Lundy Island

Lundy Island lies off the coast of North Devon and is visible from the coast on most days. I visited it as a child but don't remember much about it so for a while now I've been thinking of going back. So yesterday we went. It's a lovely place, wild and empty, but I won't be going back again.

The MS Oldenburg takes 267 passengers and leaves from either Bideford or Ilfracombe. When we arrived in Ilfracombe yesterday and joined the queue for the boat a cheery crewman walked up the line telling everyone that sea conditions were 'moderate to rough'. He lied, they were VERY rough. I spent most of the two hour journey on deck along with about fifty other people holding sick bags. I was very ill by the time we arrived.

Once you are finally allowed off the boat you then have to face the long walk up the cliff. By the time I'd done that I was ready for a lie down. Fortunately the sun was shining and we found a sheltered spot to have our picnic, so when the others had finished eating and I'd had a drink of water I felt much more able to explore the island. A handful of people live there permanently, and there is a campsite for people wanting to holiday on the island. There is a pub, a shop, a church and a toilet block, but that's about it.

The jetty where the boat docks is on the south of the island. Lundy is three miles long and half a mile wide. So after lunch we headed north to see what there was to see. We found the wild ponies, who didn't mind too much when my children stroked them. We saw some ruined cottages, and then, when we reached the Quarterwall, we headed across to the west coast of the island. The map said there were puffins there but we didn't see any, most of them are at the North end. There is also the chance of seeing some seals but we didn't.

Heading back south again we found the old lighthouse and my husband took the children up while I rested in a sunny spot. They were impressed by the views from the top. Then there was just time to visit the shop before heading back to the boat. The trip home wasn't quite as bad as the outward journey but I still didn't dare to venture downstairs.

The trip to Lundy cost �67 for a family ticket. If you are a good seafarer, or you are lucky enough to pick a calm day, it's worth a visit. I'd go again - if there was some other way of getting there!

For more photos of the island follow the link to my other blog - North Devon Photo Journal.

Torridge Pool

What to do when its raining? Lets do what everyone else does and go swimming. Well we tried Cascades at Ruda holiday park (see earlier blog entry) and the queue was out the door, so after lunch we headed in the opposite direction and tried Torridge Pool in Northam. I'd phoned earlier to find out what time thier 'Happy Hour' was, and arrived fifteen minutes after it had started to hear the lady pool-side yell through to reception, "We're full, don't let anyone else in". Fortunately she didn't mean me, she meant anyone who wasn't already in line.

'Happy Hour' is when they have the large inflatable octopuss and all the floatation mats out for people to play with. Of course you're not allowed to take photos inside but I managed to sneak this one before being told off by one of the lifeguards.

I've edited out the part of photo which had a boy who is nothing to do with me, lest I offend someone! I should warn you that you are also not allowed on the inflatable with armbands on (my daughter was told off for that just after the photo was taken) nor are you allowed to use goggles which cover your nose. We live in a world where health and safety rule, not the government.

Robber's Bridge

At 12.30 today I checked the online weather forecast and discovered that it was going to rain for the next four days. So in an attempt to make the most of the sunshine we all rushed out the door in about 20 mins for an impromptu picnic. We rushed to Sainsburys first to buy some food then headed off to Exmoor. We ended up here - one of my very favourite places.

Robber's Bridge is in Doone Valley and is linked in someway to the R.D. Blackmoor story 'Lorne Doone', though don't ask me how because I've never read it. It's accessed from the A39 between Lynmouth and Porlock via a very steep and windy narrow lane. It's worth the journey. It's an absolutely beautiful place. The water on both sides of the bridge is shallow enough to paddle in, and my children spent ages doing this - once they'd eaten their picnic of course. I sat back and enjoyed the sunshine. Then after a while we all did some painting. I won't show you the results - none of us are budding Rembrants!

If you are ever anywhere near this is a place you must visit. There are no facilities, only a car park; but even when it's quite crowded, as it was today, the peace and tranquility are enough to restore anyone's soul.

Exmoor Zoo

Exmoor Zoo hides down a little country lane in the heart of the National Park it shares a name with. But it is well signposted once you reach the Blackmoor Gate crossroads. We had lovely sunny weather for our visit and I was glad we arrived as the zoo opened at 10.00 because by lunch time most of the animals seemed to have zonked out in the sunshine.

The zoo is set out on a hillside. Once we'd reached the bottom of it my children moaned a bit about walking back up. And it's a bit of maze to negotiate. We managed to see all the animal enclosures quite quickly, but there are activities every half hour to fill up your time. At 11.00 the first activity was otter feeding, pictured here. This was quite popular so its worth staking your claim to a prime spot ten minutes beforehand. The otters let you know its feeding time by squeaking very loudly at least 30 mins before so there's no chance of missing it.

Other activities include 'Meet the Alpacas', 'Bug Encounter', 'Spider Phobia' and 'Cheetah Feeding', which presumably you watch rather than take part in. A feeding activity you can take part in is with the wallabies. The kids loved this; you can give them something resembling rabbit food which they eat out of your hand, or wave a branch full of leaves in their general direction if you don't want to get that personal. They like to be stroked too but there is a wallaby only enclosure where they can escape to when it all gets too much!

There is also a cafe where you can get hot or cold food, but be warned - they don't accept credit/debit cards. The exit is through the gift shop, of course, but there are quite cheap choices for those whose children, like mine, rarely listen to the word 'no'. My six year old must have spent at least half an hour trying decide what to spend her �2 on and must have changed her mind about five times.

Rock Park

The sun is finally shining in North Devon, so everyone rushed outdoors to make the most of it today. I took the children over to Rock Park at lunch time for a picnic and to meet a friend I haven't seen for a long time. We had a nice chat, and a beer (a picnic isn't complete without one). The kids played, or slept in the pushchair in the case of her little one.

There are two parks in Barnstaple, Pilton and Rock. Rock park, named after Mr Rock, some famous Barnstaple person (I only know this because there is a statue of his head somewhere nearby), sits on the bank of the river Taw. It is larger than Pilton park, has some very pretty grounds and a big field used for sports at the weekends. It is in the process of being re-vamped with a new children's play area and new toilets. Lets hope they finish soon because what was on offer today was rather old, and there wasn't much for the kids to play on at all. The old toilets were locked so we had to water a few trees. Still, the picnic was nice, and its worth a wander through if you like some pretty views.

Appledore and Instow

We've just 'done' Appledore and Instow at school. That is to say, we visited them and studied them from a geographical point of view. I'd forgot there was more to these to towns than just the beach or the quay.

In Appledore we walked through the little park at the back of the car park and into Irsha Street, a quaint windy little road full of pretty cottages. Half way along there are two lovely looking pubs (which of course we didn't go in) and in between them is a slipway. It leads down to the muddy beach you can see in the photo. The children sat and did some sketching and we showed them the sand bar where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet. Then we let them loose on the pebbles and rocks. They loved seeing what they could find, and lots of shells, stones and even crabs legs went home in pockets as treasure.

Walk to the end of Irsha Street and you find the Life Boat Station. The crew members very kindly let us go in and even showed the children the room where they keep thier uniform and wetsuits. Outside there is fantastic view of Westward Ho!

In Instow we walked along as far as the old train station where the Tarka Trail goes through the town. More on that in a future blog, I hope. (I'm waiting for my husband to teach my youngest how to ride a bike.) Then we went back round to the sand dunes and made sand sculptures. Some of their creations were very good, I recommend trying it sometime. Mermaids were particularly popular, three dimensional and fully equiped with shell bikini tops!

Jazz Train

It's still raining here in North Devon, so with umbrella's waving we headed off to Barnstaple train station last night for a little jaunt down the Tarka Line to Eggesford. We were advised to arrive half an hour early to ensure buying tickets as they couldn't be bought in advance, and were pleasantly surprised to discover that if there are more than four in your party you can get a group rate of 50% off adult tickets and children travel for �1. So our return trip cost a grand total of �7.50! Bargain!

And the reason for our trip? Once a month from April to September there is a Jazz Train running out of Barnstaple. A band plays on the train down to Eggesford where passengers alight and take the short walk up to the Fox and Hounds Country Hotel for dinner. The band also plays in the pub, and on the return train journey. On our trip the band was The Steve Tucker All Star Jazz Band, and they were brilliant.

The meal at the Fox and Hounds was also fantastic, although I ate rather too much and had to waddle back to the train station. The children loved going on the train, although the countryside views were spoiled a bit by the weather. I especially enjoyed the champagne provide by my friend for the journey. And despite my teenage daughter asserting that the music was "gay", even she was smiling by the end. I'd definately go again.