Villages – Travels with Ali

~ Hope Cove and Salcombe, South Devon ~

The day didn’t bode well for exploring South Devon as Storm Eunice raged outside our bedroom window. We had arrived the afternoon before to our Bed and Breakfast in Hope Cove for two nights. Barely able to open the car door I tried to walk to the seafront to take a photo of the enormous waves pounding the sea shore and was nearly swept off my feet. The next two days didn’t seem like they were going to be much fun at all.

Hope Cove

Hope Cove is a small sheltered bay in the South of Devon. It seems to have retained its relaxed lifestyle and is ideal for families with its sheltered sandy beaches. Although with the storm raging not quite so calm that day!

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Salcombe

Anyway not to be deterred we set out to Salcombe with friends who were also staying with us. Salcombe is known for its outstanding beauty and is a popular holiday resort in the summer. By the time we reached there the rain had stopped and there were glimpses of sun and blue sky. It was fairly easy to find parking, so off we set to explore.

**“Take Notice, Whoever is found cleaning fish, or creating any other nuisance at this watering place will be prosecuted according to the law”**

Alleys and Sidewalks in Salcombe

Cafes, Pubs and Restaurants line the narrow streets of Salcombe, making it very difficult to chose a place for lunch! Dear Husband inspecting the menu, sadly not to his liking.

**The four of us reunited after many years**

We all voted Salcombe a great success and so happy that Storm Eunice seemed to have passed. After a very delicious lunch we headed off to Kingsbridge for more exploring.

Arriving back at Hope Cove around 5pm for a quick rest before dinner that night and to catch a glorious sunset.

Sunset at Hope Cove

One thing to note about this part of England is the narrow and windy roads. Usually only one car width wide and you never know who might be coming around the corner! There are small alcoves built into the hedge lined roads for you to reverse or pull into. The locals must get very frustrated with slow drivers as they are constantly “tail-gating” to make you go faster. Quite nerve wracking for the driver. We did have a few encounters and it’s especially hard at night as it is pitch black. In the summer months the traffic must be horrendous.

I hope you enjoyed our trip to South Devon and I will be posting more about our return journey back to Essex.

My A to Z Travel Challenge – Y is for Yufu and Yoshinocho, Japan – 🇯🇵

Yufu and Yoshinocho are both located in the Kyushu Islands of Japan. Situated in the Southwest of Japan.

Yufu

These are some of the photos I took on our trip to Japan a few years back. We visited Yufuin Onsen Village one afternoon, famous not only for its hot springs and holy shrine, but also art galleries and museums.

We had a fabulous afternoon here, a bit touristy, but a glimpse into village life.

Yoshinocho

On the same trip we spent a morning at Sengan-En Gardens, located in the Yoshinocho district, Kagoshima. Sengan-en is a traditional garden and stately home built by the 19th head of the Shimadzu family, Mitsuhisa, in 1658. We couldn’t visit the house as it was being used for filming. There are some lovely gift shops here selling local artwork and sweets. This is also where the famous Satsuma Kiriko glassware is sold, unique to Sengan-en and made at the glassworks next door.

The traditional red door, only affordable to the very rich

Water images from around the gardens

We had a wonderful morning here in these beautifully maintained gardens. It would be fun to watch scenes being filmed.

Thanks for reading, until next time!

My A to Z Travel Challenge – R is for Ribadesella, Spain 🇪🇸

Ribadesella is located on the North Coast of Spain and looks out over the Cantabrian Sea and the River Sella runs through there. I chose Ribadesella to break our journey from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compestella.
We stayed for two nights in the Hotel Gran Sella with a beautiful room overlooking the Playa de Santa Marina. This hotel was a former 19th century palace belonging to the Marquis of Argüelles.

The Esplanade in front of the hotel goes on for ages and we had a wonderful walk along the seafront. It is home to many old houses at one time owned by prosperous returning merchants from overseas, places like Chile and Mexico where they had made their fortunes. Apparently they date back to 16th and 17th century but surely must have been renovated many times since!

One of the houses formerly owned by a returning merchant

After a cocktail on the verandah in the hotel we drove over the bridge into the small harbour where there are many seafood restaurants. We just chose one at random and were not disappointed. We ordered a seafood platter for two, but was large enough for four.

Underneath this huge plate of fish there was a layer of potatoes

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Day Two in Ribadesella

Anthony had read about the Tito Bustillo Cave (Cueva de Tito Bustillo), known for prehistoric wall paintings of animals and figures, probably dating from the Magdalenian age, 29,000 years ago, and wanted to visit. We walked from our hotel but when we arrived found that we had to book to enter, that day all the times had been sold out. There was only the museum to wander around. It’s a good excuse to visit again.

In the afternoon we drove up into the mountain village of Mierres and found somewhere for lunch.

I took this photo because I was intrigued by the photo behind it!

We hope to go back one day to Northern Spain and explore more of the seaside and mountain villages. The food is wonderful and the scenery outstanding.

Some other places we have also travelled

My A to Z Travel Challenge – G is for Geysir and Gulfoss, Iceland

Both Geysir and Gulfoss are located within the Golden Circle in Iceland. These were places we visited a few years ago on an Icelandic Air tour. We first had one night in Reykjavik and the next morning boarded our coach to the next hotel which was Hotel Grimsborgir. Geysir This was our first destination outside…

by Alison May 18, 2020August 24, 2020

My A to Z Travel Challenge – J is for Jerez, Spain 🇪🇸

An Afternoon in Jerez

by Alison June 30, 2020August 24, 2020

My A to Z Travel Challenge – E is for Ephesus, Turkey

Ephesus, Turkey We visited Ephesus on our Mediterranean cruise many years ago. We took my parents who were then in their early eighties. This was one of our ports of call along the way. Docking in Kusadasi, we took a bus tour organised by the travel desk on the cruise ship to Ephesus. Even though…

by Alison May 5, 2020August 24, 2020