The Valley of the Rocks, North Devon
Lynton, North Devon
It was such a breath of fresh air for me to spend a few days exploring the beautiful coastline and rolling hills of North Devon. I was so surprised of how many places we visited during our two-day holiday, which thankfully was blessed with sunshine.
Our first stop was the picturesque Dunster Castle (National Trust property) with its stunning interiors and immaculate grounds and village. The Victorian library and sitting room was my favourite, the wallpaper had an exotic feel to it with a light blue background and a multitude of golden birds, butterflies and dragonflies in relief. The oak bookcase enshrines hundreds and hundreds of old volumes and the soft furnishings, matching the walls, gather in front of a very elegant fireplace in marble. So much wisdom, so much knowledge, so many untold stories in the air. One of the bedrooms had a secret passage and the cellar had recordings of people witnessing ghostly apparitions...suddenly, erm I meant sadly, it was our time to go.
We carried on driving down to Porlock Bay. We parked the car and then adventured through salt marshes to then arrive at an immense beach covered in pebbles. It was quite desolate, however, very atmospheric! We had a not so comfortable picnic, but very re-energising after all that walking.
We decided to move on to search for a camping site and drove through Exmoor Park. We stopped to admire the overwhelming green surrounding us on one side and the deep blue sea far away on the other, as the sun was lowering and drawing the day to a close.
Our campsite was by a river just beyond Lynmouth, and despite the tiring eventful day, the lovely dinner at the local pub (although we had to wait quite a long time to be served), our cosy tent and the suggestive settings, I still had trouble to sleep due to the constant noise of rushing water!
The next day we visited Lynmouth and its memorial hall, which displays pictures and memorabilia of the destructive floods of 1953. We also visited the above village Lynton (140m), with lovely murals depicting the stags of Exmoor forest, which the locals are very proud of. Lynton can be reached by funicular railway, which was so much fun, once up there your gaze could stretch so far and follow the coastline and its cliffs into the distance.
By following the signs, we left the village behind us and walk approximately half a mile. We found ourselves on a narrow coastal path and then into the amazing Valley of the Rocks, inhabited by wild goats. The views were breathtaking, on the right the steep rocks diving into the sea, on the other the green valley and the graceful presence of the Exmoor ponies down below. It was such an exhilarating experience, we weren't ready to go home just yet so we headed further down the coast to Croyde Bay to watch the surfers, finally swim in the sea (well, not me) and take in another unforgettable peaceful sunset. Then yes, we were ready to make our way home.
