Devon - Moor Days and Mew-ing

Hi peeps.  Hope you are well.

During my recent trip to Devon, I ventured on to the moor.  Dartmoor. When I hear the name, I cannot but conjure up a memory of a bald-headed, broken-nosed escaped criminal from a televised play of Dickens' Great Expectations that I watched as a child.  It gives me the creeps even now!

Dartmoor is usually colder, wetter and windier than the rest of Devon.  This day was no different.

Sheep and horses wander around grazing on the moor.  They look so pitiful in mid-winter but it is what they do.  The horses are very friendly, the sheep more timid.

These ran off and missed a PP photo opportunity!

They wander on to the roads.  In winter, they lie sleeping on the tarmac at night as it is warmer and dryer than the nearby turf.  The night time driver must be very careful.

Looks quite bleak, eh?  It is!  But beautiful in a wild sort of way.

Other memories of the moor?  Leaping over a little stream and missing the other side.  Landing in the stream.  In winter.  Walking home with wet clothes.  Brrr.

Trudging up a hill on another cold winter's day, knee deep in wet mud and turf.  My indigenous walking partners waiting clean and dry at the top of the hill, unpuffed and  smiling.  More brrrr.

But there are good memories too!  Like Grimspound.  I love this place.  I feel in touch with its people when I am there.  Spiritual.

A house.

The entrance to the settlement.

It's a prehistoric settlement dating from the late Bronze Age, and the remains of 24 stone roundhouses can be seen. 

 I must be a real little nest-builder because as I wandered around the remains during one visit, I found myself mentally placing candles and vases filled with moor flowers in the little nooks and crannies in the rock walls.  Prettying the place up.  I don't think prehistoric woman had the time or the inclination to think about prettying up her house, do you?

As I said before, the moor is often cold and windy.  But we stayed in a more clement area, on the south coast. 

 We stayed with some lovely friends.

Their house has uninterrupted views over this bay.

I enjoyed beautiful walks around the headland and beach.

(Oh dear, we're now in Michelin Man Season - a puffa does no woman any favours!)

Our friends' house overlooks the Mew Stone.  What a view to wake up to!  I was a lucky lady.

This quirky church lies just off the beach from where this shot is taken.  

It looks slightly wonky.  It didn't in real life.

I hadn't visited this area before.  It is truly stunning.

It got warm during the walk.  My puffa had to come off.  Most of the walkers I passed were t-shirted.  I arrived home "glowing"!

A cream tea +,  miracled from nowhere.  Our friend baked so many cakes that morning.

Again, I really was one lucky lady!  

In the shot above you can see a half demolished plate of scones, jam made by our friend's father (he's 92!), clotted cream, fruit cake and cheese, Westie-shaped biscuits, and one of my faves, a lemon drizzle cake.  On the other side of the island unit lurked rocky road cakes, Victoria sandwich and a few gluten-free options.  Phew!  What work this lady put in.  We were so grateful.

This part of Devon is well worth a visit, with its contrasts of chocolate box pretty and wild natural beauty.  I was so happy to visit East/South Devon. I hope you get the chance to pop in on the county.


A la perchoine