Day 1: Sunday
We have been invited by Eileen and Patrick to spend a few days with them at their country retreat in Ashprington, Devon. We were last there about 25 years ago and knew Ashprington as a sleepy Devon village. It has not changed. We arrived late on Saturday afternoon after a difficult journey on both the M25 and the A303 across Salisbury Plain. On arrival we were treated to one of Patrick’s culinary masterpieces, a venison and prune stew.
The next morning we set off on a tour around Dartmoor. Our first port of call was Widecombe-in-the-Moor. There we had a quick look around before a stop at nearby Dunstone. From there we made our way to Princetown for a view of the infamous prison. By this time we were getting hungry so it was on to Tavistock where we found a pub, the Ordulph Arms, for a light lunch. If you want to learn more about Ordulph visit this website. Lunch was followed by a walk along the river Tavy as well as the town of Tavistock. We wanted to find our way back to Princetown but somehow missed the way. However, we eventually arrived at Chagford. Patrick knew it well as his aunty had lived there. Time was passing and we were determined to see one of the famous moor Tors. A stop for a walk proved a muddy adventure but we finally found a Tor, which I photographed from the bottom, having no time for an ascent. The evening found us in the local Ashprington pub, the Durant Arms, where we were the guests of Patrick and Eileen for an enjoyable meal.
In the few days we were away we travelled 694 miles.
If you are interested in Devon the best place to start your journey is by visiting this site. There are also specialist websites for various activities, e.g. hiking, horse riding, rock climbing, kayaking, sailing, etc.
