Category: Out and About

I’ve not blogged the last two weeks because of so much going on in the world and the Queen dominating the headlines. The majority mourned, so I respected their quiet time the same way many did. Few criticised or expressed their lack of caring. Yes, she lived an outstanding life to a wonderful age, so on that basis there’s little to mourn, but for those who aren’t royalists in every or any sense of the word, she has been a constant in many lives. Seeing a public display of grief reminds many of us of loved ones gone, so we can empathise with the feeling. That she should die when the world is in such a mess… well, it’s always in a mess, but for some, it’s another unsettling aspect. For me, the strangest thing missing will be ‘the Queen and her corgis’.

I was also away. Although now living in the south-west means we can visit most places for a day, we still have areas where we like to stay. We’ve never stayed in Port Isaac, although our holiday place gave us a wonderful view of Tintagel’s headland from an angle we’ve never viewed before.

Port Isaac is perhaps most famous as the setting for Port Wenn in the Doc Martin series, and if anyone fancies living in there, they may like to know the house (Fern Cottage) used as Doc Martin’s surgery is up for a whopping £1,150,000 and it’s only two bedrooms. Yes, there’s the view, but if I had that kind of spare change, there are nicer and larger homes. And I’m not sure I’d want tourists stopping to click their cameras at my front door every few seconds. Still, the opportunity is there for anyone who wants it.

This picturesque spot was once a busy port, though much of the goods moved by sea fell away with the arrival of the railways, and so Port Isaac has been a fishing village since the 14th century, evidenced by its small harbour and small twisting avenues. Tiny sometimes, such as Squeezy Belly Alley. Nowadays, its largest income may arguably be as a tourist attraction. There’s something quaint and captivating about the scenery, the buildings, and even the small harbour that pleases the visitor no matter how many times they’ve seen it before.

We were lucky enough to be staying at the top of the hill a little way past the visitor’s carpark, so we could leave our car and set out on foot any time we chose. Please respect the village and stop in the carpark, because no one who doesn’t live there should venture down except to drop off/pick up someone with mobility issues. There’s no room in the village for traffic and some of those roads really will have drivers getting into difficulty. Fresh fish is a major attraction, boat trips, coast path walks and the adventurous walker will find many beautiful bays in the area. From here we visited many of the spots we love so well, but next visit we’ll no doubt return to Tintagel.

Let me introduce a little ‘pet’ I found in deepest, darkest Dorset. I’m sure he’ll make the perfect guard dog; he’ll even deal with troublesome neighbours. I may name him Fido.

We’ve only visited Dorset once before and now, living far closer, we explored more of the area. We stayed in lovely accommodation, sharing the use of the owners’ wonderful garden. So wonderful, it rather inspired me so that I brought several plants home from garden centres in the area. It’s official — I cannot add another plant to the garden from here on. It’s simply jampacked. I’ve also got a clear idea of what I’ll do with our next garden should we get the chance to make another move. This garden is far too established to change now.

We kept things simple for me as I find going out and about currently difficult for health reasons, choosing to visit gardens, houses, maybe a beach, starting with a day out, in and around Abbotsbury, which is an attractive village built in bluff stone. We visiting Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens and the Abbotsbury Swannery. They’re separate but close by and you can save by purchasing a ticket for both at either attraction without having to go to each on the same day. All the birds are free, but as they’re fed twice a day and provided with appropriate pens and nesting material, they choose to nest here. At the time we went, the cygnets were hatching, and it was full on cuteness overload.

Cerne Abbas is worth visiting for a short while, though there’s not much there. We did a circular walk along the river into the village, around the buildings on the oldest street (much my favourite), and to the abbey. Reviews complain about the price to enter the abbey grounds, and I see the point. At £2.50 a head (paid via honesty box), it’s pricey for what’s there.

From the grounds of the old cemetery, one can head into the woods and even up to and around the Cerne Giant, though it’s now fenced off to protect it. We headed further out and then made our way back, at last heading down on what, to me, felt like an almost vertical descent. The so-called ‘steps’ on the left side of the giant are hardly that.

We looked at the giant from the viewpoint (best way to see it, anyway, so unless you love walking save yourself the trek), and had a much needed cream tea in the garden of the local tearoom.

Nearby, though going over the border into Somerset, are the National Trust properties of Montacute House and Tintinhull Gardens. Back into Dorest, there’s Kingston Lacy and, though not National Trust, there’s Thorncroft Woods, which contains Thomas Hardy’s cottage, which is. We also explored Minterne Gardens and made our way over to Weymouth, though I found that to be a little too quintessential ‘British beach holiday’ material for me. I far prefer less crowded long winding beaches, or small secret coves.

This week I thought I’d focus on ‘out and about’ with a flashback of a fabulous holiday we took a few years ago. One treat on that excursion was to go husky sledding.

Alaskan huskies differ from the Siberian huskies we’re more used to seeing. Alaskans are more of a mixed dog — some look similar to the Siberian but most are very different, almost a blended breed.

Don’t know what I expected, and the animals were definitely friendly and happy, and they certainly wanted to do nothing but run, but it surprised me they live in outside kennels all their lives. I asked someone about this when we returned and was told, “They’re happiest with what they know and are accustomed to.” Apparently, on one run we didn’t go on when they stopped for a break and a hot drink round a fire, one dog slipped her harness and ran ‘home’ — something she likely wouldn’t have done were she miserable.

We saw huskies in two places — both had excellent facilities in terms of veterinary care. I was also worried about their old age, so was happy to hear they have ‘retirement plans’. In Tromso, we were told this starts with the owner asking the staff if they will take a dog coming up for retirement, but as we were also told, you’re talking about a dog that’s been outside all its life — it doesn’t know warmth and it doesn’t know your sofa isn’t for chewing—and in the morning when you let it out for its morning toilet it’s going to want to go for a run… for, oh about ten miles over the nearest mountain. In short, it’s not a thing to do lightly, but someone also assured me they can make excellent house dogs and can adapt.

They also assured us they have wonderful lives. For all I know they do — that’s a matter of opinion and some people will struggle with working dogs and the Norwegian way of life. I can only say the dogs seemed happy, were in good condition, and were definitely friendly.

Of the nine puppies we got to play with, three were very interested in my boots. They ganged up on my boot ribbons (as opposed to laces) and feathers, and all I could do was laugh. If we never get another chance, we’re glad we went sledding once. Just a word of warning though — you take some hard jolts and as my other half found out, when the snow is soft the sledge can take an unexpected tilt and you can get attacked by twigs and trees. Joking aside, he took a whack to the shoulder and a clip to the ear. He’s lucky it wasn’t worse, but we’ll certainly never forget playing in the snow.

As we head into winter, there surely cannot be a better time to reflect on a little summer sunshine. Earlier in the year, we were lucky enough to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall. Some say they’re the most beautiful gardens in the UK. Though I wouldn’t go that far — there are many gardens which all have their own character and beauty — the Lost Gardens have long been a favourite of ours. Created by the Cornish family, Tremayne, the over 200 acres of garden, was restored in the 1990s having suffered neglect following the First World War. One of the most notable areas is that of The Jungle, a wild area filled with subtropical ferns including a boardwalk and rope bridge, but there are also many other parts, including vegetable gardens, and animal enclosures.

I’ve not been able to share much in the way of days out for some time owing to the Covid situation and a few ailments, but with the lifting of restrictions and a little perseverance, I’ve got out and about lately. Here’s one of my recent days out, walking around Siblyback Lake. We went on quite a cloudy day, but the sun showed itself enough to make for a pleasant visit.

Part of the S.W. Lakes Trust, Siblyback Lake, sits within the stunning landscape of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Offering many recreational pursuits from a simple walk around the supposedly 3 mile circumference of the lake, which also provides an Activity Centre for those who wish to hire equipment for water sports.

Note: I say supposedly because many of these distances seem to be measured ‘as the crow flies’ and we measured with the aid of my pedometer and our judgement more at four to four and a half miles, but the path is well-laid out and the walk enjoyable lasting a comfortable time at a steady pace.

If you can believe anyone with half a brain cell would want to try it, there are signs instructing visitors not to dive from Siblyback Dam, or to cycle or skateboard down the steps.

There is a cafe which has a great reputation; unfortunately, the day we visited, although we arrived before 11am, they’d already run out of most supplies, and it was a 25 minute wait for anyone wanting cooked food brought to a table. I’m assuming this was something to do with misjudging the demand, a problem with the supply chain, and possibly staff storages owing to the Covid situation. If this was normal service, I don’t see how they would keep their high rating. We could only buy a single sausage roll and a brownie which we shared. Both were nice (brownie better than the sausage roll), though came at a price.

The way in isn’t too bad with only a small stretch being a single track road where you might meet oncoming cars, and there’s additional parking before you reach the Activity Centre, which is where the main parking is situated.