A Happy New Year to everyone. Here we all are, once again in lockdown. But we’re not going to let Covid get in the way of a cheerful update, with only happy news for 2021.
The Beauty of the Coast Path
As always, we have been discovering more beauty along the South West coastal path. There are no phoney descriptions here, nor guides taken off a website. We promise you we have actually tested every walk and taken the photos to go with them. (We’re just like Julia Bradbury but sadly we don’t get paid for it!) The pure joy of the spectacular views makes it all very, very rewarding.
The first recent new-to-us walk was from Labrador Bay down to Shaldon, over the bridge, back across on the little ferry crossing and then up one of the steepest climbs around. It gives you a panoramic view of Teignmouth and the mouth of the estuary. The second photo, below, is of Helen at its peak.
In December we headed down to Noss Mayo, for a nine mile walk along the estuary of the River Yealm. The route eventually brings you into the stunning Devon village of Noss Mayo or, on the opposite side, Newton Ferrers. We decided we wanted to live there but after checking on real estate prices, we decided Torquay and the surrounding Bay was good for us! However, it’s really worth the hour long drive. Sadly, the amazing looking pubs directly on the river were shut but we promised ourselves that we would return for lunch.
Ready and Waiting
Closer to home, we have been refurbishing both Room Three, the Courtyard Suite, and the Torwood Suite too. Both are near completion – we just need to finish the amazing new bathroom in the latter. They’ll certainly be ready for when lockdown ends and you can visit again.
We hope you like the new look of both rooms. We love the Art Deco era so we’ve kept the theme running in both with the new wallpaper and Tiffany lighting.
A Wave Walker
Yes, a wave walker. To explain.
We have a fantastic train link between London Paddington and Plymouth which stops at Torquay. (For those who don’t want to drive, it’s a three hour trip on Great Western Railways.) It is also a beautiful train ride, especially when you reach Devon. But that said, there are sometimes delays due to the waves coming onto the train tracks directly along the seafront at Dawlish. As a result, GWR are investing 80 million pounds in a new sea wall and an amazing ‘spider in the sea’ called a Wave Walker. Apparently this is the only machine of its kind in Europe. We had to have a look at this amazing piece of engineering in action.
The Clue was in the Name
Sometimes, we have to admit, we don’t always get a route right. We were doing a walk along the River Exe near Topsham and taking in the RSPB wetlands. Some five miles in on a circular walk … well, we had forgotten how much rain we’d over December. They’re called wetlands for a reason. The only way back to the car was via a very soggy finish …
And that’s it for this update. We’re looking forward to seeing you when we open. We suspect we are going to have a bumper ‘staycation summer’!
