Tutshill Woods

In a quest to find places to walk my dog which aren't too far away from where I live I searched the internet this morning and found Tutshill Woods. If you drive out of Barnstaple toward the hospital and turn left you can park your car near the entrance to the cattery and find, almost hidden away, a public footpath which is a narrow lane between trees with fields behind that.
This leads down to a river where, to the left, the popular play area of Mannings Pit can be found.

We went right, across a nice wooden little footbridge, then on across the field in the photo above and into the woods. The way through the woods (ooh, sounds like a poem!) is narrow and pretty with the ivr tinkling along far below you. It goes out to a road leading back to the main road but we didn't go that far. We turned around and headed back to level ground next to the river bank where we sat and ate sandwiches before returning home with a very knackered dog.

We met a few other people walking thier dogs, so its a popular spot. I liked it, so I think we'll be going again.

Braunton Burrows Update

I popped out here this evening to take the dog for a walk (are you spotting a theme to these posts?) and although I've mentioned it before I thought I'd just update you on a few things. Last time we came we walked through the burrows but there is a beach at Braunton which is accessed directly from the end of the toll road. This is it at low tide. There were a number of people leaving with their rigid inflatable boats towed behind their cars as we arrived and a few who were just starting barbeques.

The toll road seemed particularly long today, I don't remember it being that long, so I measured it on the way back, it's 1 and 1/2 miles, the sign, which says 1 and 1/4 miles of speed bumps, is inaccurate.

The other thing you need to know about is that now there is an automated gate at the entrance to the toll road. You have to feed it with coins to obtain entrance. Good job I had some with me. It costs £1.50 for cars.

Bickington

Bickington is normally just a town I drive through on my way to somewhere else. Up until now all I have seen of it is the main street and in the inside of the post office (which is much more efficient and quick to use than the main one in Barnstaple). I was in there the other day and notice a leaflet called '5 walks in Fremington'. Fremington is the town next door. I picked up the leaflet and walk no.3 is actually around Bickington taking 40 minutes, the shortest of the walks in the leaflet. Ideal for my new dog, I thought.

So yesterday we went for a walk. I parked in the small car park just off the main street for a very reasonable 60p for two hours. The walk then took me, my dog, and daughter no.2 down a pretty lane full of charming cottages. At the end of lane we were slightly confused as the sign post said the footpath went in two directions, but a very friendly farmer in his tractor pointed us in the right direction, through his field and up to the top of a hill where lovely views of the River Taw and the villages on the opposite banks greeted us.

We progressed onto a bridleway and round the back of village til we reached the end of the lane where we had first started. It was very pleasant and let us see that there is more to Bickington than meets the eye. I think I will try the other walks when my dog is old enough to go for longer walks.

Northam Burrows

Today was the first sunny day we've had in ages and I decided not to waste it. Also we need a distraction to get us away from the chocolate. So to help us wear off some of the calories we had already eaten we came here to Northam Burrows.

It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and can be reached by driving through the tiny villlage of Northam between Bideford and Westward Ho! There is normally a small charge for entering but today there was no one there. We drove down the narrow track with expanses of grassland stretched out to either side of us. Normally this is filled with sheep but there weren't that many in evidence today. Then, once near the pebble ridge we found somewhere to park.

There was a strong wind today that sent rather large wavelets blowing towards us on the pond behind the pebble ridge that I'm sure should have been the car park. No good for skimming pebbles on, although we got a few to bounce.

We took the path towards the Visitor Centre, which was open but which we didn't go in. There are toilets there, for those of you who plan your trips around such things (I had younger children too not so long ago). The path follows along beside the golf course then leads down to the beach. We stopped here and collected pebbles but there is much more walking to do through the dunes for those who wish to stretch thier legs further. The wind got to us today though, that and the fact that daughter no.2 felt it entirely appropriate to come out in a mini-skirt and not much else. I refrained from saying 'I told you so,' when she said she was cold.

The Pack o' Cards Inn

After our very muddy walk in Combe Martin (see previous post) we went for lunch in the Pack o' Cards. We booked before we set off on our walk. The Pack o' Cards is a grade 2 listed building dating back to the 17th century. It was built by George Ley after a win at the gaming tables, stand on 52 square feet of land, has 52 windows and 4 floors with 13 rooms on each floor.

Sunday dinner was our only option today, but the children could have had something from the children's menu if they'd wanted it. An adult dinner was £5.95 and a children's was £3.95. There were only four puddings, all stodgy stuff with custard, so we didn't have pudding. The meal was nice enough, although I have no idea why the roast chicken came with Yorkshire puddings instead of stuffing. My major complaint was the length of time we waited. We sat down at our table at 1.00 and it was another 45 minutes after this that we finally saw our food. Considering roast was the only thing on the menu you'd have thought they'd have served it up much quicker.

Combe Martin

This sleepy little villiage is located on the North Devon coast just past Ilfracombe. It has a small sandy beach, as seen in the photo above, the longest street in England, stretching for three miles, and the pub where we had lunch. That's basically about all there is in Combe Martin, but there are several coastal paths leading from the village which offer spectacular views over the seas and Exmoor.

We parked in the pub car park and wandered down to the beach today and from there followed the footpath marked 'Hangmans'. This leads up some steep hills to two high promontories called Little Hangman and Great Hangman. Great Hangman is the highest sea cliff in England. We didn't make it that far. My husband, in his wisdom, said before we let home 'Oh there are good clear paths up there.' Which meant daughters no.2 and 3 decided they wouldn't need wellies and that trainers would do. Big Mistake! The paths were caked in gooey, slimey, slippery mud. Before we'd got very far indeed their white trainers had turned brown. Not long after this my husband was left with mud on his face when he was the first to slip over in it. Unfortunately he took daughter no.3 with him when he went. She did see the funny side - later.

We struggled on for a while hoping that going forwards would be better than going back. There were several places along the way to sit and recover from the steep climb, although I suspect they were actually intended for people to enjoy the lovely views. We did that too. Then we spotted a fork in the path. Go left and make the climb up to the summit of Little Hangman, or right back into Combe Martin. We went right. Perhaps we'll make it to the top of the Hangmans in summer, when the paths might be drier.

Blackmoor Gate

We went for a drive over Exmoor today to see all the pretty scenery. The roads were quite clear, and we stopped every now and then to take photos and for the kids to jump about in the giant snow drifts. Then we headed for Blackmoor Gate, a crossroads right on the edge of the moor where the roads from Barnstaple, Lynton, Ilfracombe and Simonsbath meet. There is a lovely pub/restaurant there that we've been to several times. We had hot chocolates and a snack in the pub section, although daughter no.3 was angling for a plate of chips. It was very reasonably priced, as are their meals when we've eaten there before.

For more photos of the scenery check out NorthDevonPhotoJournal by following the link opposite.

Torrington Common

It's been beautiful weather here for the last three days so today I put my foot down and insisted that we all go out for a walk. There's only so much of listening to Wii music that a person can take before going completely mad.

We drove over to Torrington Common, a large area of open grass land with a good view of the surrounding countryside, and stretched our legs. The Common site where the Torrington Cavaliers, a vountunary organisation who raise money for charities, famously build huge bonfires. They have already started construction for their 40th anniversary bonfire, a replica of Torrington's medieval castle. The last one they did was the HMS Victory and 15,000 people came to watch it burn. This year the date set for big event is 28th August.

We looked at what they'd done so far then followed the path above down into the woods near the Puffing Billy. We walked on the path above the river and my husband and children had fun trying to skate on the icy paths. Then it was back round to the Common, where my little one played in the small children's play area there before we all headed home for a nice warming cup of tea and a slice of cake. There were many other paths we could have followed, so I think maybe we'll be back - perhaps in warmer weather (or when I persuade my husband that we really need a dog - which ever comes first!)

Barnstaple - New Years Eve

Barnstaple on New Year's Eve tries to rival Bideford but never really matches up. We ventured out just before midnight last night and the first difference we noticed was there was hardly anyone in fancy dress - that's because if you're going to do fancy dress then you're going to go to Bideford. There also seemed to be a lot more police trying to sort out the angry drunken youths. I'm spotting a pattern - the pleasently drunk were all in fancy dress in Bideford!

There is a live stage show in the Square with various DJs playing music through the night. There seemed to be hoards of people that way all having a good time, and they were lined up along the old bridge to watch the fireworks, but we didn't make it that far. The children moaned. So we stopped by the riverside and actually had a pretty perfect spot for watching the fireworks. We could hear the countdown to midnight from the Square, said our 'Happy New Year's and then enjoyed the show. That was the second difference - the fireworks weren't as long as the show in Bideford. Still, it was nice to get out.

Abbotsham

Blog-posts are like buses, you wait ages then two come along at once! Today we went for our traditional Christmas Eve walk. We travelled to the village of Abbotsham, just outside Bideford, and were going to walk down to Greencliff, but we ran out of time and opted for a walk around the fields surrounding the village instead. There was lots of ice around and the kids had fun trying to slide in their wellies. We found a puddle covered in ice at one point, and a pretty bridge over a stream where we stopped and played Pooh Sticks. It was very pleasant and refreshing.

There's a nice pub in the village for those of you wanting a bit more than fresh air in the way of refreshment, but we jumped back in the car and headed for Pizza Hut in Barnstaple. Greencliff will have to wait for another day.

Lets Go

Well its been a while, but here I am, blogging again. Barnstaple's newly revamped bowling centre has finally opened so we went along to see what it was like. The bowling seems to have got more expensive. I paid £28 for one game for five of us. We did manage to stretch it out to last an hour, but even so, it's no wonder the place was nearly empty. The only new thing on the bowling front was the fact that you could choose which person to have bumpers up for, that meant me, husband and daughter no 1 got rubbish scores with no bumpers up and the other two did great!

After the bowling it was upstairs to the new ice rink. As you can see it wasn't busy at all. Only four of us went on and this cost £22. You get nearly an hour on the ice, which is synthetic. It is apparently the first of its kind in Europe. It was pretty good for plastic I thought. I've never been able to skate on plastic like I can on real ice, and I could do this. In fact it was quite satisfying wizzing past the teenagers as they crashed to the ground. Disappoiting for daughter no. 2 though as she was expecting to be as good at this as all the other times she's been and she couldn't do it at all. So, difficult to tell if we will go again, but I hope so.

Exeter

If you live in or are visiting North Devon and Barnstaple just isn't enough for you anymore (and who can blame you - there's no way Wilkinsons makes up for the loss of Woolworths) then a trip to Exeter might be just what you need. The new shopping centre at Princesshay is great. There's a massive Next, loads of other clothes shops, a Hotel Chocolat, and more shoe shops than you could hope to see in one life time. I know this because yesterday I went in every single one of them.

It's bit of a drive from North Devon, about an hours travelling. I drive down to Tiverton and from there cut through on the country lanes towards Credition as it seems shorter than going all the way down the duel carriageway and on the M5. Plus its much easier to get to the city centre car parks that way.

It was lovely and sunny when my eldest daughter and I arrived and we set about shopping straight away. Now I feel I have gone sadly wrong in raising her as she is not a great lover of shopping and has no interest in shoes whatsoever. However, the converse trainers she lives in will not see her through the winter weather on her walk to college everyday so I insisted she have something waterproof. After hours of walking she eventually talked me into buying another pair of converse trainers with a plastic coating! I am not convinced but she'll live and learn.

Princesshay also holds one of my favourite restaurants - Nandos. Unfortunatley yesterday the wait for a table was about 30 minutes so we resorted to MacDonalds instead.

The Big Sheep

It was about this time last year that I reported on the Big Sheep at Halloween and I have mentioned the Big Sheep in another previous post when we have come down just to use the Ewetopia soft play area of an evening, but we have just spent our first full day at the Big Sheep for a long time and there have been a few changes.

My advice to potential first time visitors at The Big Sheep is to arrive by 10.30 and make sure you see the shows. None of them are more than about 20 mins, and all are quite entertaining, with one exeption. Don't bother with the Beer Show. They lure you in with the promise of free beer, and in actual fact you get nothing in the show and can get free beer just by visiting the brewery whether you have been to the show or not. It's little samples of the beer they make, which is quite nice and you can have as many as you want! Of the other shows, my children like the sheep show, and in particular, feeding the sheep at the end, and the duck show. My husband made the mistake of giving my youngest daughter the camera and now we have nearly two hundred photos of Indian Running ducks being chased round a field by a sheepdog.

There are lots of new outdoor things to do, most of which is free. We liked the jumping pillows (think bouncy castle without the walls) and the little peddlecarts. The chair-o-plane you can go on as many times as your stomach allows, but its only open at certain times. Things you have to pay for include pony rides and a combat area. We didn't do either of these but running round shooting people with laser guns looked fun.

We played in Ewetopia for a while, stayed for the sheep race, then came home. I would have loved to show you a photo of the sheep, racing down from the fields to the finish line with thier knitted riders on thier back, but my camera battery had died by then. We placed bets, but none of us won.

Landacre

Why couldn't it have been like this over the school holidays? The weather waits til everyone is stuck back inside a classroom and then turns sunny. It was just right today at Landacre, although we could have done without the chilly breeze.

I have reported on Landacre in a previous blog, when we picked a windy day for a BBQ but this little picnic spot on Exmoor is about five miles outside the village of North Molton. There is nothing here but a picturesque stone bridge over the river, but it certainly draws in the crowds. I met two seperate families I knew and then just after we'd finished eating my Dad turned up with one of his mates on their bikes.

After we'd eaten my husband went off with my oldest daughter to teach her how to use the posh camera he has. The rest of us just enjoyed the sunshine, plugged earphones in or read a book. We paddled in the water, but it was very icy. Other people were braver than us and had waded in with fishing nets or were boating up and down. Eventually though it was time to come home and face the sad inevitability that winter will soon be on its way.

West Down

We went for our traditional end of summer holidays jaunt today. I have to go back to work tomorrow even if the kids don't. We were looking forward to a nice picnic/BBQ out on Exmoor, next to a river we could have a paddle in, etc. But the weather had other ideas. So we went for a walk across the hills over West Down, a tiny village just outside of Braunton, off the A361 - not to be confused with East Down (which my friend and I nearly did - good job our husbands were driving!)

We were trying out my new guide book 'Pub Walks on Exmoor' and have come to the conclusion that its a rubbish book. Everywhere was very muddy. My friends tried the North Molton walk the other day and discovered the same thing. Now I know the book cannot be held responsible for the weather, but I am sure there are places with pubs on Exmoor which are not quite so muddy. Also, it's instructions are not very easy to follow and the map looks like it could have been drawn by a three year old. It's not nearly as straightforward as the Jarrold books. And I am not just saying this because we got lost before we even left the village! A tip for anyone trying the walk with the same book we had: when it says path by the church it actually means path by the little chapple on the other side of the road to the church.

Still we all had some good healthy fresh air and exercise. And walking across the middle of a field with a big brown bull staring you down is probably one of those childhood not-to-be-missed experiences every child should have.

We made it back to the pub in time to order lunch. The meal was very nice, and the chips were gorgeous - just what you need after being so healthy!

Giovanni's

We had a family meal here last night, to celebrate daughter no.1's exam results. It's the first time we've taken the children but me and my husband have been here lots before. It's got a great selection of pasta dishes and they always have lovely specials too. There is no children's menu but all the adult meals come in small people sizes too. It's always crowded so if you're thinking of giving it a try I advise booking. One of my favourite restaurants and cheaper than Prezzo.

Tractor and Trailer Rides

Run by the National Trust out of Mortehoe Heritage Centre every Tuesday and Wednesday in the Summer seasons, these tractor rides last about an hour and are a fun way to see some stunning scenery off the beaten track. The ride we took today was down some very narrow, leafy lanes and had the odd pedestrian throwing themselves into the hedges to avoid being squat by the tractor, although it was travelling at a sedentary pace. We went down to the Bull Point lighthouse, where people without huge blisters on thier heels were given the option to walk down past the lighthouse. I rested my blisters (from yesterday) and took the tractor back to the road, where it picked up the others. At the back of the trailer a guide told us local tit-bits of information - my only complaint was that he was a bit quiet, so if you're interested in hearing what he has to say as well as taking in the views, sit near the back of the trailer.

Castle Hill Gardens

Castle Hill Gardens is located in Filleigh, in between Barnstaple and South Molton off the A361. This weekend they are hosting the English National Sheep Dog Trials and Devon Country Fayre. The house is owned by the Fortescue family and they open the gardens to the public from March to September each year. There are pretty gardens to walk through and a riverside walk. We had a quick look at the gardens today at the end of our visit round the other events, then it started pelting down with rain so we decided to forego the Hockings ice cream (that's how bad it was) and come home.

The Sheep Dog Trials were interesing. It was like watching "Babe" without the pig. But the kids weren't impressed. They liked the dog agility event in the main arena. Then they liked the bits that involved me spend huge amounts of money: the swingboats, archery, and buying homemade fudge from the food tent.

Normal prices for entry into the gardens is £4 for adults and FREE for children under 14!! So probably worth going on a sunny day with a picnic. On a sunny day you also won't have to worry about driving your car through a quagmire to get out. I was a bit worried when the wheels slid from under me that they might have to get a tractor to pull me out.

Croyde Beach

Hello, again! It's been a while since I blogged, we've been a bit busy, and the weather's been a bit rubbish. Today we took advantage of the unusually sunny weather and went for a picnic at Croyde. We usually go to the car park before you get to the village but today decided to enter the beach from the other side, so we drove through Croyde, took the turning to Baggy Point and parked in the National Trust car park. If you've got National Trust membership it is free to park, but you do need to show your card as well as the car sticker. After that its a short walk across the road to a tiny slipway, then a scramble across the rock pools to get to a sand spot. It was very crowded today as you can see from the picture. Croyde beach has life guards, unlike Saunton round the corner, but both beaches were busy today.

We had out picnic first, before we got to sandy, then my husband took the girls into the rock pools with a bucket where they caught some tiny shrimp, crabs and various creatures in shells. Daughter no.1 was very brave and only cried a bit when all 16-and-a-bit stone of her Dad stood on her fingers. None of them wanted to go down to the sea because the tide was out and it was miles away. So we were only there for a couple of hours. The free car park was a good move, the one opposite Ruda is £5 and it doesn't matter how long you stay.

Dunster Castle

I dragged everyone out today despite everyone being grumpy and tired due to lack of sleep after daughter no.2s sleepover last night. (Why do they call them that?) We came here to Dunster Castle, which strictly speaking is in Somerset not North Devon, but if you're in the neighbourhood...

It took us an hour to get here, but the scenery is lovely on the way. It's a National Trust property so we got in free with our card, just before it runs out. The reason for coming today was that they were having a Teddy Bear's Picnic with a special event for very brave teddies. When we arrived we were the only ones picnicing, but other soon joined us. After lunch our teddies were feeling brave so we took them over to the zip wire and got them harnessed up. If you look carefully at the photograph you can just see the blue rope coming from the castle roof down the green below. All three of my daughters sent their teddies to the roof and one by one they came zooming down the zip wire. My nearly-sixteen year old wanted to leave her teddy in the car, but when she wasn't looking he sneaked into the picnic box. Daughter no.2 (she with lack of sleep) got very worried when her teddy wasn't quite heavy enough to make it down and needed a helping hand. All three teddies were awarded certificate for bravery.

After that excitement we calmed things down a bit with a wander round the castle and grounds. (Mr Lion was so exhausted he had to go for a lie down back inside the picnic box.) The inside is typical National Trust, lots of roped off rooms, portraits and things you can look at but not touch. We did that fairly quickly, then we looked at the gardens, nice in the sunshine, explored the crypt where there are supposed to be ghosts, and looked at the batcam to see some cute bats stretching their wings.

It was an OK visit, not sure I would have liked it without the teddy bears, plus, they have no cafe.