Day 155 – Friday 10th August 2018
A bit of a wet morning. The farmer and his dog came round on his tractor to say hello collect his money.
Billy
The farmer tells me Garslade farm hosts the Godney Gathering, a single day micro festival for 4,999 people every year.
The rain got worse before it turned into a beautiful if blowy afternoon. We motored into Wells on Zippy.
Wells is a very nice little town, Britain’s smallest city and thankfully absolutely nothing like Glastonbury.
Not Wells Cathedral
The town centre is built around the cathedral and its associated buildings.
Bishop’s Palace
The Bishop’s Palace is a beautiful building with a moat, a croquet lawn and lovely grounds but at nearly £9 to get in I was looking for the suggestion box – halve the price, throw in a cream team and you might get a few more visitors through the doors.
Get rid of the fridge magnets too.
Wells Cathedral
The Scissor Arch in Wells Cathedral
The Jesse Window, medieval stained glass
The Wells clock, the face is medieval, the knights at the top joust on the quarter hour. Almost as exciting as the clock in Munich’s Marinplatz
The Vicar’s Close, supposed to be Britain’s finest complete medieval street
Fun & Games
Trying to level the van tonight the wedge flipped up and into the front bumper fascia. To get the van free without causing further damage I had to dig a hole. I have an idea it’s going to cost a few quid to repair the fascia. Fuck.
The Premier league starts tonight with United playing Leicester at home. I have grave doubts about United’s ability to finish in the top 4 this season. Too many clubs are improving and, apart from his own players, no one is scared of a José Mourinho attack.
the situation is so grave while in Wells Cathedral I lit a candle for the squad
It grieves me to say it but we must all brace ourselves for the worst – this season Liverpool may well finish above United. Where is my José Out tee shirt.
Day 156 – Saturday 11th August 2018
Overcast morning. Very pleased United won last night, just wondering if I need to light a candle for them every game?
Yesterday the weather forecast for today was good. Today it is actually crap but we only have today to see Cheddar Gorge so waterproofs on and off we set.
Passed through some beautiful little villages on the way to Cheddar. Sadly Cheddar Gorge is very touristy.
inevitably
Plenty of shops selling cheddar cheese
and of course cider
Unbelievably they wanted £5.50 just to walk up Jacobs Ladder even though the tower at the top is closed for refurbishment.
I popped into the National Trust shop and asked them if there was a way to the top of the gorge without using Jacob’s Ladder. There was, we got the directions and off we trotted.
The free National Trust route, it’s a little bouldery but nothing we couldn’t handle
The rain spoiled the views from the top but we took some photos anyway.
twogether
The yomp down was more treacherous than the walk up.
This woman had to call 999 after spraining her ankle. I bet she wished her partner wasn’t too tight to pay the £5.50 to go up Jacobs Ladder!
Day 157 – Sunday 12th August 2018
Rained all night. Had a lie-in then set off for Damage Barton in North Devon.
The site said it wasn’t advisable to use satnav for the last few miles. We should get to the Mullacott roundabout and then follow their instructions.
I thought Doris could be trusted to get us to this roundabout but no. Instead of just directing us along the A361 she had us all over the place. I lost track of the number of times I had to stop while oncoming vehicles squeezed past.
a lovely campsite about a mile from the sea. Nice wide pitches and 4G internet signal!
Day 158 – Monday 13th August 2018
A walk to Lee Bay and towards Ilfracombe today. Typical British summer weather, we had to take jumpers and waterproofs just in case.
Lee Bay
The thing about walking in Devon is it is hilly. Up and down, up and down, up and f%$*&£’ down.
The now closed and derelict Lee Bay Hotel. It was quite a smart place when we holidayed there in 1971
I doubt more than a handful of locals live at Lee Bay. Everything has been bought up and done up as second homes or holiday lets which is a little sad.
Lee Bay is at the end of ‘the fuchsia valley’
We made it to Torrs Point just above Ilfracombe for lunch.
a fine place to eat a pickled egg sandwich
the view of Ilfracombe
By the time we got back to the site I was knackered.
Later Cfor went exploring the camp, Julie had kittens.
Day 159 – Tuesday 14th August 2018
It was a beautiful start to the day with blue skies and a westerly wind but it soon clouded over. Off for a walk to Mortehoe and Woolacombe.
Mortehoe is a lovely little village
Mortehoe
From Mortehoe to Woolacombe was a little hilly.
the beach at Woolacombe
The beach at Woolacombe is magnificent and so not only is it a magnet for surfers the town is also full of tourists looking for an ice cream and a pastie. We skipped the ice cream but did have pasties for lunch. Lovely.
the revellers on Woolacombe beach
This is what I think let’s English seaside towns down. Of course you need the shops selling buckets & spades and the shops selling ice cream and pasties but no one really needs slot machines for children.
While in Woolacombe we heard the terrible news from Genoa about a bridge on the A10 collapsing. When we used the A10 way back in Week 2 I said the involvement of the Mafia its construction was a worry.
The general the state of the roads in Italy is shocking. On a motorbike, unless you know the roads like a local, you have to tiptoe around because you never know just what you are going to come across. Italy is supposedly the EU’s 4th largest economy, not far behind France and that they can’t maintain their infrastructure like the French can and do is a terrible indictment of the way the country has been run in modern times.
I can’t see me using the A10 again.
Day 160 – Wednesday 15th August 2018
An overcast and very blowy morning, to Ilfracombe on Zippy.
The first problem when visiting any town in Britain is where the fuck are you going to park. In the West Country, even on a motorcycle, you’ll be exceptionally lucky to get away without paying, usually it’s just a question of how much are you going to be stung for.
Today I managed to get exceptionally lucky and found some free motorcycle parking in the harbour! I feel I should write to the local council and thank them!
Ilfracombe became popular in Victorian times and it doesn’t look like too much has changed since then which is pleasing.
Ilfracombe
One thing that is new in Ilfracombe is the Landmark Theatre
It’s known locally as Madonna’s Bra.
Joe Pasquale is playing in Madonna’s bra tonight; not something I’d pay to see but it takes all sorts.
There was a craft fair at the theatre; I’ve developed a bit of a phobia for arts and crafts. I think I’ve seen too many knitted frogs.
The gift shop at the Landmark is not big on fridge magnets…
but they are quite big on thimbles!
In the harbour they were selling all types of boat excursions and I bought us places on the ½ hour historical lifeboat trip.
The Hampshire Rose
It was a blowy old day and while the Captain was nice and snug in the wheel house we were all sat at the front. And while he was wearing a lifejacket he told us ours were under his seat.
Once out of the harbour the front of the boat began to pitch alarmingly up and down on the waves. How the children laughed as they were flung up into the air. I held on for grim death.
very happy to have survived
Back on dry land I decided to treat myself to some well earned chips
The chips from here deserve a Michelin star
this guy eats very well
Damien Hirst has lent some 20m monstrosity called Verity to North Devon Council and it dominates Ilfracombe’s harbour wall.
He should stick to slicing sharks in half.
St Nicholas Chapel on Lantern Hill, said to be the oldest lighthouse in Britain
Ilfracombe is famous for it’s tunnels which were cut out in Victorian times to ladies and gentlemen to their separate beaches to bathe
The Ladies Pool & beach
It has to be said that the beaches at Ilfracombe are a bit shitty. Why the Victorians didn’t just build a few more miles of railway to Woolacombe is mystery to me.
We booked a trip to Lundy on Saturday, let’s hope the wind subsides by then.
Day 161 – Thursday 16th August 2018
There was a bit of a storm during the night but it’s all dry this morning.. To Croyde on Zippy, I love riding on the lanes round here. We went down a ½ mile hill that had a gradient of 23% today, my brakes must have been just a little hot at the bottom.
Croyde is a lovely little village.
Like Woolacombe Croyde has a big beautiful beach and there are a lot of surfers there.
the revellers on Croyde beach
We got free parking in the National Trust car park and had lunch on a bench overlooking the sea.
We yomped along the coast to Baggy Point.
I don’t know why this pole is here but I decided to join in and climb it
Back in Croyde we had cream teas…
a lovely way to end the week