Our annual June cottage holiday this year was at Podbury's Cottage in Harpford, Devon. Rob and Jackie, Pam and Steve and I all travelled on Friday 14 June to Exeter by train via Westbury, lunched at The Old Firehouse, and travelled to Newton Poppleford by 52 bus, thence by foot with one-wheel suitcase the quarter of a mile up Lower Way (there's also a Higher Way) to Harpford. It was my turn to cook so got it over with with a quick pasta dish.
On Saturday 15 June, after a walk into Newton Poppleford via the bridge over the Otter and a pint at the Cannon Inn, we all travelled to Sidmouth on the 157 bus from Exmouth and visited the little museum, which featured a display on the illustrator Lawson Wood, who retired there, as well as stuff about the railway. I started watching a video but the volunteer informed me it was an hour and half long, so gave up. After a crab sandwich at the Tasty Baguette we headed back to the cottage on the 52, which went past Waitrose. That night we had Steve's asparagus risotto.
Sunday 16 June was Fathers' Day and I travelled to Seaton on the X53 to see the Tramway. Because I was a dad, I got a free ticket, even without the evidence! The first tram to arrive was the pink Car No. 11 and as it was raining, we all crammed in downstairs. The journey to Colyton takes you through wetlands and by the River Axe, so plenty of birds to see. At Colyton I had some soup and was treated to the worst jazz band I'd ever heard - Swing of the Axe - the sax player (male) couldn't even play Happy Birthday to a party in there. On the way back I caught the oldest tram in the fleet, the luxurious single decker No. 14 (built in 1904). Highly recommended.
It was a long wait until the bus back, so I caught another X53 going further east and worked out I could have an hour in West Bay, the location for ITV's thriller Broadchurch. I took some photos and had a pint of Palmers Copper Ale in the George Hotel. Pam made nut roast for supper.
On Monday 17 June, we took a 157 to Budleigh Salterton. The others got off at East Budleigh to see some Raleigh locations, but I carried on to have leisurely saunter through the charity shops. I bought a crab roll (£1.80) at G & K Sanders fishmongers, then after a look at the beach and some Marines yomping, took tea at the Cosy Tea Pot, sitting outside with some dog owners. When the Fairlynch museum opened at 2pm, I had a browse round, then after a rum and raisin ice cream cone from the Creamery, headed to the bus stop by the library, where I met up with the others. That night we walked a mile or so to Tipton St John for a meal with Jackie's sundial friends at the Golden Lion. I had scallops (4 small) and chunky fish soup as a main- very nice!
Tuesday 18 June was to be a day for sketching and I got the X53 to Beer (great name!). It's a lovely place with streams each side of the road down to the harbour. There was a sea mist but I sat down outside Kenno's cafe with a mug of tea and a coconut and jam cake (was it called a Marlborough?) and drew the east chalk cliff. Afterwards I treated myself to a pint in the pub garden of the Anchor Inn, where I bumped into my second cousin Gillian, her husband Tony and their dog, who were staying in Colyton. Back at the bus stop, I discovered a new bus - the Axe Valley 899 from Seaton to Sidmouth, via Beer and Branscombe (see below). Later Jackie made pizza.
Wednesday's bus journey (19 June) was rather intricate: the usual 11.32 X53 to Beer, then the 889 to Sidmouth and finally the 157 to Exmouth. Pam and Steve joined me on the first leg en route to Bridport. The community bus arrived soon after we arrived at Beer and was a jolly ride, with everyone knowing everyone else. It climbed the back streets of Beer then plunged down a steep hill to Branscombe, but not as far as the bay! It then went past an interesting turreted church and a pub with a skull over the door - The Fountain Head. At Sidmouth I quickly used the public loo, then hopped on the 157 back to Newton Poppleford and on to Exmouth via a detour to Otterton (with its obelisk and ancient stone cross). I'm sure I spotted Rob and Jackie entering the pub there after painting some sandstone stacks at the bay. At Exmouth I visited the tiny museum (entrance £1) with its CD uniform and more on the railway and thence the beach, which like Littlehampton, is a brisk walk from the town centre, before having a cappuccino and custard tart at the Crusty Cob by the square. This was the only sunny day! Rob cooked a bean casserole.
Thursday 20 June I visited Exeter on the 52, looking for a suitcase to replace the one with the wonky wheel. After a spicy veg pasty from the Real Cornish Pasty Co in the rain, a quick look at the cathedral (£6 to get in!), I bought some piccalilly from Freds Kitchen (sic) at a farmers' market, then to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (ramm) to look at the permanent picture collection (small), an exhibition of photos of the last oak bark tanners (in Colyton) and Gillian Ayers (no relation to Pam). There's lots to see, including a stuffed tiger shot by George V, an elephant, giraffe and polar bear, a collection of collections, and a male CD uniform. I was rather taken with the bee wheelie suitcases they loaned to children visitors. Then it was back to the cathedral for a pint in the Well House. That night it was leftovers night - shepherd's pie, assembled by Rob from the remnants of Pam's nut roast.
Friday morning we had to be out by 10am. We also discovered a wren's nest inside the porch with maybe four hungry mouths inside. Jude came to pick me (and more leftovers) up and back to Farringdon. Dave had had a cataract op but was looking good. Trout for tea from Dave's archaeologist friend Stewart (I also got one to take home). Saturday we went to Exmouth on the 56 to trawl the charity shops and have a Tasty 3 (beans, mushrooms and egg plus toast, £3.90) at the Harbour View cafe. Dave did a great job fixing my suitcase with araldite. Sunday we went for a walk on Aylesbeare Common with Katy and Stewart looking for orchids and other wild flowers. We spotted three bee orchids and loads of common spotteds. The peanut bird feeder in Dave and Jude's garden attracts all kinds of tits, a robin and a nuthatch, but more often than not they all flew away as soon as I got my camera out.
Monday morning I was taken to the bus stop by Dave with my bags in a wheelbarrow and put on a 56 with dodgy electrics: no display on the front and ticket machine not working. He terminated at the bus station so had to get a 51 to St David's and home, via Westbury and Southampton. Popped down to Aldi to get some wine, and guess what? - they were selling suitcases! I got one similar to my broken one for £17. Back at the ranch it was in a real state - I was having the damp seen to - but some chaps came round Tuesday morning and moved things around so I could access the bath, cooker, kettle and fridge!
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