Diary for Foreign Fourens


Devon time

2017-09-12

We are staying at our friends, Chris and Mary's home in Exeter. It's a lovely English home that could easily have featured on "Escape to the Country" a favourite TV show of Sue and the girls. It has a lovely light sitting and dining room that seems to reach into the garden. The kitchen is large open planned and superbly appointed. Our rooms are upstairs with our own bathroom facilities. It is a lovely place to stay and recoup at.  Tuesday who went tootling around the county of Devon in a people mover hired by Chris. We went to Ford Abbey an historical old abbey and gardens dating back to the 11th century. The grand stone building and acres of gardens were beautiful. At 12 pm the fountain spout shot about 20 metres skyward for about 5 minutes which was a sight to behold. We meandered through the many garden ares and around the well placed ponds. We toured inside the abbey but no photos allowed in the main interior rooms elegantly and opulently decorated with paintings, sculptures, huge tapestries and antique furnishings. Lillian and I dressed up in monks robes for a laugh, the others weren't so keen. We lunched in the tea rooms before continuing a drive. We drove through Axminster, famous for carpet making and the seaside village of Seaton where I was interested in fishermen surf fishing on the beach with wind shelters (dome tents) to protect themselves from the brisk weather changes. We then went to the delightful seaside resort village of Beer which is bustling with holiday makers at the height of summer but a little quieter now.  As you'll see from the many pictures it is a pretty and entrancing place  that we thoroughly enjoyed visiting. I'd love to go back again in summertime.  The shingle beach drops away sharply at the shoreline. The tide rises and falls 5 metres and at full tide is deep enough to,launch fishing boats directly from the beach. The bay is framed at either side by steep chalk cliffs which add to the picturesque scene. As advised by a mirthful sign at the Barrell pub, I had a beer at Beer. The rest had ice creams, most appropriate.  After that we continued our countryside circuit back to Exeter and our host's home. After dinner I researched and booked, with Chris's assistance, our upcoming travel connections to France and accomodation at Portsmouth. All that planning led to a busy mind and lack of sleep that night.