to the rest.

(one little comment for your notes - you have the two villages reversed. Lynmouth is the one down by the water and Lynton is the one up above. )

Thanks for all your comments. You are keeping me motivated in writing this trip report.

Sorry about the Lynton and Lynmouth mix-up.


Okehampton

We took the direct road to Okehampton, looking for B&B’s outside the village. We couldn’t find any. We even stopped to ask a very attractive policeman if he knew of any. He didn’t, although we enjoyed our short conversation immensely. In fact, after leaving, we decided that thatched roof houses are not the only sights to be admired in England.

It was 8.00 pm when we arrived in the bustling town/village of Okehampton. We parked next to Waitrose and walked to the White Hart hotel. A beautiful old hotel with an excellent menu, we hoped they could accommodate us. Luck was not on our side and we were told the hotel and restaurant were both fully booked. What now? Two older men at the bar in the pub heard our dilemma and recommended Upcott House B&B, up the hill from Okehampton. We thanked them and wanted to give them some money but they refused. By the way, these two were not the best looking but certainly very kind and helpful. Another plus for English men.

We drove up the hill and saw a modern sign directing us to the B&B. We drove into the driveway and past a big, rather rundown looking house. Surely this must have been the servant’s quarters? We rang the doorbell and a friendly man welcomed us and told us he had a twin room available but it wasn’t en-suite. I walked in to look at the room and was greeted by a beautiful hall and a dreamy staircase, just like one would expect in a manor. We took the room.

What are B&B rooms like? All the ones we encountered were colourful, tastefully designed and laid out with thick carpet. This one was no different. There was a sink in the room surrounded by carpet. And that’s the spot where the carpet stank. However, everything else was clean and the view out onto the lawn and the far away hills of Dartmoor were inspiring. We had a choice of two toilets and a bathtub to use with 3 other guests. The only time we saw the other guests was at breakfast.

Upcott House was once a beautiful gentleman’s retreat, built at the turn of the century. It became the local boy’s school soon after. Grumpy gramps (self-named) had begun to tell me the story of the house in a beautiful living room with huge bay windows. The school closed some twenty years ago and his one son began to restore the house. As Grandpa admitted, he wasn’t 100% successful. The other son now owns the home and is fixing the place up to its original grandeur, slowly but surely. These homes need a lot of money to keep up and B&B owners make their most money during high season. We were charged £23 including breakfast.

After a quiet night where we used towels as bedsheets because the bedspread was too warm, we had a nice English breakfast and make our way to Dartmoor and got a bit lost trying to find Chagford.

Next…. Chagford, Postbridge, Widecomb in the Moor and Buckland in the Moor.

Nice report, but a little etiquette note.
It really is not "done" to offer money in England for an act of kindness.
I remember somebody once saying that they offered money to a young man who helped them with a suitcase on the tube.
As your helpful gentlemen were in a bar, buying them a drink would have been fine.

Chagford

We leave Okehampton direction Whiddon Down. “Hooray! No more high hedges!” so we thought. After filling up the car with petrol, we ask a kindly elderly lady how to get to Chagford. She decides not to tell us, but to show us the way until A382. I can't tell you enough how hospitable the English are. Anyway, we reach the A382 and continue until we see a sign pointing to Chagford. Stop! Back up! We just missed the turn-off! We turn around and head down the country lanes to Chagford. Again we were on a one-lane high-hedged road. These roads look so romantic from the sky but can get really humdrum driving on them. We get to a point where we need to pass over a quaint stone bridge. It’s a close call on both sides but we get over. And soon we are in Chagford, a bustling market town that still looks very medieval. We took a walk around the town and then headed for the King’s Arms, a very old pub. I had my cream tea and my friend had an espresso. Soon the owner came out and began telling us about his parking problems. Chagford is quaint and lovely but filled with traffic. The owner then told us about the National Trust and how they support thatch roofed cottages. Supposedly half of the upkeep is paid for by National Trust although this is not always the case. The owner was friendly but a bit frustrated with local politics. He reminded me of our Swiss farmers.

Dartmoor: Postbridge

We drove past Moretonhampstead and began our climb up the moors. Coming from Switzerland, the moors reminded us of the alps without the mountain tops. No hedges or trees, just wild ponies and sheep grazing peacefully on gentle hills of different colours of green. We saw people painting, taking pictures of the ponies and, of course, hiking. It was cloudy and almost a bit misty. Perfect weather for Dartmoor!

Postbridge

We drive along until we see the picturesque bridge(s) of Postbridge. I love that name because the hamlet has perhaps two houses, a post office and a tourist info centre. And then the two stone bridges, one to drive over and the other as a footpath. Both arch over a small creek, with its clear waters passing over stones and green grass. Very lovely.

We continue our drive over Dartmoor, turning left at Two Bridges. Next destination: Ponsworthy, Widecomb and Buckland.

Still following you, schuler, with great pleasure. J.

Dartmoor: Ponsworthy and Widecomb in the Moor

Ponsworthy is one of those wonderful small hamlets that one drives through and awes at the houses. In a blink, and you’re in and out of the town.

Widecomb in the Moor is a bit larger with lots of tourists. I walked into the very old stone church that looked a bit barren but fit the atmosphere of Dartmoor perfectly. It’s actually amazing that they could build such a church so many years ago. Widecomb also has a building where churchgoers used to get together to make beer and celebrate. When King Henry VIII came, he tore most of these buildings down but luckily Widecomb was able to keep theirs. Personally, I thought Widecomb was more interesting when sitting above in the moors and looking down upon it. A very dreamy setting.

Buckland in the Moor

Buckland is not a village. It’s barely a hamlet. After driving above the moors, we went down a high hedged lane to find this place. We drove by a group of 3-4 thatched roof houses set in perfectly groomed English gardens and massive trees. It was so beautiful. My English friend insisted it was too perfect to be true and thought that it was all relatively new. We never found out. I found a website showing pictures of this group of houses, but they really don’t do them justice.
http://members.tripod.com/jgh_pix/bucklandinthemoor/

We drove a bit farther and stopped to walk around the church. It’s a pretty area and definitely worth seeing.

Ashburton

We stopped in Ashburton for scones and cream tea and learned what a stannary is. Ashburton used to process tin from the nearby mines, hence the name stannary.

Totnes

Totnes is a busy, bustling medieval town that seemed to be loved by the locals and tourists. The main street is car free, beautiful and set below the castle hill. We enjoyed walking around Totnes and even went into the English school since we are both English teachers.

Dartmouth

Our last destination for the day was Paignton but we decided to quickly have a look at Dartmouth. While we were making this detour, we couldn’t decide if there was a bridge over the river Dart or not. The map was not very clear about this. We certainly hoped so otherwise it would be a long drive back.

Dartmouth is almost a seaside town. It’s located on the river but if you look down the river, you can see the ocean. It’s a beautiful town with gorgeous tudor buildings. We walked through the town, admiring the “harbour” filled with white sailboats. I wish we could have stayed longer but we needed to move on and the lines for the ferry were long. Ferry? That’s right. There was no bridge but there were car ferries that transported cars and passengers from Dartmouth to Kingswear. It was a short trip and soon we were on the road to Paignton

Paignton

Why Paignton? We wanted to visit a friend who turned out to be in Tobago at the time we were there. We found a B&B quickly (can’t remember the name anymore) and enjoyed a very nice dinner at the Embassy Tavern on Colin Road. Absolutely scrumptious and highly recommended. Reasonable too. We had seafood omelettes.

Paignton is a “working class” seaside town that doesn’t have a lot of charm but does offer red beaches due to the nearby red cliffs. It’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t spend my holidays there.

After being kept awake the whole night by a whinging young seagull who refused to fly, I took a overly hot then ice cold shower. Great for the circulation. My friend dribbled a bit of water over the ledge for our seagull friend and I decided to do the same but actually doused the bird. And, viola! It flew off because it didn’t like the water. Should have done it the night before. (And yes I’m sure it didn’t fall off the ledge and died.)

Sherborne

On our last day, we decided to take the scenic route back to Heathrow. We drove on the main roads past Exeter, towards Honiton, Chard, Yeovil and stopping off in Sherborne. We loved Sherborne. It’s a bustling market town with a car-free main street. It was market day and we tried the local produce. We bought some buns that looked just like cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon. The vendors were very nice and told us about their goods. We walked on to see the Abbey. The Abbey and its grounds are beautiful and probably have looked the same over the past hundreds of years. Sherborne really appealed to us because of the hospitality we felt, the wonderful shops and the architecture of the area.

Our last village stop was to be in Shaftsbury. Shaftsbury is known for Gold Hill. It’s a hill sloping down from the town with a row of picturesque houses.

Shaftsbury was a strange town for us. It didn’t have that “bustling with locals” feel that Sherborne had. There were a lot of tourists there but they didn’t seem happy. And we had a very bad experience at the Wharfe, where the customers warned us before ordering that the female owner was as mad as a hatter. She was. My friend ordered an espresso and I ordered a cream tea with two scones. The owner found out that we were going to share the scones and wanted to charge me 25% more. The cream tea with scones was already £2 more than at other places. Anyway, we said we weren’t ready to pay the extra charge and she suggested that we cancel all of our orders. We did and left. That was the only bad experience we had with English restaurants.

Stonehenge

Last stop: Stonehenge. People have debated if a quick stop without touring the grounds is enough. I can’t answer that even though we paid the admission and walked around this mystery. We listened to our phones and, although the information was presented professionally and clearly, it seems that it’s still a mystery as to who propped up these stones in the first place. I enjoyed walking on the grass and looking at the stones, trying to imagine what it was like thousands of years ago. We saw many people stand behind the fence, take a quick picture and go again.

M25

M25 is infamous for its traffic jams. We were afraid that we were going to be caught in one on a Friday afternoon at 4.30. We were lucky and traffic moved slowly but constantly. Everything went like clockwork after that.

Summary:

The English and Hospitality

The English are very hospitable and friendly. They are well mannered and won’t speak until spoken to, but once the ice is broken; they love to talk and are very interested in where you come from.

The Roads and Bicycles

English roads are narrow and fast. I would never consider cycling on these roads because often there just isn’t enough room to pass. There are designated cycle trails that are safe and scenic.

The Food

Scones with clotted cream and jam are fantastic. English breakfasts are healthy (plain yogurt, fruit and cereal) to fatty (fried bread, ham, bacon and eggs). I would have liked to have ordered more salad plates but most restaurants don’t carry them.

Drinks

English cider: divine! It’s a bit alcoholic and equivalent to our Suure Most in Switzerland.

The Scenery

I’m a small village person and loved visiting the old villages in Devon and Cornwall. I wish we could have also seen Kingsbridge and Salcombe.

B&Bs

It’s high season and many B&Bs are fully booked. Because we wanted to be flexible, we only booked the first night in advance and waiting until the last minute for the rest. This can be very nerve-wracking. Try to have your B&B by 8.00 pm so you won’t be driving around the dark searching for B&B signs like we did.

Thank you all for your suggestions and recommendations. This trip was planned with your ideas and my German Cornwall/Devon guidebook.

schuler - Well done. Thanks.

Sandy

Thanks for reading it. I hope it will help someone with their trip planning.

Enjoy the summer! It rained last night in Switzerland and will cool off to "normal" temperatures next week.

Great report Schuler, very enjoyable. My sister worked in Chard for a while so I know the area pretty well. It is such pretty countryside around Dorset/Somerset. A good read from you, well done.

Hmm, English cider can be more than a bit alcoholic.
When I were a student, rough cider cost 4d a glass, that's about 1 1/2 pence in today's money.
You could get legless for a bob.

All together now!

Tom Pearse, Tom Pearse, lend me your grey mare
All along, down along, out along lee
For I want for to go to Widdicombe Fair
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney
Peter Day, Daniel Whiddon, Harry Hawk
Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all
Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all.

And when shall I see again my grey mare?
All along, down along, out along lee
By Friday soon, or Saturday noon
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney
Peter Day, Daniel Whiddon, Harry Hawk
Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all
Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all.

Then Friday came and Saturday noon
All along, down along, out along lee
But Tom Pearse's mare has not trotted home.
With Bill Brewer etc.

So Tom Pearse he got up to the top of the hill
All along, down along, out along lee
He see'd his old mare down a-making her will.
With Bill Brewer etc.

So Tom Pearce's old mare, she took sick and died
All along, down along, out along lee
And Tom, he sat down on a stone and he cried.
With Bill Brewer etc.

But this isn't the end of this shocking affair
All along, down along, out along lee
Nor though they be dead of the horrid career.
With Bill Brewer etc.

When the wind whistles cold on the moor of a night
All along, down along, out along lee
Tom Pearse's old mare doth appear ghastly white.
With Bill Brewer etc.

And all the long night be heard skirling and groans
All along, down along, out along lee
From Tom Pearse's old mare and a rattling of bones.
With Bill Brewer etc.

schuler, before your memories dim, could you tell us which was your favorite coast village and which was your favorite inland village? You know how some us like to tuck into a tiny place for several days. Your choices? (Chances are that I'll never drive in the UK, but let's pretend.) J.

Salü Zäma! (Greetings to all)

I should be packing but...

Love that traditional song! Like I mentioned in the above report, when you get the English talking, they really get talking.

Where were you, Josser, when we were drowning our sorrows about the stinky carpet in Okehampton? Could have used you to brighten us up.

J: I loved Bossington and the area around it on the border of North Devon and Somerset.

I also loved Dartmouth and would have loved to see the area below it in South Devon.

I'd go back to Totnes and Sherborne (Dorset)in a minute. I also liked Dartmoor and the whole atmosphere there.

It's hard to pinpoint an area because there is so much to see everywhere.

Schuler:

Thanks for getting it right about the M25. There's an awful lot of unnecessary moaning about it on this board. Truth is, even at peak hours, it usually moves around 50mph these days, except at the Dartford Crossing, which rarely affects foreign tourists anyway. The problem isn't that traffic often stops: it's that if you're unfortunate enough to hit it when it does, you're stuck.

On cycling. You're right that English roads aren't ideal for cyclists. In fact for cyclists who want to cycle two abreast, they're downright lethal. But there are very, very few dedicated cycle paths, especially compared to continental Europe. Our fantastic network of footpaths is suitable only for mountain bikes, and bikes of any sort are, at least in theory, banned from a very large proportion of them anyway.

Thanks, schuler! Packing? Where are you going now? (or is this the class trip?) I'm stuck in the local Honda dealership waiting room while my '93 gets its back-to-school mega service, so I'm amusing myself at fodors. J.

Your welcome, Flanner. Loved your country and your humour.

J: Packing for our trip to Seattle. I'm going home to see family. I'll know Terminal 4 at Heathrow quite well after this summer. All my flights seem to go there at some point.

Good luck with your Honda!

What a wonderful report - especially the little details. You travelled through areas that are very popular w/ British holidaymakers, but relatively fewer foreign visitors venture down those hedgerow lined lanes.

Have a good trip to Seattle . . . .