Day 13: Lyme Regis

The city of Lyme is on the River Lim and added the Regis suffix after a Royal Charter was granted by King Edward I in 1284. To us, it looked and felt like a bigger city than the previous towns we saw in Devon. People were moving faster, less polite. It’s just across the border in Dorset, but I’m not sure if that’s the explanation, or if it’s just a bigger town. We walked from our hotel down the hill into the village, bought coffee beans from a friendly micro roaster, and searched side streets and alley ways for something interesting. We found a…

Day 8 – 9: Budleigh Salterton – Sidmouth

First, let me say that Pebbles B & B in Budleigh Salterton was wonderful and we didn’t want to leave. Our host, Nicki, was fantastic: very friendly and she worked really hard to make sure our stay was pleasant and we had good food to eat. We had a room with an enclosed balcony and a tub, and there’s a large inviting conservatory downstairs to take tea or coffee in of an afternoon. If you go, book two or three days. Immediately upon descending into Budleigh Salterton, it’s clear why the B&B is named that: the beach is entirely pebble.…

Days 7 & 8: Bath – Exmouth – Budleigh Salterton

On the train from Bath, we saw beautiful green farmland with small herds of sheep, horses, cows, alpacas, and sheep. We transferred in Exeter to a slow moving commuter train loaded with local folk that took us to Exmouth. Many with beers in their hands looked spirited, maybe a little rough, but jovial. And there were a significant number of fit, well groomed men in their young twenties. We didn’t think much about that until we pulled in to the station at the commando training camp where they all got off. We could see lots of man-sized jungle gyms, just…