Everybody likes to go away over the Easter weekend here because we get both Good Friday and Easter Monday off. Despite just coming back from Singapore, I had booked for us a B&B all the way in North Devon, within Exmoor National Park. The drive according to Google map, was 4.5h. I guess when I told K about our booking, he didn't think too much about it.
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| Arriving Lynton past 6pm, nearing sunset |
As the day approached and both battling jet lag, the idea of driving 4.5h to this remote village called Lynton just didn't appear too attractive. So we decided to set off at 1030am on Friday morning. Guess how long we took to get to Lynton? Google map started with 4h 50min.. it soon increased, and increased. All the motorways were jammed; it seemed like everyone in the UK decided to drive westwards this Easter! We felt so frustrated and seriously felt like giving up. Ended up we took 8h in total! Arrived at the B&B completely tired out (I felt so bad for K who drove all the way), frustrated and just in disbelief. Sore butts too! The owners were sympathetic and told us everyone who drove to Lynton that day complained about the horrendous road conditions. We checked into our room and just had to have a lie in to recover.
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| Daffodils - signs of spring |
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| Lynton in the early morning |
The reason I chose Lynton was because it is by the coast and K loves the sea. On hindsight, really we would say, we had rather we stayed in London and did nothing. The weather was bad - gale force winds with rains and eventually storm Katie making its way on Monday - they all just didn't paint a good picture! Thankfully the B&B was nice because we spent a good part of Saturday relaxing in the room with winds howling outside. We were in fact, warned by the B&B owners to avoid the coastal walk because it's too dangerous. This is after all, a very rugged place. The only place we managed to visit was Watersmeet, a waterfall in a forested area with a very old English tea room nearby.
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| Watersmeet |
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| The tea room where you can take a break |
For lunch we stopped by Hunter's Inn which was really good. And a nice view too.
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| Hearty lunch at the Hunter's Inn |
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| Lunch with a view |
Despite having seen nothing much by Saturday night, I have to say the tapas place called Oak Room recommended by the B&B owners was really good. We throughly enjoyed what we ordered and I secretly wished my stomach was bigger that night so I could order more tapas. Moderation Bel, moderation..
Clocks moved forward on Sunday night and when we woke up at 8am, the sun was shining which got us excited. "Finally, we shall see something." We had planned to do the Valley of Rocks (a walking path along the coast which we were asked to stay away yesterday) and debated about driving to their nearest sandy beach which wasn't very near, a 45min drive away. Right after breakfast, the rain came again (seriously Exmoor?). However the winds were less strong so we decided to brave it. With an umbrella in tow, we started the walk which we were told, would take around 45min. Rain got heavier and we trudged on. We saw the angry sea below us (Lynton is on a cliff). Soon the path led to this exposed section with no barriers between us and the sea which was vertically below us to our right. It was scary. In fact when the winds blew, at that moment I realise it IS very possible for someone to be blown into the sea, if the winds were strong enough (like yesterday?). There wasn't anything to hold on to (okay maybe some shrubs…). We walked along this exposed path for a good 20min with no one in sight. Hmm ok.. soon the path led us inland much to our relief because by this time the winds seem to be getting stronger.
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| North Circular Walk |
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| Spotted a rainbow in the distance on this treacherous path |
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| This was the path we were on. #wesurvived |
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| Finally, inland! |
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| Are we there yet? Enthusiastic face #1 |
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| Boohoo. Enthusiastic face #2 |
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| The very rugged landscape |
In fact my ears were aching by then because I felt the strong winds beating our faces silly. We sought shelter inland on Holliday Hill, panting and somewhat in relief we survived. Sadly, it wasn't a very pleasant walk.
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| Forcing a smile in the cold. Couldn't even open our eyes! I know.. pathetic. |
We decided to drive 45min to the beach. Hmm.. on the way we heard about storm Katie approaching (not a good sign at all). We arrived to a very cold and windy beach.. in fact it was to be mentioned that K decided to take an obligatory beach shot with me in it. However I was way too cold and was hiding behind a high wall which protected me against the winds. He spun around and couldn't find me momentarily lol. "Not feeling it, sorry!" I shouted above the noises. Gee the kids around us were so excited to be at the beach. All wrapped up. Suddenly I felt like Sentosa is paradise. We literally had lunch by a seafront pub and decided that shall be the end of our Exmoor experience. Time to head home and be in the comfort of our own bed. PS- really didn't take any photos here.
Suffice to say, I'm now officially banned by K from organising day or weekend trips westward of the UK. I've been limited to only the South east, which is pretty much Kent! Personally I have to unfortunately rate this trip my second worst UK weekend trip, the worst being my Lake District misadventure 8 years ago. Weather is such an important factor - if it's just raining the whole time (not to mention storm and gale force winds), needless to say photos turn out gloomy (if you even want to take any), you are limited to where you can go and what you can see… not the most fun thing to have. Well I guess having 2 bad weekend trips in 8 years isn't too bad eh? Silver lining in every cloud…
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| Smile! |
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