Hello, luv!
Hi there!
My name is Martha and I am a single, retired woman from the Denver area who is a big fan of Rick Steves tours. Since my first trip to France in 2012 I have been hooked! I am in love with England and decided to take the Villages of Southern England tour in the fall of 2018.
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DEVON AND DARTMOOR
Day 7: All Aboard!
This was a transition day between Salisbury and Dartmoor in Devon. Our drive was lovely with larger hills and more trees than before. The geology transitions from chalk formed by ancient seas to granite from equally old volcanos.
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The first stop was for the Swanage steam train. It was a quick ride but so atmospheric! The steam swirled dramatically around the train in the cool morning air. It all felt like we were in a movie and Humphrey Bogart would dash in at the last moment!
We had a relaxed 20 minute train ride to Corfe Castle. It is on the top of a natural and manmade hill and played an important role in England's civil war. The one where the nobility got really mad at a bad king and overthrew him. It changed the way this country was governed forever. Now the queen is a constitutional monarch and the parliament has the power. The castle ruins were majestic and surrounding countryside was spectacular.
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We had a bit of extra time in Corfe to hunt up some lunch and shop in the charming little village right outside the castle gates. I found a fun candy store with lots of choices of British sweets!
On our way to Chagford we made a brief stop in West Bay. While this was basically a "comfort" stop, the ocean was only a couple blocks from the toilets so we took a quick jaunt over to see the rocky beach and hear the waves. And enjoy an ice cream on the way.
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Chagford is a charming village within the boundaries of Dartmoor and was our home for two lovely nights. The streets were too narrow for the bus so we were dropped about half a mile from the hotel. That short distance was all we needed to feel comfortable with the village. Mark mentioned that the pub in the hotel was a good one and many of us gathered before dinner. It was crowded with locals, hikers, dogs, and (with us) Americans! A nice spot to have a relaxing drink.
Day 8: WOW!
This day took me by surprise with it's impact. We hopped on the bus to see evocative Dartmoor in detail. We first stopped at a bridge built around 800 years ago. Called a clapper bridge because of the clappa, clappa, clappa sound made when wheels go over it. Kind of like the sound of suitcases pulled over cobblestones.
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We then went for a walk on the moors. The day was bright and sunny with fluffy clouds and wind that cut through a coat. Even in the cold the place was breathtaking! Mark grew up in Devon and explored Dartmoor as a child and is really knowledgeable about the Bronze Age people that lived here 4000 years ago. He took us to an area that had been a settlement and his words painted a vivid picture of what it would have been like. It was fascinating and riveting in the blustery cold as he made the area come to life.
BRIT BITS:
Moors and Stones
Probably like you, I had heard the term "moor" but was a bit fuzzy on what it meant. Then I saw moors in both Scotland and England... A moor is an area of open, rolling land that is generally not suitable for agriculture. The ones that I have seen are evocative in their wildness. A bit of scrubby vegetation and (in Dartmoor) a lot of wind. Any type of resident here needs to be hardy and tough.
As for standing stone formations, the best known example is Stonehenge. While that is the poster child, there are hundreds of them around the British Isles and France. They are man-made groups of primarily upright large stones. While they are known to be from the Bronze Age (some 4000 years ago!) the rest about them are in question. The why in particular is widely debated.
Whether the stones are large or small, singular or in clusters, formed in circles or lines or anything else, I find them beautiful, compelling, and fascinating.
The hotel had packed sandwiches for our lunch and we took a quick bus ride to another location for a picnic with a view. There are feral horses that have free run in Dartmoor and we were lucky enough to see some as we ate. One even came up to a tour member who had a hidden apple in her pocket! The moors are also home to free range sheep and cattle so the three animals were often in the same area. We saw many more animals than people on the moors!
Once back in Chagford we had some free time. I perused the village and got caught up on chores around the room. The modest church was lovely and the stores fun! Then I took some time to reestablish order in my jumbled suitcase.
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Late that afternoon Mark treated us all to a cup of tea and scone. Known as a cream tea. There is good natured competition between people in Devon and Cornwall as to how a proper scone is prepared and we learned the "correct" way in Chagford. Jam goes on top of lots of clotted cream!
Train station
This is the one we are riding
Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Chagford
Train station