Exeter to Torquay

Exeter to Torquay

Early start to the day to try to avoid some traffic. Took a while to set up the GPS and thank goodness it fired up properly. It was still busy even at that early hour and the traffic was really bad out of Exeter but worse coming back in. I found a petrol station and filled up so hoping it gets me down to Truro. I said many prayers to the gods of GPS as without it, thete would be no way of finding my way around. 

My first stop was to Buckland Abbey, which is a working abbey producing all sorts of goods and produce. The church was pretty impressive, as were the gardens and grounds in general. At the front of the church, in a separate section, was an amazing stained glass window made by the monks. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed so I had to buy a postcard from the abbey shop. 

Well, set the GPS for my next stop - Berry Pomeroy Castle, home to the Pomeroys in the 1500s and the Seymours in the 1600s. It is supposedly the most haunted castle in Britain. When I arrived, I was the only person there, apart from the man at the ticket office outside the main gate. The audio guide was great and I spent an hour there. I didn't see any spooks, even down in the dungeon. The only photo I took down there didn't turn out, sadly. The man at the ticket office said a few months ago, some stone masons were doing some work when they saw a black dog run through the courtyard and into one of the buildings. They didn't see it come back out so went to investigate but couldn't find it - and there was nowhere for it to go! They were a bit freaked out by this. The ghost that is seen is of a woman who was locked in the dungeon and left there to die.

Anyway, whatever you believe, the castle was definitely a bit creepy when you're there by yourself! As I was leaving a few other people arrived so I timed it well.

The GPS took me down some very narrow roads, once I had to reverse to let a 4WD pass. Hope I don't have to do this too often as it is a bit hairy! The other fun bit was waiting for a flock of sheep to get herded past, rounded up by two border collies. They came over to say hello and for a pat, before racing back to work. 

Torquay was the next stop so I located the guesthouse but I was too early for check in so I drove down to the city and parked in a pay zone. I went for a walk along the boardwalk around the harbour. I walked to Agatha Christie's favourite place and where she set some of her stories. Torquay is very popular with the older population and apparently is very crowded in summer.

I went to the Torre Abbey which was interesting, had a lot of things excavated from the old abbey and pieces collected over the years. The garden had an Agatha Christie potent plant garden, a couple of hot houses, pet cemetery, and the remains of the old abbey. It was good and I wanted to spend a bit more time there but my pay parking was almost out and I needed to check in at the guesthouse. 

Staying at the Cloudlands Guesthouse which is lovely. My room looks out over the garden and the room has a small patio.

I walked back into the city to find somewhere to eat and eventually found an Argentinian restaurant that was recommended by the owners of the guesthouse. I settled on nachoes and a very strong cider. I then went for another walk around the city, had an ice cream and watched the boats sail in and out of the harbour. There were lots of sailors in town so they were all out in their uniforms, impressing all the giggling girls.

Tomorrow the Car and I will attempt to visit a couple more castles and negotiate the busy roads and all the nutty drivers who speed and don't indicate and tail gate. We are heading down to Truro so this is the longest stretch of driving.