Gloria, our campervan, was packed to the gills with our older daughter, Ruby, all her paraphernalia for the new term at uni, my husband Alan and I, our baggage, plus Lola the dog. We set off at lunchtime on Monday and made it to Exeter just in time for Ruby to have dinner with her housemate. Driving towards our camping pitch on Dartmoor, we passed through a village and were lucky enough to be squeezed in for last food orders in a pub. We were welcomed by twinkly fairy lights, which adorned the beamed ceilings and friendly staff, who adored Lola. The chalkboard menus were full of delicious choices of what to eat and we both decided on mackerel and chorizo risotto, which was scrumptious. The Biscoff cheesecake was sublime. Fed and watered, we arrived at our campsite, after a few wrong turns down narrow and steep dark country lanes. In the morning we woke up surrounded by trees, birdsong and the sound of the River Dart nearby. The facilities were clean and in a newly built wooden block. Alan set up the table and camping chairs for us to relax on and eat breakfast. After hot showers, we packed up and set off for our next stop. The journey from Devon to Cornwall was beautiful, with wildflowers and hedgerows passing ploughed fields in a blur, as we cranked the music up and sang along. The weather was sunny and the skies were blue but full of clouds, which is how I prefer them - pure blue skies are a bit too extroverted for my liking. When we reached the next campsite, we couldn’t believe the view from our spot on the edge of the cliff - it was breathtaking, overlooking the shimmering sea. Out came our table again, chairs and the cool box - which was emptied out to provide white wine, dips and bread. It was absolute bliss soaking up the sun and relaxing together looking out at the sea. I kept repeating on loop: ‘This is the life!’ Later we strolled along the cliff edge coastal path then watched the sunset while digging into a fish curry, which Alan had knocked up on the camping stove. We sat around a fire pit until we got too cold and had to get in our van and snuggle into our sleeping bags for the night. The third day we travelled up the coast towards Bude. We ate sausage rolls washed down with coffee at the beach cafe, then let Lola run free on the sand at Widemouth Bay - where my husband used to go as a teenager with his friends to surf. It was blissful to paddle my feet in the sea and clamber over rocks enjoying a salty breeze. We weren’t sure where we would be sleeping that night but as our old camper laboured to climb the hillside which we, thankfully, didn’t roll backwards on, we spied a sign for a campsite. On checking it out, we discovered stunning views over the bay and were in luck that there was a spare space for us to park up. Out came the table and chairs again and Alan rustled up a pasta dish with plenty of vegetables and a stir through sauce. We drank beer and looked out over the landscape, toasting marshmallows and playing cards. It became too shivery to stay outside any longer, so we hunkered down in our cosy bed reading and being kept company by moths and daddy long legs covering the lights. A wind was whipping up but it helped rock me to sleep and I woke up refreshed ready for a hot shower and coffee. I washed up our pots and plates from the night before in the kitchen facility on site before we bid the campsite and friends we had made in the caravan parked next to us goodbye. We set off to have lunch at Crackington Haven in a sweet cafe with wonderful views of the sea while eating incredible salads.
Eventually, it was time to head back towards Exeter to collect Ruby and go home. The campervan was much roomier on the return journey and we were all happy to have had a restful break and for Ruby to have all her things settled back in her uni home. We got back in time to pick our younger daughter, Martha, up from the local train station, where she had travelled from Sheffield and we were all reunited again ready to go to a family wedding together that weekend.
We stayed at:
Dartmoor Shepherd’s Huts, Higher Michelcombe Farm, Newton Abbot, Devon - Pitchup.com
Trewethett Farm Caravan Club Site, Trethevy, Tintagel, Cornwall PL34 0BQ - caravanclub.co.uk
Penhalt Farm, Widemouth Bay, Bude, Cornwall EX23 0DG 01288361210/07970 521549 info@penhaltfarm.co.uk - http://www.penhaltfarm.co.uk/
We ate at:
Clay Cutters Arms, Knighton, Newton Abbot, TQ13 0EY https://www.claycuttersarms.com - cosy, friendly pub
Rafikis, 17 West Street, Ashburton, TQ13 7DT 01364 388865 hello@rafikis.co.uk - Next to Ashburton Arts Centre
Widemouth Bay Cafe, Marine Drive, Widemouth Bay, Bude, Cornwall EX23 0AH 01288 361927 info@widemouthbaycafe.co.uk - sea views
Haven Cafe, Crackington Haven, Bude EX23 0JG 01840 230774 - sea views
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