Devon – plus a little bit of Somerset

We came to Sidmouth in Devon by default. We originally intended to stay near Salisbury in Wiltshire but found it difficult to get accommodation so off to Sidmouth on the Devon coast.

What a beautiful part of the world!

Sidmouth is located on the Jurassic Coast. The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site is England's first natural World Heritage Site. It covers 95 miles of truly stunning coastline from East Devon to Dorset, with rocks recording 185 million years of the Earth's history. The coast has a combination of geological and paleontological features. These include a variety of fossils, a beach renowned for its pebbles and textbook examples of common coastal features such as sea stacks and sea caves. The area has been studied for more than 300 years and has contributed to the development of earth sciences in the UK. The red cliffs that you see were once a desert and fossils of tropical plants have been found there.

The amazing red cliffs at Sidmouth - these were once a desert.

Sidmouth was a great base as it was close to many gorgeous villages and towns such as Otterton, Lyme Regis, Beer, Exmouth and Exeter. We stayed at a farm-stay half way between Sidmouth and Otterton. The roads were typical English lanes (certainly not roads as we know them). We did finally get used to the very narrow, high sided lanes fringed with Hawthorn and other plants. Whenever there was an oncoming car you simply had to hope (and pray) you were near one of the small parking bays where you could drive into and allow the other car to pass. And yes, we did meet tractors, small buses and many other vehicles on these ‘roads’.

The villages in this area have a wonderful display of hanging-baskets, flowering tubs and garden beds. Each year there is a competition and the village that has the best display wins. Sidmouth has some wonderful gardens called the ‘Connought Gardens’. These are located on the cliffs overlooking the English Channel. While there is still a nice display of colour most plants were past their best. Each year the same villages hold a Parade and again there is a competition between the villages. There are several floats that appear in all the Parades but each village adds their own as well. We happened to be there and it was a fun, colourful evening.

A colourful display at the Cannought Gardens Sidmouth.

A 'fun' entry at the annual Parade at Sidmouth.

 

Otterton was an especially lovely small village that had a great pub. The pub was so good we ate there a couple of times. Most of the homes here were thatched and they looked fabulous. Otterton also has a working flour mill that produces flour that is used in their bakery and sold in other stores.

The small, but stunning village of Otterton.

While we were in this county we visited the village of Broadhembury as MH wanted to follow up more family history. What a surprise this place was! A very old village mainly comprising of homes (99% thatched), a pub, a couple of small shops and a lovely old church, St Andrew’s. MH did find a register of burials in the church and discovered that several members of the Minifie family were buried in the churchyard.

MH outside St Andrew's Church, Broadhembury.

One of the beautiful cottages at Broadhembury.

One place on my agenda was Corfe Castle (in Somerset). I saw a TV program a while ago (Mary Queen of Shops) and thought how lovely the whole place looked. Corfe has an ancient castle and is a National Trust Property. The NT describes this place as “One of the most evocative ruined castles in England”.



The original entry to Corfe Castle. The left hand side was dynamited by soldiers and dropped 4 metres. 

The first stone of Corfe Castle was laid more than 1,000 years ago. Since then it’s seen its fair share of battles, mysteries and plots. It’s been a treasury, military garrison, royal residence and family home. The keep was built in the early 12th century for King Henry I, William the Conqueror’s son.  In the 17th century, as the Civil War raged around it, the castle stood firm. After six centuries of keeping enemies at bay, an Act of Parliament was passed to destroy the castle. Captain Hughes of Lulworth was given the job of demolishing it. His sappers dug deep holes packed with gunpowder to bring the towers and ramparts crashing down, resulting in the yawning gaps and crazy angles are seen today. After a brief period of confiscation, the castle was handed back to the Bankes family (the early owners) and it remained in their ownership for three and a half centuries.
In 1982 Ralph Bankes gave it to the NT along with the family's extensive holdings in Purbeck, their mansion at Kingston Lacy near Wimborne and its adjoining land. The Bankes estate was one of the most generous gifts in the Nationals Trust's history.

Corfe Castle - an amazing place to visit.

The whole of the Devon south coast is a great place to visit – wish we had more time here.