March 14 – Friday

We got up and had a leisurely morning at Lane End Farm just 10 miles or so outside Bideford in the countryside. Except for one other camper, we were the only ones at this pleasant little site. The people that ran the campsite didn’t even make an appearance.

We made our way to the little coastal village of Westward Ho! near Bideford in Devon on the Atlantic Ocean. The name for this village was inspired by a novel published by Charles Kingsley in 1955 that takes place in Bideford. The locals took the name of Westward Ho! for the first Ho! tel in the area and, for the town name as a tourist draw for Victorian holiday makers. (Wikipedia)

We had a nice long walk on the mudflats in the sunshine. It was beautiful.

Then we went into Bideford to load up on some supplies and made our way back to our campsite before dusk. When we arrived, there was no one else at our campsite and we had it all to ourselves. The stars were out and it was cold so we were glad for our heater that night.

March 15 – Saturday

We said goodbye to Lane End Farm on this sunny March morning after a little walk in the garden. The mass of hellebores were in bloom and in the back of the garden, the daffodils were cheerfily blowing in the wind.

About 9am, we got on the road to Bude.

Bude is a lovely little maritime town with loads of history. We started out at the Bude museum learning about the history of the community and its long stint as a producer of sand for inland agriculture. We also learned about it’s maritime past and the number of shipwrecks that occured outside in the open water around Bude Bay. Bude is another town popular for tourists and those involved in water sports like surfing. Down on the harbor are those cute little beach shacks that are either short or long term rental. They are in a lot of resort towns in the area.

In the afternoon, we visited Tintagel Castle, a fascinating English Heritage site by the sea. Between the 5th and 7th century, it was likely a stronghold for Cornish Kings. Then in the 1100’s, a book was written called “History of the Kings of Britain”and mused that this site was the place where King Arthur was born. Inspired by this idea, Richard, Earl,of Cornwall built the castle in 1230 ‘s and the King Arthur legends continue. As the English Heritage site says, “History and legend are inseparable at Tintagel.”

We planned to go to Port Isaac, Cornwall that day as well but it proved to be too much time wise. We made a plan to go back in the morning which meant retracing our steps but agreed it was worth it.

We headed to St. Agnes (Cornwall) and Cross Coombe Farm, a lovely family run terraced campsite with a view to the western sky. The sunset was beautiful.

March 16 – Sunday

We got up early and pointed the van in the direction of Doc Martin country, Port Isaac. In the series, Port Isaac is known as Port Wenn.

I think the pictures will do the talking:

Port Isaac was the set for many years for Doc Martin filming. Hopefully now the village has a bit of peace but I fear not. We talked to a girl at a shop and she said we came at the right time of year. Apparently in the summer it is wall to wall people.

After Port Isaac, we motored down to Land’s End near Penzance. We had a walk around the cliffs and got a sense of the history of the area. Land’s End is the most westerly point in England. The most westerly point in Great Britain prize goes to a place in the Scottish Highlands.

After Land’s End, we go on to Porthcurno. I will resume later. I just mistakingly deleted the rest of this post. Having to do the blog on my phone now as the battery on my new computer packed it in. We need to find a computer shop to fix it.

Still trying to catch up on the blog. Just 10 days behind😳We are both down with colds too. Boo Hoo!

More later.

We are in Suffolk now. Went to Sutton Hoo yesterday, an Anglo Saxon Burial site. It was super interesting.

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Very windy