January Walks in the South Hams

I was hoping that January, with its cold crisp days would be full of walks in this beautiful corner of South Devon; however on New Year's Eve Covid-19 arrived at Cross Farmhouse and it has been three weeks since we have really felt much like walking. During that time the best I have managed has been an exhausting walk around the boundary of our fields; so what was supposed to be a whole post of various walks is going to be limited to just one. But what a walk!

For our first proper walk of 2021 we drove the short distance to park at the Gara Rock Hotel for one of our favourite walks. This is the Gara Rock-Mill Bay circuit. As we are a single household and Emme was at pre-school we had chosen this as a longer walk which we thought we could all manage and enjoy.

The walk starts with a descent to Mill Bay on the Salcombe Estuary. This is across the fields and then a sloping path down through the woods to the water's edge and the beach at Mill Bay.

Mill Bay is one of the favourite beaches for kids, just a short walk from the NT car park and loos; and along the road (or beach when its low tide) to the small ferry across to Salcombe.

The estuary is perfect for stand up paddle boarding and has super sand for sand castle building and beach games with rock pools at low tide and a stream running along one side for dam building! Roll on summer days.

Viewed from above the walk looks fairly level but the path descends quite steeply through the woods. After the heavy rain of yesterday it was hard to decide whether we were following a path or the bed of a stream!

The path then follows the edge of the coast, once again through woodland, with glimpses of the water through the trees before opening out as the mouth of the estuary approaches. A short detour from the main path drops down into the aptly named Sunny Cove.

One of the great things about living here has been variety of walks we have both along the nearby coastline and in loops which include both coast and country. We also have some super walks on a mix of paths, unmade tracks and very quiet country lanes direct from the door. Our eldest granddaughter loves to join us in exploring the area around Cross Farmhouse as we venture off down Devon Country Lanes.

Our First Christmas Down a Devon Country Lane

 A Very Different Christmas in 2020

Preparations for our first Christmas here took off a little earlier than we normally would. A consequence I suppose of having two young children in our household and schools finishing on the 17^th December. We have three Christmas trees in total, one in Caro and Benji’s sitting room, one in their entrance hall and one just outside our porch, all decorated and lit; with outside lights on gutters, in and around trees and “the deer” grazing on the lawn adding to the festive mood! Two of the trees are rooted and will be planted in the grounds at the end of the festive season.

Like most families we had been planning and looking forward to a full five-day celebration with both daughters, their husbands and all four grandchildren. Covid19 ward duty meant that we might not see so much of Nick, but at the moment that’s simply the life of a doctor in so many parts of the world. As Christmas Day approached yet another U-turn by the government reduced the five days to just 12 hours.

 

We enjoyed a beach picnic at Hope Cove on Christmas Eve. Another plus for our new location! This is a super little coastal village just half an hour away with three small sandy coves, thatched cottages and a great pub (sadly closed).

 

Nick was working all day Christmas Day but a sudden change of shift requirements meant that he was able to join us for a late afternoon Christmas dinner; Clare and the boys having arrived at 7.00am. Half an hour’s drive for them but they still arrived before I was up and about!

It was a lovely day with no politics and lots of fun and food to be enjoyed throughout. Our gifts were very well received – the boys with their fins and snorkelling masks, the girls with roller boots. Ettie decided she wouldn’t take hers off all day and succeeded to learn both inside and out without too many falls. The boys already discussing the best places to explore along the local coastline.

Leaving the younger children at the house with Caro and Benji doing prep for Christmas dinner the rest of us set off on one of our local walks across the fields and along the lanes around us. At one point we look south to the sea and north to Dartmoor before returning along a flooded lane. Half way through the thirty-metre puddle we heard a car approaching and were relieved when the driver waited until we had reached the other end before coming through, lowering a window to call out her Christmas greetings and give a friendly wave!

Considering cooking on an Aga was a fairly new experience for any of us our Christmas dinner was a tour de force and with ten of us gathered around the table we were able to really enjoy our first Christmas here Down a Devon Country Lane.

Our First Month Down a Devon Country Lane

Four weeks in… and what have we learned so far?

Well, firstly, we now know that old farms have rats and, in our case, we have discovered quite a lot of them. They have made their homes in various parts of the property and these include the walls of the walled garden, the back wall of the greenhouse, the walls of the lawn garden and even some in the oldest part of the house! We suspect that they’ll also be in the Devon bank behind the stables. However, we are slowly winning the battle! 

 

The garden hasn’t received much TLC for some time and we are slowly eating away at those jobs which can be done at this time of year, though only when the weather permits. In that respect we have been very lucky with more dry days than wet ones, although when it has rained it has been pretty heavy and most of the water runs onto and across the driveways, then on down the hill.

 

Ivy has overrun many of the old stone walls and, as we start to uncover them, we have discovered some interesting stonework and, buried in greenery by the gate, an ancient plough.

 

A trip to a garden centre at Newton Abbot provided a supply of potting compost and some plants for pots, half baskets and hanging baskets to give us some winter and spring colour. Our tulip bulbs have been potted up and will look fabulous in the spring.

 

We have met our closest neighbours. Michael and Jean from the farm and David and Fran next door. We have been made very welcome, though Covid restrictions have limited social interaction. We are learning a lot about the history of the property as Michael was born in Cross Farmhouse and he has told us about where various doors, windows and staircases have been in the past. He also revealed that there is an old fireplace behind the panelling in our sitting room. We plan to open this up for a log burner in the new year. We knew that there must be something as there is an old chimney stack on the outside wall at that point. It will be exciting to reveal it.

 

We have discovered that the stables and stable yard make a great area for entertaining.  It is one of the flattest parts of the grounds and, although up a steep incline from the house, provides a great space for casual dining, garden furniture, fire pit, BBQ, and, perhaps in the future, a hot tub! Some gravel on the surface will also make it perfect for boules and the odd game of molkky. One thing is certain, one of the stables is set to become “The Stable Bar” and we have already installed the table football!

One of the best things we have discovered is, that at least so far, we all get along very well! Emme often opts to have breakfast in our kitchen and it is lovely to be able to spend more time with both girls, Caro and Benji.  As we are without a kitchen, until at least January, we enjoy meals together, taking turns to prepare supper and often end up in front of the fire in their large sitting room before heading for bed.

 

In addition, in just four weeks, we have also discovered a super local walk up the lane, through a farmyard across the fields and alongside the stream at the bottom of the valley below Cross Farmhouse. There are also super walks along the coastline just fifteen minutes from here and a great farmers market on a Friday at nearby Totnes. There is an abundance of birdlife around with a robin that pops out whenever we are in the garden; and we are frequented by a buzzard and at least one owl. Sunsets, viewed from the stable yard, are spectacular and perhaps most important of all, just a short drive or walk “Down our Devon Country Lane” takes us to the Fortescue Arms in East Allington village which serves an excellent Sunday lunch!

Two Weeks on... Down a Devon Country Lane

 

Thursday 26th November.  It's hard to believe but two weeks have passed and we already feel very settled in our home here in East Allington. Of course there are still plenty of boxes which need to be unpacked, but we have our bedroom sorted and a guest room almost ready to receive visitors once they are permitted. We have a comfortable room in which to relax and have already received a procession of tradespeople delivering logs, talking building alterations, log burning stoves and most recently the kitchen layout designer!  We've even managed to start some clearing up outside; and at the end of our first week a small number of the many trees we plan for our land were planted.

Weather has been mixed since our arrival, well it is November! But when it's dry we try to get some of the initial outside work started and when it's not there is plenty to keep us busy inside. A trip to a nearby garden centre has got us started with compost for our many pots in which Mary has planted a good selection of bulbs. I've made a start with sorting out the greenhouse, though this has first required the elimination of rats which have in the past had a clear run of the garden and outbuildings! The previous owners had horses, chickens, ducks and goats, so it's of little surprise they also had rats! More of the rats in a future post!

We've also had some fantastic sunsets.

We have had socially distanced visits from daughter Clare and grandson Tom, Mary's sister Chris and brother Andrew with sister-in-law Claire. All outdoors and all at two metres plus!

We have been shopping in Kingsbridge (Tescos) and Totnes (lots of independents) and our local farm shop near Torcross. Mary, Caroline and Benji have been exploring the field paths and local lanes on walks with Hobie - Caro and Benji's black Labrador. 

We've even managed a couple of trips to the beach at Torcross with fish and chips on one of them, so getting settled into our new way of life Down a Devon Country Lane. Though it rained most of the time!

The Day of the Move

Thursday 12th November

After thirty-eight years in our house in the lovely old market town of Somerton in the heart of rural Somerset, we are moving out and heading further south and west to start a new life. And today is the day!

To many of our friends, and perhaps some family members will also secretly agree, our move seems a strange thing to be considering, let alone doing, at this stage in our lives. Here we have a super home and garden with fabulous views over the Somerset countryside towards Glastonbury Tor. A home where our two daughters have passed through their education and grown to adulthood. A town where we have put down roots in our local community. An area where we have been lucky enough to grow many friendships. But today we leave all this behind us as we start on a new adventure. Today we head off into the South Hams district of South Devon towards the rest of our lives.

Over the next few weeks, months and years this blog will be a record of those adventures as we adjust to our newly chosen course, including the refurbishment of our share of an old farmhouse, the restoration and creation of gardens and the exploration of the countryside and coastline of Devon.

The reference to sharing above is important as we are embarking on this adventure by moving into part of a property which we shall be sharing with our daughter, son-in-law and our two granddaughters. Though when looking for a suitable property we were all in agreement that we needed our own front door, our own staircase, a guest bedroom for our friends and of course our own living space to relax, prepare food and eat. And here "Down a Devon Country Lane" we found it.

The vans arrived at Cross Farmhouse ahead of us and we used every available storage space for our many boxes, and indeed some of our furniture. The four vans a necessity due to the narrow Devon Lanes on the final approach. By bedtime we had at least all got beds to sleep in!

The property we are buying with Caroline and her husband Benji is an old Devon farmhouse with gardens and about three acres of land, currently used as paddocks for the seller's horses; so, of course, we also have a stable block. In addition there is a large barn with the potential to convert so we have plenty of exciting projects in the years ahead.

Cross Farmhouse sits on a south facing sloping site with wide views across rolling countryside. The nearest town is Kingsbridge on the Salcombe Estuary just five miles away and the sea a similar distance at Torcross. Totnes is ten miles to the north and Plymouth and Exeter are both under the hour. Although the postal address is East Allington, Cross Farmhouse is about a mile and a half from the centre of the village with its school, church and pub.

Our move proved to be relatively painless. We had packed well ahead of the big day and had been surrounded by boxes for several weeks. Our only problem proved to be the settee, which had to exit via the large window (once it had been removed!). Thanks to Gary Stamp, one of Mary's ex-pupils and dad to a couple of kids I knew through pantomime; it was very straight forward in the end!