Molland

We picked Molland today for our traditional Christmas Eve walk. It's a tiny village three miles off the A361 near South Molton. We parked up outside the church, alongside lots of other people, we struggled to find a space! Then followed the guidebook for a 3.5 miles walk through the countryside. We went through farmland, over moors and into woods. Many of the fields had sheep in and we had to keep our dog on a lead in those parts. Not that she was much interested in them. She spent most of her time with her nose in hedges or tussocks of grass sniffing out mice and pheasants. In one field we were followed by a horse and a donkey.

We also passed lots of other walkers, some with dogs and some without. There was only one part where we thought we'd got lost. Thats because it took ages between one set of directions and the next. Daughter No.2 moaned a few times, "The guidebook says 'easy'! I'd hate to find out what 'moderate' is!" But the thought of Pizza Hut spurred her on. We all had muddy wellies by the time we'd finished, but on the whole it was a nice little walk with lots of pretty scenery to look at. Just not as pretty as last year in the snow.

Charles and the Tarka Trail

Yesterday we took the dog out for a nice long walk. It was a bit longer than I thought. We looked in the 'Circular Walks on the Tarka Trail' booklet that my dad got me and decided to go to a place called Charles. We'd never heard of it let alone been there. It's a tiny little village out in the back of beyond between South Molton and Combe Martin. To get there you have to go up some very steep, very narrow country lanes. The book says the walk starts by the church, but as far as we could make out you can't get near the church in a car.

So we parked where we could and off we set - 2.2 miles, said the guide book. We found our way onto the Tarka Trail and down to the river. It was all very pretty - and muddy - but we expected that.

We tramped along for what seemed ages. The book said we should go up hill after a while. Surely we can't have missed the uphill bit, we thought, there are steep valley walls to one side and the river on the other. Eventually we got to it and found our way back onto the country lanes, whereupon we decided, as we had been walking for over an hour, that we ought to take the short cut back to the car. We made our way up a 20% gradient hill. The view was pretty good at the top but I'm afraid my legs were in too much agony for me to apprieciate it much.

It was at this point that we discovered the line in the guide book that none of us had read. Length of Tarka Trail: 2.2 miles, Length of walk: 4.7 miles!!! Oops!

The dog had a lovely time. There were hundreds of pheasants everywhere. She went mental. Look closely at the photo and spot the white dot in the distance. That's my dog disappearing from sight. Willow's best walk ever.

We had fun until the uphill slog back to the car. And daughter no.2 took some lovely photos for her art homework. I'll post them on North Devon Photo blog tomorrow.

Woolacombe Down

This afternoon I took a break from painting the outside of my house and went off to enjoy the October heatwave with a nice walk. I dragged daughters 2 and 3 with me, the dog dragged us.

After turning the wrong way at the end of my road, we eventually made it to Woolacombe and parked in Marine Drive car park for £3. At the entrance to the car park is the start of the footpath up to Potters Hill. We climbed up and around it until we reached the sign that says 'summit' and opted not to go that way as our legs were already aching. We followed the path along towards Woolacombe Down, where an equally long climb awaited us but with stunning views of the beach that made it worth while. My daughter said, 'The people look so tiny!' Plus there was a handy bench to rest on and enjoy the drinks and snacks I'd packed in my bag.

The walk in all on National Trust land. At the top of the Downs horses were roaming free. We kept and eye on the dog but she just ignored them, preferring to sniff around in the gorse instead. After our quick rest we followed the path back down to Marine Drive and into the sand dunes behind the beach. It was very pleasant and mostly flat, and there were plenty of blackberries around if we'd wanted to pick them. There was the option to walk along the beach but the children decided they didn't want to. I don't know why they don't like the beach. They're not normal.

It was a lovely walk, although my legs are killing me now, and we finished it off nicely with a stop in Woolacombe for an ice cream. Who'd have thought, ice cream, shorts and t-shirts in October!

North Devon Hawk Walks

How about this for an experience? Falcolnry, but not just watching, actually getting to have the birds fly to and from your arm! It was amazing.

We didn't have the best weather in the world, after all the sunshine of the previous three days, but at least it didn't rain while we were there. We drove to the little village of Withypool (mentioned previously) and met Nigel Penfold, the Falcolner. He took us up into the hills above Withypool and from there we walked about 100 metres down into the valley. After that we took it in turns to do things with the birds.

Nigel took two birds with him, Cassius and Lady MacBeth. We spent ages with Cassius, the younger bird. They are both Harris hawks. He told us all about them - their features, how they fly and hunt, etc. It was very interesting. We wore a thick leather glove on our left hand and Nigel gave us bits of rabbit to hold and the bird would fly onto the glove, eat the meat, stay for a bit and then fly off into a tree about another 100 metres away from us.

We were with the birds for an hour so we all got a fair few times of doing this. My only criticisms of the whole experience were that it didn't really qualify as a walk, since we didn't really walk anywhere. And we didn't see much of Lady MacBeth because she wasn't hungry - we'd booked this a month in advance so you'd have thought he would have not fed her to ensure she was hungry, wouldn't you?

Still, it was a great way to end the school holidays. The girls really enjoyed it and I can't think of anywhere else where you can do this, certainly not in your average theme park or zoo. If you're interested, just Google 'North Devon Hawk Walks' and you'll find Nigel's website. It costs £10 per person.

Appledore and Instow Regatta

The Appledore and Instow Regatta is something we always used to go to as children although there is only one thing about it I remember. It is still going today, although not quite as strongly as it used to. We always went to the Appledore bit of it, not Instow across the river, because that's where Gran and Grandad lived. Grandad is still there.

We arrived today at just gone 1 o'clock, in time to find a spot along

the edge of the Quay to watch a rowing race come in. But events started at 10.30 this morning. There was commentary over the loud speakers for all the races. We were also in a prime position to see the Miller and Sweep - people in boats pelting each other with flour. After that we wandered off to get a Hockings ice cream.

The main events of the regatta take place on the water, as you might expect. The life boat was there and did a quick exhibition in the
water with one of it's little boats before motoring off. But there are

also stalls all the quayside. Not quite as many as I was led to expect, but there was a jewellery stall, a hamburger stall and the lifeboat stall.

The main draw for me, and the only thing I remember from being small, was the Greasy Pole. Competitors swim out to a pontoon and get two tries at reaching the end of the Greasy Pole without falling into the water. It's great fun to watch. We used to have an ideal view
from the top floor of my Grandad's house, but now they've built the

Quay up to stop it flooding you can't see a thing. Today we found a spot near the front of the onlookers. A few people got to the end. This chap managed a bow at the end before throwing himself into the water.

Pebble Ridge Adventure Golf

Just behind the pebble ridge at Westward Ho! is a place called, strangely enough, Pebble Ridge Adventure Golf and Go-Karting. Today we did the adventure golf bit of it. It was a blowy day, but it's always blowy at Westward Ho! Adventure Golf costs £2.50 per person regardless of age. There are 9 holes, all very different from each other. At the last hole all you have to do is hit your ball up a slope, avoiding a few pebbles and the tunnel at the end swallows your ball and deposits it in a secure container - so nobody can run off without returning their balls.

We had quite a few laughs when balls kept returning to their starting positions or pinging off the green and out into various other parts of the grounds, or when some of us took forever to sink the damn thing. I don't think the people behind us were too impressed, but serves them right for being too quick.

It's a nice spot, just at the end of the slipway, not too far from the Hockings ice cream van, with the cricket pitch just behind. The only thing that was slightly annoying was the noise of the go-karts. You had to shout while they were zooming round. We enjoyed it though.

Tiverton Canal

I ventured slightly out the way for this one. Tiverton is not actually in North Devon. It's at the other end of the A361 (known locally as the North Devon Link Road), and by car takes about 45 minutes. But this is something I've been thinking about doing for a long while and as we are having one of those new-fangled staycations this summer it was a good oportunity to do it.

The Tiverton Canal offers all sorts of entertainment including various kinds of boat hire. The woman in the queue in front of me was hiring some sort of motorboat and had forked out the massive amount of £315. I went to do the Horse-Drawn Barge trip. They offer trips which vary in length from 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours long. It is advisable to check the timetable on the website and reserve your ticket. Today we did a 1 1/2 hour trip which cost £8.50 for adults and £6 for children. And here comes another little tip: adult prices start from 14 years old - this is not mentioned on any of their literature. I found out when I phoned to reserve tickets and was told my 14 year old was an adult - too late to say she was 13 - damn.

There is a crew of 3 on board. One chap does the introduction as you settle into your seats. He comes back on board at the half way point to talk a bit more and do a question and answer session. He is very good at his job and is very entertaining. For the journey you are left in peace to enjoy the experience, although you don't get to enjoy the silence and the clip of the horses hooves, as promised in their leaflet, for the chat of other customers.

Getting seated is a free-for-all, so I recommend trying to get as close to the front of the queue as possible when you see them starting to get the boat ready. We were lucky and got seats in the middle of the boat, good for seeing both ways, as for half of the journey you will be going backwards. We travelled 45 minutes along the Great Western Canal, then, after a rest for the horse, came back again, turning around as we approached the mooring. Some of the time we were out in the country, some of it we travelled past the bottom of peoples gardens and had a sneaky-peek into their houses. All the windows on the barge were open as it was a nice sunny day and the children enjoyed feeding the ducks and swans with the duck food conveniently sold on board. There is a bar at the stern of the barge where we purchased soft drinks, cookies and ice-cream. They also serve hot drinks and alcoholic beverages.

It was a nice relaxing little trip and I'm glad we did it. This is the only horse-drawn barge in the South-West and one of only four left in the country. And, as the guy pointed out before we left, our ticket and beverage money help to ensure its continued survival.

One last tip - buy some polos for the horse, you are allowed to feed him at the end of the trip and the girls loved this bit best.

Withypool

The tiny village of Withypool is in the heart of Exmoor just the other side of the Devon border. I've driven through it a few times and always thought it pretty. Today we stopped there, with the dog and daughters no.2 and 3. The grassy area next to the bridge is popular place for picnics and general messing about in the river. There were lots of families there, some with inflatable boats and some with fishing nets.

We parked the car and went for a walk first. Just outside the village is a signpost marked 'Landacre - 2 miles' (see previous posting). We followed the path through fields, along lanes and across a stream until we reached Withypool Common, then took the short cut through a couple of farms until we reached the banks of the River Barle. After that it was easy to follow the river all the way back into Withypool. The walk was 2.5 miles long and was very nice. My husband and I took raincoats just in case and wished we hadn't bothered because although the sky was overcast it was still really quite warm and the rain held off.

Back in Withypool we all collapse by the river. The dog went in up to her knees for a drink but declined to go any further. Husband and daughter no.2 went to the shop across the bridge and bought us drinks. There is also a rather nice looking tearoom, but we didn't try it out this time. Perhaps we'll go back. It's a nice place to chill out and is even prettier when there are blue skies.

Bratton Fleming

I am thinking of changing this blogs bi-line to 'things to do when you have dogs' rather than children, as the focus of my writing in recent times is more the places I take the dog than anything else.

Today we found a walk on the internet around the village of Bratton Fleming, about six miles outside of Barnstaple. We parked outside the church and took a stroll up the hill into Beara Lane, then found ourselves out in the heart of the country. We passed farms, walked through fields, over stiles and streams and then back down the country lanes until we reached our car once more.


We didn't pass one solitary soul for the whole two mile walk. It was windy, but the sun shone and although we started with jackets and jumpers on we had stripped down to our t-shirts by the time we'd finished. The flowers in the hedgerows were beautiful: primroses, bluebells, campions and many others that I didn't know the names for. We spotted a few good spots for picnics, so if we ever get a proper summer I might bring the kids back here again.

The village even has a pub, for those of you wanting a bit of light refreshment after exercise. Unfortuntely we didn't have time today.

The Movie Bus

Yesterday the Movie Bus was in Barnstaple. Built in 1967, it is the only surviving bus from a fleet of seven and has been carefully restored. It has been travelling around North Devon showing archive film of this area but is soon off to pastures new. It will visit Birmingham and Hereford, then will join the BBC on a filming tour.

The projection room is the big glass bubble above the driving seat. Inside are rows of seats two either side of a central aisle. The screen drops down when the back door shuts. It's cosy, but quite an experience. So if you get the chance I recommend a visit. Each film they have is about 20 minutes long.

We went down today because they were supposed to be showing some animations made by the local schools they have visited in recent months, but unfortunately the animations weren't ready. My youngest helped to make one of them but when she heard it wasn't available to watch she decided she didn't want to go in to see anything else. Shame. The youth of today - no appreciation of history!

Cobbaton Combat Collection

Cobbaton Combat Collection can be found just outside the village of Umberleigh, in an even tinier village called Chittlehampton. When you look at their website the tag line under the title reads 'A hobby which got out of hand.' It is a privately own military collection that is fairly extensive. Got out of hand may be a slight understatement.

I had the occasion to visit the collection with a group of school children this week. It is open to the public and costs £6.50 for adults and £4 for children with under 5s going free. When you arrive, on what looks like a famryard, there are two huge hangar buildings awaiting you. These are adjoining, so it is possible, when the weather is as awful as it was this week, to see most of what is there without going outdoors.

The first two sections of the museum hold a mass of military equipement ranging from tanks, and armoured vehicles, to bicycles and motorbikes, most of which have labels but very little else in the way of information. As well as this are cupboards filled with little curiosities such as bayonets, army issue cutlery and blackout lamps. There is even a partial plane mock-up used as part of a set in the film 'A Bridge Too Far'.

Then at the back of the collection, in a much smaller room, is a section dedicated to the home front. There are several little sections which are done out to look like various rooms: a wartime kitchen complete with evacuees, a first aid station, a farmyard with land army workers, and an Anderson shelter. All of these are viewed through metal grills, which is a shame. Again, there are plenty of glass-fronted cupboards stacked with more objects from guns and bullets through to ration books and gas masks.

The children were fascinated, and it made a great start to our topic on WWII, but, being a bit of a girl, my interest in it all dried up after about half an hour. If you are into war-stuff, then this will be a place you love, if not, perhaps give it a miss. I have to conceed however, that it is impressive for sheer scale, given that it has all been collected by one man. If I haven't put you off, then I can offer you one last piece of advice. Wrap up warm. It was colder inside the hangars than outside. I had thermals on and survived. My friends did not and were colder than they had been in the whole of December by the time we left.

Loxhore - Deerpark Wood

We've been indoors for days now, the dog's had quick walks
round the neighbourhood and the children were going
stir-crazy, so it was time to take them all out for a long walk.

We went to Loxhore, a tiny little village in the middle of nowhere. Take the road towards Arlington and it's sign posted right from the village of Shirwell. We parked by Loxhore church and took the walk through the fields to the woods, but discovered afterwards that the best place to park is by the turning to Loxhore Cott (a dead-end). This allows you to walk through the National Trust grounds of a privately owned house, through a gate and straight into the woods. It also avoids the long walk up hill to get back to your car.

The woods are beautiful, although muddy at this time of year. And, as you can see from the photo, there are lots of very well defined paths for you to walk along. All are very well signed too. A lot of the paths run alongside and slightly above the river Yeo, and at a place called Tuckers Bridge you can cross the Yeo for a walk around the lake at Arlington. We didn't do this today, but will definately return to do it at some point. There is also the odd picnic bench along the way to stop and have a rest at. I feel a summer expedition coming on. Roll on the sunshine!

Simonsbath

Snow did not stop our traditional Christmas Eve walk, although it nearly finished us all off! We ventured as far as Simonsbath, a tiny little village in the middle of Exmoor, but easily reachable on fairly main roads, all of which were clear of snow. There is little in the village but it does boast a pub, tea rooms and a hotel. Lovely on a nice summer day.

Our first obstacle on arriving was the road to the car park, shown above - a pretty country lane with picturesque cottages, but not to be travelled on unless in a 4x4. We parked at the side of the main road and walked it. In the car park is a very helpful map, showing our planned route (we had the Jarrod Walks Book with it in). The map also showed us our planned short cut down the main road back into Simonsbath. Hooray for the short cut! Read on to find out why.

We followed a footpath labelled Prayway Head up a very steep hill and through the woods. Beautiful trees still laden with snow and nice crisp white stuff underfoot that no one else had trod. The dog went wild. Then on down to a stream and up into a field full of more virgin snow. And up, and up, and up. By the time we were half way up my legs were killing me. Walking through deep snow that no one else has been in is really hard!

It was very beautiful though. We stopped for frequent rests. We took lots of photos, which will be published on the Betazoids blog sometime later tonight. At the very top of the field we turned left into an area the guidebook said was tussocky and boggy. It certainly was that. And the snow got even deeper. Lots of us fell over. Daughter no.2 declared it 'The best Christmas Eve walk ever,' Daughter no.3 got cold and wanted to come home.

When we got back to road we all cheered! An easy walk down hill to the car. I can thoroughly recommend this walk to anyone who is really fit, although I imagine walking it when there is no snow would be a lot easier. For those not inclined to walk, come to Simonsbath in the summer and try out the tea rooms or the pub.

Greencliff

Last Christmas Eve we tried to come here for a walk with the children. Eleven months later I finally made it. I parked in Abbotsham as before, and the dog and I set off down the same path as before. This time, not being in a rush or having children to worry about, we just kept walking. There are sign posts all along the route to Greencliff, so it is pretty much impossible to miss.

Once you get off the road and onto public footpaths through the countryside it's lovely. There are boardwalks to start with, but after that it got VERY muddy. I was glad I had my new pinky spotty wellies on. But the views, once you get to the coast, are stunning and well worth the walk. The only slightly negative thing I have to report is that the signpost back to Abbotsham village is missing. I had to guess based on the map I'd printed from the internet before I left home. If I'd got it wrong I would have ended up in Westward Ho!

The whole circular route took me 1hour and 10minutes. The dog would have gone round again, but I was knackered by then, and if she'd have walked through all that mud again she'd have been completely brown instead of only partially brown.

Barnstaple Rugby Club Fireworks

Firstly, I must appologise for not posting earlier. I have been a bit distracted by things at work.

Now, let me tell you about the Barnstaple Rugby Club Fireworks event. It has changed somewhat in recent years. It's been a while since I've been able to go and I wanted to make an effort to go is year, as its been good in previous years and also there was a danger that next year it would not be able to go ahead without enough support so I wanted to do my bit. In previous years it has been run to raise money for charity, but the costs of putting on the event now mean that they are really only doing it as a community event, there is no way they can make a profit. Tickets are £3 adult, £2.50 child, or £10 for a family.

Last time we went there were a few people selling those glow-in-the-dark toys at the entrance to the Rugby Club ground and that was it. This year there was a whole raft of people, from pancake sellers to people running trampoline things for children to go on, and everything you can imagine in between. I wonder how much of their money went to the Rugby Club? We walked past and ignored them all. I went to watch fireworks, I don't want my children to nag me out of more of my money!

We got into the ground proper and staked our claim to a good-ish spot (all the really good ones having been taken by people prepared to wait in the cold much longer than we were). 7.00 came and went. We waited. We listened to the music being piped through the tanoy system. The fireworks eventually started and the music stopped! What was the point of that? Again, I have to refer to previous years and say that they used to have the firework display to music and it was MUCH better. The fireworks were good, well worth the ticket price, but a little bit of rousing classic music to accompany them would have made it that little bit more atmospheric.

So come on organisers, I find I can't recommend your event as much as I was hoping to be able to, get your act together for next year please! Learn something from the Torrington Calvaliers, (see earlier post), they had it spot on.

Braunton

Braunton is town that is frequently driven through on the way to somewhere else - The Burrows, Saunton and Croyde beaches, or any one of a number of more picturesque and inviting places. Today we stopped here and investigated this tiny little village. On the surface it appears to be little more than a crossroads filled with pubs and surf shops, but behind that there are winding lanes full of old cottages and medieval buildings.

I found a walk through the backstreets of Braunton on www.explorebraunton.org and we followed its 15 pages of instructions into Rock Hill then West Hill Lane and up through country lanes to a place called The Beacon. The 15 pages are not only instructions but also information on the landscape and the history of the walk. The Beacon, it told us, was used as a look out by the wives of the village so they could see when their husbands were returning from their fishing trips and could rush down to the quay to greet them. It certainly did offer fantastic views of the bay.

The walk round the Beacon did not take long, then we followed the path through more backstreets over the old railway track and into St Brannocks Church. The only church in England to have the whole body of its saint buried on the premises. The whole walk took us an hour and was about 2 miles long. When we got back to the car the girls were tired out but the dog was ready to go round one more time. Maybe another day.

Barnstaple Treasure Trail

My friends daughter was given a Barnstaple Treasure Trail for her birthday. It is set up like a murder mystery - Simon Snodshaw, a local cidermaker, was found floating in a vat of prize scrumpy, police have revealed he was murdered before being thrown in there - and you have to follow the clues given to reveal the murderer. The booklet contains a list of suspects and murder weapons and the aforementioned clues.

We started the trail in the Square outside the Tourist Information Centre. The children ran enthusiastically to the first clue. It was quite easy to unravel the clue and eliminate our first suspected weapon. We then rushed eagerly from place to place around Barnstaple, along the river front, into the High Street, until we came to the church square shown above. Here the clues are slightly more tricky to find and a small falling out ensued. Nevertheless, we grown ups continued, and soon we were racing over to Roack Park for some of the final clues.

This all took us about 2 hours to complete, at a leisurely stroll, with stops for snacks and take away hot chocolates built in. I think these are a great idea and ideal for getting kids to notice more about their locality. I suspect we will do a few more. Look on their website, there are loads for areas all over Britain, some are walking ones, others can be done with a car. When you discover the murderer you can email the answer to them for a chance of winning a prize.
www.treasuretrails.co.uk

Combes Gate Beach

Yesterday I found a new beach! That's not to say that I was the first to discover it, but it was new to me. My friend comes here a lot and she took my kids out with hers, two of the three anyway, and I met them at lunch with a picnic. We stayed til gone 5 o'clock which is the longest I've spent on a beach in years.

Combes Gate is a tiny little cove at the end of Woolacombe as you head along the coast towards Mortehoe. Parking is difficult unless you get there early in the morning and nab a free place on the road. I had to park in Woolacombe car park and walk to get there, this cost me £6. That's an all day fee, your only option in that car park, and its pay on exit by feeding coins into the lever-arm machine.

The beach is lovely, with not many people on it at all. When the tide goes out there are lots of rock pools to explore. The kids caught a few shrimp and fish and a massive crab. They also went in the sea lots. Down by the waters edge there was quite a breeze today, but further up into the cove it was quite sheltered and warm. Why couldn't it have been like this through August? And why do summer holidays have to end. I'm off to work now. Doom!

Croyde and Saunton Circular Walk

Well, who would've believed it? Its a Bank Holiday and the sun actually shone! After baking in the garden for a while I thought it was about time we took the dog for a nice long walk. There was much protesting, but I ignored it. We drove to Croyde and parked in the car park in the village and followed a route I'd printed from the internet. It takes you over the hills from Croyde to Saunton then back round the coast, across Croyde beach and back to the village right next to Billy Budds, one of the more popular pubs. Ideal.

The first part of the walk is uphill. Its very steep and we were all puffed out long before we reached the top (except the dog of course). However, there are fantastic views of Croyde Bay once you get there. A walk through a field of horses, two empty fields and into a field of cows offers more fantastic views, this time, of Saunton Sands.

Today you could see as far as the peaks of Dartmoor (according to my husband). Then its back downhill to the coast path, which is not along the busy road with no pavements as I fist imagined, but on a hedged path just above it.

The walk is 3.5 miles long and there are lots of benches along the way to stop, rest, enjoy the views and eat cookies on! And then at the end there is that lovely pub. We stopped for a drink then came home for fish and chips. Why do school holidays have to end?

Torrington Cavaliers Bonfire Event

Last night was the 40th Anniversary of the Great Torrington Cavaliers (adjective as it applies to the town, not the Cavaliers). Every two or three years they host a charity event involving a huge bonfire. They have constructed many things on Torrington Common: a Viking Longship, the Houses of Parliament, HMS Victory. 15,000 people came to watch the last bonfire.

As we hadn't been before, and we'd seen the replica of Torrington's Medieval castle under construction in January (see earlier post) we thought we'd go and watch it burn. It was quite spectacular. And I can recommend the event to anyone with patience and children who also know how to wait. Unfortunately mine don't seem to because they got bored, whined and annoyed each other.

We arrived at 6.30 and already there were loads of people who had picked all the good spots. Nevertheless, we found somewhere to spread the picnic blanket, opened the beer and cookies, and I thought, 'This is great, very civilised.' Unfortunetly the minute the events started all the people in front of us found it necessary to stand up and lots of people who had been behind us piled in front too. So when we did stand up none of my children could see very much at all. If everyone had remained seated we'd all have had a much better view. The events were a comedy sketch from the Plough Theatre group, a battle re-enactment by the Torrington Cavaliers, and archers shooting burning arrows at the castle. Oh and before that we had to sit through a boring talk from a man trying to sell his book about the Cavalier's bonfires of the past.

The fireworks, when they eventually started, were some of the best I've ever seen. Timed to precision with an appropriate piece of classical music, symmetrical and co-ordinated, they went off as the castle was set fully alight. Then the castle was left to burn, and there were more fireworks again at the end. It was great, and I'd have loved to stay longer to watch the castle burn, but the children decided they needed to loo and were too tired to hang around any more. Here's a tip for someone going next time though - there is a better view of the bonfire from back by the loos. One that doesn't involve looking at the hundreds of people all squashed round you holding up their mobile phones and cameras.

Car parking was free in local fields. That was good. Getting out was a nightmare. Cars kept driving up the lane at pedestrians despite being told to leave by the lower entrance. There was a ten minute queue to get out for no apparent reason, and a sign pointing Barnstaple at a fork in the road. We took the wrong fork, along with several people behind and in front of us, and ended up in East-the-Water via Gamaton.

Fireworks: 10/10

Organisation: 2/10