Hurrah! After the longest break in our careers, ever, with six months closed, we are just about ready to open. The 17th May is the big day and – all things being equal, the penultimate step towards ending all lockdown measures in England.
The only project we have left to do before then is to add some fantastic Victorian mosaic tiles to the front porch. Expect some photos with the next update.
Blooming Lovely
The garden is – say it ourselves – coming on well and it’s gained from the increased amount of time we’ve been able to spend on it. We hope that, by the time we open, it will be in full bloom for you.
We found a rather quirky nursery the other side of Totnes heading to Dartmouth called Fast Rabbit Gardens. We suggest it’s well worth a visit if you are green fingered. They specialize in plants that grow locally in the South West and, particularly, in our famous red soil. We have one ton of mushroom compost which will help the new plants and give the soil some new energy. And that’s all the more necessary with the protracted dry spell we are having. Along the way, wee have cleared two enormous dumpy bags’ worth of wild garlic from the top garden. Yes, we are rather fed up with the sight of it!
What’s New In Torquay
If you are thrill seekers we have a new venture started up in Torquay Marina over Easter. We now have the fastest passenger RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) in the UK.
I (Peter) have now been on it twice, once in tough swelly conditions and once on flat calm sea – so I can speak from experience when I say it’s great fun if that’s your kind of thing.
The RIB is called Raptor and it looks like something from a James Bond set. I’ll personally guarantee a thrill at 65 knots on the water from 3 x V8 engines – the acceleration is mind blowing. And besides the thrill from the speed, you also go past some magnificent sights (at a much slower rate of knots). There’s Thatcher Rock, at the time of writing all the ‘ghost’ cruise liners still in the Bay and, for those who love wildlife, the excellent host is constantly looking for dolphins and birdlife round the rocks. It’s £40 for half an hour of what I thought was pure pleasure! If it tickles your fancy let me know and I’ll book you in.
Talking Of Natural Things
Did you know that the English Riviera’s breath-taking landscape has designated UNESCO Global Geopark status; one of only seven in the entire UK and just 140 in the world? A Geopark is an area of globally recognised, unique geological interest, designated by UNESCO. All we can add is that we think it’s deserved.
Another Glorious Walk
It’s lovely inland too! During our forced closure we have been discovering some new walks and a particularly notable one was up on Dartmoor, heading to Bellever Tor. This is a very quiet and remote part of the moor and it takes a little time to arrive at the start point. But we found it really worth the walk to the top. It has an elevation of 700ft so it’s not too strenuous, and it’s just six-and-a-half miles as a round trip. Ask us if you’d like directions.
Thank You – We’re Award Winners!
Thank you, all our guests who reviewed us in the past year. We have received a certificate from one of the big national travel agents and that’s very gratifying. (But, in truth, you should always book direct with us as that’s always cheaper.)
We have also received our accreditation from Visit England. It must be said we do put in a lot of hard work to keep The Somerville at the high standard we want. To receive their ‘5 Star’ rating and, even better, their Gold award is very pleasing. It feels as if it is independent verification that our efforts are worthwhile. We think we are the only business in the Bay to receive this award.
For some icing on the cake – we frequently ask guests how and why they chose us and often the reply is ‘we put five stars in the filter in the search engine and The Somerville came up’. All in all, that’s just perfect.
Don’t Forget
Finally for this update, don’t forget that, as the UK starts to focus on holidays in Britain, so booking a stay as early as you can makes very good sense. You know how to find us – call direct for the best price and availability: 01803 294755.
