6 to 8 October 2026 - A Trip to Devon

Tuesday 6 October 2026

And so to Devon, where Sue and I first of all met Isabel and Brian at Trevallick's Farm Shop for a two hour catch up. Isabel was my first lodger when I bought a house in the mid 1970's at a time of high mortgage interest rates that meant I needed help with the mortgage payments.  I remember her first few rent instalments going towards the purchase of a large wardrobe that was subsequently taken to bits and then rebuilt every time I moved house, right up to the sale of my last house a few years ago. It was good to meet Isabel's second husband and to recall times with her first husband, Gary, who sadly died recently.

From there it was an easy drive to the striking Kit Hill, that has seen much mining in the past, one of the chimneys from which is now adorned with an assortment of 21st century apparatus. Fine views from this summit.
 

On to Princetown, to nice accommodation at 'Ramblers' Rest', where Sue is pictured in the hot tub, and good food at the Prince of Wales pub, where Tom is pictured with his 'Free Beer'.

Wednesday 7 October 2026

The view from our bedroom window didn't exactly inspire us to go out and explore Darmoor.

However, whilst others (Tom, Keith, Carol and Julie had also extended their break to do some walking on Dartmoor) went off to bag some summits, Sue and I enjoyed a 12 km circuit from Princetown, that included a visit to the rocky summit of South Hessary Tor, 

On the way to this windy summit we passed irrigation canals, an assortment of fungi including some huge specimens of Fly Agaric, two groups of twenty strong squaddies, some cyclists, some rainbows (the rain was elsewhere, perhaps following Julie's 'bagging' crowd), some interesting marker posts, a lost village, and some friendly girls on the last day of their DoE gold expedition.

We returned to admire the old hotel that has been turned into a visitor centre and gift shop. By the end of our stay we felt so sorry for them - they appeared to have very few customers - that we spent quite a bit before leaving the town.

Here's our route - 12 km with 200 metres ascent that took us a little over 3 hours.

Then we visited Plymouth. Driving was a bit of a nightmare but it was worth it to admire the boats in the harbour and to see Lyn, one of Sue's former colleagues, who has been enjoying work setting up a Pharmacy School in Plymouth (linked to Bath University where Lyn is a Pharmacy Professor)..

Lyn's aim is to increase the numbers of pharmacy students in the south west, where more pharmacists are needed. This new school seems to be doing just that.

After a lovely meal at Rockfish, by the harbour, Sue and I drove back to Princetown, where Sue lazed in the hot tub and I joined the others for a beer.

Thursday 8 October 2026

A huge mast towers over Princetown, next to a trig point that marks the summit of North Hessary Tor. This is an easy walk from Ramblers' Rest and when extended to Hollow Tor it generated a circuit of a little over 5 km. Sue and I enjoyed this morning stroll in more fine weather on a sunny day.

Returning to Princetown past the church, we noticed lots of neatly placed stones with inscriptions that suggested they were in memory of deceased inmates of Princetown prison. The prison remains an eyesore over the town. It is temporarily closed, having been evacuated and shut down in July 2024 due to dangerously high levels of radioactive radon gas.

The church, which is home to some lovely stained glass windows, is no longer used for worshiping.

Here's our 5 km route - with ascent of 140 metres. It took us an hour and a half.

The reason for our short morning walk was that Sue and I had a 12 noon appointment at the Two Bridges Hotel, just a short drive from Princetown. Here we met Richard and Jenny and their hosts in Totnes, Paul and Helen - who used to live nearby us in Hale.

After a jolly good lunch, the six of us wandered up a track to Wiseman's Wood, where visitors are encouraged not to enter the wood, so as to preserve the ancient rainforest and its delicate inhabitants.

Here's another 5 km amble, with 75 metres ascent and a duration of 2 hours, given the arthritic joints and poor eyesight that slows some of us down.

Then we returned to Princetown for final sessions in the hot tub and in the Prince of Wales, before heading north to the subject of the next posting.