Saturday, September 14 - Saturday, September 21, 2019

We spend the week in a little holiday cottage in Dean Steep, a small village near Lynton, in North Devon. We are incredibly lucky when it comes to the weather: sunshine every day all day except for Monday, when it is foggy. We spend every morning and half of each afternoon travelling around, looking at sights, going for walks, etc.

We usually come back to the holiday cottage about 4 pm and go to bed for a couple of hours to recharge our batteries, and have dinner around 7 pm in the cottage.

At 10 pm or so, just before bed, we venture into the fields surrounding our holiday cottage to look at the stars - it is a rare pleasure to be able to see so many – and it is so difficult to see them in towns because of the lights. Our favourite constellations are as always:  the Plough and Cassiopeia. We hop back into bed again about 10:30 pm.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Start of the holiday: we leave Cheltenham but avoid the M5 motorway because of the massive traffic jams around Bristol. We head south to the town of Melksham, swinging by the local Subway restaurant to have a cup of coffee and a pastry. We ate in there a few weeks ago on our way to Poole.

we take a break and have a cup of coffee

in Melksham's Subway restaurant

We have our packed lunches about 2 pm in a lay-by near Taunton, and drive on to the little town of Exford - swinging by Exford Bridge Tea Rooms for a Devon Cream Tea followed by an ice-cream, where we've enjoyed many a cream tea before: it's owned and run by an eccentric American, known on Tripadvisor as America’s answer to Basil Fawlty, although he’s always nice to us.

Exford Bridge Tea Rooms, run by "America's answer to Basil Fawlty"

We drive on to our holiday cottage, located just outside the town of Lynton.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

We spend the day in Lynton and the nearby harbour town of Lynmouth. We see an interesting collection of classic Triumph sports cars, owned by members of the local Triumph sports car club.

we look around Lynton and Lynmouth

we see an interesting collection of classic Triumph sports cars

After our usual gigantic afternoon nap in the cottage, we take a walk in the local fields and woods. We introduce ourselves to the local sheep.

Monday, September 16, 2019

It is very foggy today, so we decide to go shopping in Lynton and buy ourselves a pair of good hiking boots. We have lunch at the Old Coach House café, owned and run by an eccentric German / Austrian woman.

 Churchill House: We each buy ourselves a pair of good hiking boots

We have lunch at the Old Coach House café

- raspberry crumble for dessert: yum yum!

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

We visit the nearby harbour town of Ilfracombe.

We look around the harbour and climb to the top of the town’s two highest hills: the first has an old medieval chapel on top.

Down on the quayside we see the famous statue of a naked, pregnant woman, "Verity", apparently symbolising truth and justice - she is carrying "the sword of truth and the scales of justice". The statue was created by the famous modern artist, Damien Hirst, in 2012.

we look around the city: the harbour, the hill with the medieval chapel on top,

and Damien Hirst's famous Verity statue

We have breakfast on the quayside - two local-ish Cornish pasties.

We have a couple of Cornish pasties on the quayside - yum yum!

It is a bit nostalgic for me to see Ilfracombe again. I visited it in August 1964 with my parents and siblings: Kathy (16), Steve (12) og Gill (6) – unfortunately, in those days we used to take very few photos, but I have a black-and-white photo of Capstone Hill that I took from our 1964 hotel window. Lois and I decide to climb that selfsame hill today.

 We climb Capstone Hill

flashback to August 1964: I take a photo of Capstone Hill

from the window of our hotel room in Ilfracombe

me in my school uniform in August 1964, aged 18 

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

We drive over to the nearby harbour town of Porlock.

We look around the harbour and visit the local church of St. Dubricius, built in the 13th century with a wooden tower. In the churchyard is a yew tree believed to be more than 1000 years old.

we look around Porlock harbour

we visit the local church, built in the 13th century, which has a yew tree

in the churchyard: the tree is believed to be more than 1,000 years old

Thursday, September 19, 2019

We head into the harbour town of Lynmouth and hike upstream along the River Lyn towards Watersmeet Castle: a difficult 2 mile walk along a rough path, through the woods, with many steep ups and downs - yikes! And 2 miles back - yikes (again) !!!! We are getting old, I have no doubts about that. It is fortunate that, earlier in the week, we each bought a pair of good hiking boots, I have to say. What a day!

We take a difficult 4-mile walk through the woods along the Lyn River:

It is fortunate that we both bought good hiking boots earlier this week

-          what a day!!!!

Friday, September 20, 2019

We drive over to the nearby market town of Barnstaple.

We visit the town bridge over the river Taw, Europe's longest surviving medieval bridge; we also visit the town’s indoor market, and, in the middle of the town, the grassy hill where an 11^th century castle once stood.

the town bridge, Europe's longest medieval bridge

 

the town’s famous indoor market

the grassy hill in the middle of the town where a Norman castle once stood.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

We drive home and this time we pluck up courage and brave the M5 traffic jams around Bristol. On the way we catch up with Rosemary, one of Lois' surviving cousins, sadly​​ now a widow, who lives in the village of Cossington, Somerset. She is 4-5 years older than us. Unfortunately, she is not that mobile nowadays, but she hopes that an upcoming hip operation will improve her quality of life.

We visit Rosemary, one of Lois' surviving cousins

Rosemary in happier times, aged 9 months or so,

with her mother Kathleen (1943-ish?)

Kathleen, Rosemary's mother, in the family's old car (1943-ish?)

It's nice to go travelling, but it's oh so nice to come home, no doubt about that. As Frank Sinatra didn’t sing (in my own parody version),

And the Huntspill River

Makes you start to quiver...

Like the latest flivver

That's simply dripping with chrome

But you know your fate is

Where the Blackmoor Gate is....

...And all you contemplate is -

The view from Miss Verity's womb

We get home - the weather girl says the mini-heatwave has peaked today, and tonight there may be thunderstorms, with occasional showers to follow throughout the coming week. We have been so lucky down in Devon, no doubt about that.

We go to bed at 10 o'clock - we are finally home and back in our own dear lovely bed again - good night, Ole, the money's in the window-box ha ha ha!

Danish translation: lørdag den 14. september – lørdag den 21. september 2019

Vi tilbringer ugen i et lille feriehus i Dean Steep, en lille landsby i nærheden af Lynton, i det nordlige Devon. Vi er utrolig heldige når det kommer til vejret: solen skinner hver dag helen dagen bortset fra mandagen, da det er tåget. Vi bruger hver formiddag og halvdelen af hver eftermiddag på at rejse rundt, kigge på seværdigheder, gå ture osv.

Vi plejer at kommer tilbage til feriehuset ved 16-tiden og gå i seng i et par timer for at genoplade vores batterier, og spise aftensmad kl 19 i feriehuset: kl 22 plejer vi at gå ture på de marker, der omgiver feriehuset for at se på stjernerne – det er en usædvanlige glæde at se så mange – det er så svært at se dem i byen på grund af lysene. Vores yndlings-konstellationer som altid: Store Bjørn og Cassiopea. Vi hopper op i sengen igen ved 22:30 tiden.

Lørdag den 14. september 2019

Vi undgår M5-motorvejen på grund af de massive trafikpropper omkring Bristol – hurra! Vi rejser sydpå til byen Melksham, og svinger ind forbi den lokale Subway-restauranten for at drikke en kop kaffe og spise et wienerbrød. Vi spiste derinde for nogle uger siden på vej til Poole.

vi tager en pause og drikker en kop kaffe

i byen Melkshams Subway-restaurant

Vi spiser vores madpakker ved 14-tiden i en rasteplads i nærheden af Taunton, og kører videre til den lille by Exford – vi svinger ind forbi Exford Bridge Tea Rooms, hvor vi også har nydt Devon Cream Teas før i tiden: den er ejet og drevet af en excentrisk amerikaner.

Vi kører videre til vores feriehus, der ligger lidt udenfor byen Lynton.

Søndag den 15. september 2019

Vi tilbringer dagen i Lynton og den nærliggende havneby Lynmouth. Vi ser en interessant samling af klassiske Triumph-sportsvogne, ejede af medlemmer af den lokale Triumph-sportsvogneklub.

vi kigger rundt omkring i Lynton og Lynmouth

vi ser en interessant samling af klassiske Triumph-sportsvogne

Efter vores sædvanlige gigantiske eftermiddagslur i feriehuset, går vi en tur på de lokale marker og i de lokale skove. Vi præsenterer os for de lokale får.

Mandag den 16. september 2019

Det er meget tåget i dag, så vi beslutter at gå på indkøb i Lynton og køber os hver et par gode vandrerstøvler. Vi spiser frokost i den lokale Old Coach House-café, ejet og drevet af en excentrisk tyske/østrigske kvinde.

Churchill House: vi købet os hver et par gode vandrerstøvler

vi spiser frokost på The Old Coach House-caféen:

hindbær crumble til desserten  - yum yum!

Tirsdag den 17. September 2019

Vi besøger den nærliggende havneby Ilfracombe.

Vi kigger rundt omkring i havnen og klatrer til toppen af byens to højeste bakker: den første har en gammel kapel på toppen. Vi ser den berømte statue af en nøgen, gravid kvinde, ”Verity”, der symboliserer sandhed og retfærdighed – hun bærer ”sandhedens sværd og retfærdighedens vægt”. Statuen blev designet af den berømte moderne kunstner Damien Hirst i 2012.

vi kigger rundt omkring i byen: havnen, den bakke med kapellen på toppen,

og Damien Hirsts berømte Verity-statue

Vi spiser frokost på kajen – to lokale pasties.

vi spiser en lokal pasty på kajen - yum yum!

Det er lidt nostalgisk for mig at se Ilfracombe igen. Jeg besøgte den i august 1964 sammen med mine forældre og søskende – desværre i de der dage plejede vi at tage meget få fotoer, men jeg har en sort-og-hvidt foto af Capstone-bakken, som jeg tog fra vores hotelvindue i 1964. Lois og jeg beslutter at klatre den samme bakke i dag.

vi klatrer byens berømte Capstone-bakke

Tilbageblik til august 1964: jeg tager et foto af Capstone-bakken

fra vinduet af vores hotelværelse

mig, i min skoleuniform, i august 1964, på 18 år

Onsdag den 18. september 2019

Vi kører over til den nærliggende havneby, Porlock.

Vi ser os omkring i havnen, og besøger den lokale kirke, St. Dubricius’ kirke, der blev bygget i den 13. århundrede, og har et tårn lavet af træ. I kirkegården er en taks, der er troet at være flere end 1000 år gammel.

vi ser os om i Porlock-havnen

vi besøger den lokale kirke, bygget i den 13. århundrede

med en taks i kirkegården: træet er troet at være flere, end 1000 år gammel

Torsdag den 19. september 2019

Vi kører ind i havnebyen Lynmouth og går en tur opstrøms langs floden Lyn mod Watersmeet-slottet: et vanskeligt 2 miles gåtur langs en grov sti, gennem skovene med mange stejle opture og nedture – yikes! Og 2 miles tilbage – yikes (igen) !!!! Vi bliver gamle, det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om !!!! Det er heldigt at vi tidligere på ugen, købte os hver et par gode vandrerstøvler, det må jeg nok sige. Sikke en dag!

Vi går en vanskelig tur gennem skovene langs Lyn-floden:

Det er heldigt, at vi begge tidligere på ugen købte gode vandrerstøvler

-          sikke en dag!!!!

Fredag den 20. september 2019

Vi kører over til den nærliggende markedsby Barnstaple.

Vi besøger byens bro over floden Taw, Europas længste middelalderlige bro, også byens indendørsmarked, og midt i byen den græsklædte bakke, hvor et slot, bygget i det 11. århundrede, engang stod.

byens bro, Europas længste middelalderlige bro

byens berømte indendørsmarked

den græsklædte bakke midt i byen, hvor et normannisk slot engang stod.

Lørdag den 21. september 2019

Vi kører hjem, og denne gang er vi modige og vi drister trafikpropperne omkring Bristol. På vej smutter vi ind hos Rosemary, én af Lois’ overlevende kusiner og desværre nu enke, der bor i landsbyen Cossington, Somerset. Hun er 4-5 år ældre, end os. Hun er desværre ikke ret mobil nu til dags, men hun håber på, at en kommende hofteoperation vil forbedre hendes livskvalitet.

Rosemary i lykkeligere tider, med sin mor Kathleen (1942-43, eller deromkring?)

Kathleen, Rosemarys mor, i familiens gamle bil

Det er rart at rejse, men det er også dejligt at komme hjem, ingen tvivl om det. Som Frank Sinatra sang (min egen parodiske version),

And the Huntspill River
Makes you start to quiver

Like the latest flivver
That's simply drippin' with chrome

But you know your fate is
Where the Blackmoor Gate is

All you contemplate is
The view from Miss Verity’s womb

Vi kommer hjem – vejrpigen siger, mini-hedebølgen har peaket i dag, og i nat kan det blive tordenvejr, med sporadiske byger gennem den næste uge. Vi har været så heldige, ingen tvivl om det.

Vi går i seng ved 22-tiden – vi er omsider hjemme og befinder os i vores dejlige seng igen– god nat, Ole, pengene ligger i vinduet ha ha ha!