After lolling around having tea and being polite in whispers(everyone whispers here, staff and guests, quite annoying!), we decided we needed to GET OUT for a while. Now this is a calculated thing. Because that means we have to maneuver those cowpath roads again and they are still (almost) fresh in our memories. BUT the draw to do something (which is better than nothing) was too great and off we went!
Since I have a cold, we decided to go to Exeter through Chagford, the local town, and fill up our personal pharnacy. That means more one lane roads until we get through Chagford for about 30 minutes. Now, they assured us, Chagford is ONLY a 45 minute walk, if we were so challenged. What do YOU think?! I think there is a reason God had us invent cars. It is NOT so we can do a 45 minute walk! I am going to digress here. In the drawing room, at tea time and at cocktail time, the talk is how far you hiked during the day. One couple did a 4 hour hike. Another did a 2 hour hike! This could all be bragging. But my conclusion is that all these people pay exorbitant rates to stay in a fancy hotel in order to walk like they did back in the 1700's. I could do that, if I were so inclined, at our gym and no roads to maneuver!
Another digression. How, in the region of teeny tiny jaggy cowpaths, do people get groceries. Or medicine? Or even see a doctor??? The best I can figure is that, periodically, helicopters fly by and drop supplies from on high. Like Afghanistan. Or Iraq. The closest grocery, as far as we could tell, is Exeter -- and that is a couple hours away! You just don't run out for milk or eggs here. Hmmm. Maybe they raise their own hens and butcher their own sheep, cows, pigs. It IS a puzzle!!!
Back to the subject. It was Sunday, so the staff assured us nothing would be open in CHagford. But there is NOTHING in Chagford anyway. It is one of those terminally cute villages that dot the countryside. No grocery stores, no pharmacies, no gas stations. Just "cute". And, most important, no place to park! As we careened alternately with creeping along, we had no time to get pictures at all.
So we hurtled through Chagford, finding a road about 10 miles down that looked like an American highway all the way into Exeter. Where we found Boots, the local "chemist" (which means pharmacy). Only they have never heard of Cold-Eze or Mucinex. So that was a bust.
Second try. We went to the cathedral at Exeter. Gorgeous. Bos loved it because on the walls was a tribute from the 1700's to some or other Irvine, which he is really sure is his direct descendant. (You didn't ask what I thought!) And, frankly, it was a fabulous place to stop. Stained glass windows, choir singing in the choir loft as we wandered. People with dogs, students with books, all relaxing in the park in front of the cathedral. During WWII Exeter was destroyed with bombing, so some of the stained glass is missing. But, all in all, it was a special day because of the cathedral. And then, thanks to Jill GPS, we found remains of the old Roman walls and the Exeter castle, before escaping back to the capital of Hiking, Gidleigh Manor.
Today, Monday, we are off to Southampton area to stay in our next "manor" called Chewton Glen. The exact city is Lymington and it is near the Isle of Wight. Our plans: take the ferry to the Isle of Wight and buzz around there, taking pictures for you. The weather man, however, keeps telling us it will be "heavy rain" for te next three days. Boy! Am I glad I bought my kindle!!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Going to Boots is a real experience. We had trouble finding the right medications too. Amazing how we speak the "same" language and it is so different. About the walking- when we did a hot-air balloon trip in the Loire the pilot hovered over a campground and spoke to several folks cooking breakfast. They were Brits. The pilot said you can tell what nation these campers are from. The Germans are out walking, the Brits and cooking breakfast and the French are sleeping.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Spanish are home enjoying their own food and countryside☺ and battling the economic "crisis" With 89% home ownership they do love their homes.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I know I am repeating myself on the 89% detail, but I do think it's awesome.
ReplyDeleteYou know how I knew Q was the man I wanted to marry? He said to me "I do not hike or camp." So, I'm with you. No hiking! Strolling. Wandering. Sometimes even walking. But NO hiking.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got out to Exeter! Sounds like the cathedral alone was worth the cow paths!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the city of Cambridge living in the outlying town of Cherry Hinton, you walked everywhere. Everyone walked. Or biked. Doctors made house calls, and you did your bread-milk-eggs perishable shopping Saturday morning in the town center, or if you were pressed for time (would never be the case in Cornwall) you would just go to the quickshop whose prices weren't too far off from the "hypermarket" of Sainsbury's or Tesco.
ReplyDeleteYour description of everyone speaking in low voices when others are about is VERY British, as is the formality (though in the cities less so). If you were to go to a talk or lecture, you would hear a tiny high pitches chorus of "mmm." during the talk as if it was a one on one conversation.
You are truly getting a "Real England" experience - and a way of life that is fading away (and gone in places like London and other cities) - so I would enjoy it, and take it on it own terms.
The cathedral sounds beautiful and how lucky you were to be there when the choir was singing. Hiking IS a dangerous "sport". If God wanted his to hike, he would have given us ...oh never mind!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed your write ups. But to be fair, Chagford is actually in Dartmoor, which is known as a hiking hotspot, so you would expect it to be filthy with hikers. We stayed just to your northeast on the edge of Dartmoor (at Cheriton Cross or something like that) and wanted to do a little hiking, but it was misting all day and we misted our turn and ended up down in Bovey Tracey, which I thought was a delightful name.
ReplyDeleteI also did the Cathedral thing at Exeter and too, was impressed. I wish I could have warmed you about the Lands End amusement part..it's almost always mocked in most travel magazines. We parked about 1 mile north on the coast in Sennen Cove, and then hiked (oh, the dirty word comes out again) one mile on the coast to Lands End. It was a very neat walk.
I'm surprised about the formality you're experiencing. We simply didn't experience that at all, but we stayed in B&B's across the board, where they accept riff-raff like Linda and I. But I just loved Cornwall and its quait towns and ways. I don't think Linda like it quite so much. We didn't see many Yanks in Cornwall..how about you guys? Here's our photos and writeup on our photo website http://www.flickr.com/photos/jarvistjj/sets/
one more, Kathy. We had some fish & chips in several places and they were delicious.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think pasties are not particularly attractive as a lunch or dinner, unless you're just trying to fill yourself up with calories and carbs, and I didn't try any, but they were all over the place around Penzance and St. Ives on the Penwith Peninsula.