Saturday; another day, another journey....
- lindaglamour
- Oct 15, 2016
- 3 min read
There have been days that have been so full and exciting and they have past on the heels of each other so fast that I have struggled to keep up with my blog to describe and capture each of them. But today, as I gaze out my cottage window and see the drizzly afternoon and I am sitting with my lap rug over my knee, I am keen to capture my thoughts and impressions of my Devon so far.
So let me start with today.
The weather forecast has been for showers this afternoon but there was a window of sunshine for the morning which I was not going to let escape me. I had planned for a day of cleaning and lazing around but as I threw back the bedroom curtains this morning and saw blue sky I thought "out you get Linda!"
I needed a coffee and a view of the sea so I headed off to Salcombe. It is one of those Devon seaside fishing villages which is set to the west of the strip of land identified as the English Riviera. Google maps said a 30 minute drive Ha Ha! That doesn't take into account the crazy narrow roads that bend and twist down to the coast, so 30 is really more like 45 +.
Salcombe like Brixham is still a working fishing village however the main catch are the tourists and the stores along Fore Street (the main narrow street) cater to the tastes of wealthy Londoners who are coming down to be at the sea side. But that is not unappealing though the coffee shops all being full by 10am this morning did put me a little out of sorts.
I have discovered during my time in the UK that a good local pub serves not only wine and beer but usually a decent coffee so I wandered into The Fortescue Inn which was located near the harbour and where one could easily hear the call of the seagulls circling. I sat quietly at the window and gazed out people watching as I drank my Americano with milk. I have given up on ordering a skim latte, they come out too tall, milky and only luke warm.
Having parked centrally at the harbour, I easily wandered along the shore and main St. Sitting for a while, I watched the little ferry transport people from Salcombe to the beaches across the way and it reminded me of the joy of Polruan and Fowey.
The NationalTrust property of Overbeck's House opened at 11am so I decided to visit. The guidebook praises its eccentric collection and lovely garden so with the day still fine and bright I brave driving up a goat track steeply angled up the side of the hill to reach the property. Fortunately I followed a Londoner in his new Maserati for the journey - or was it he was driving and with no where to turn around he was trapped moving forward to Overbeck? Given the car turned around in the carpark and returned down the way, I'm thinking this was the case LOL.
Otto Overbeck was born 6 months after Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was published and as a naturalist and scientist, the house is decorated with a large number of stuffed species, collections of fossils and shells and a strange small room featuring a collection of doll house miniatures. Odd but interesting. Never marrying Otto gave his property to the National Trust. The views from the terraces across Salcombe Bay and beaches are stunning and worth the effort of getting there.
As my wander around the acres of hillside garden came to an end I could see that the weather was turning and it was time for me to return home. By 1pm I was back in Buckfastleigh. Like any local, I donned my showerproof jacket and wandered up to the Food Co Op for milk and other staples. Buckfastleigh locals were buying their organic veges, wandering into the coffee shops and taking their dogs for walks. Fore St. was busy for a Saturday though in total there were probably only 10 of us on the street. It is a small market town after all.....
Back in my cottage, I am warm and comfortable. With a coffee at hand, I am enjoying watching Great British Rail Journeys presented by Michael Portillo and I am enthralled - he is traveling on the route I have taken in the previous week on the South Devon Railway steam train and visiting Totnes. The second episode has Michael taking the train to Dartmouth, Mevagissey and then deeper into Cornwall bringing me both memories and inspiration for another day, another weekend, another journey.
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