Barbara's retirement year: Paignton, Dartmouth and Brixham

My last visit to Paignton was certainly more than 50 years ago. Wow, that makes me feel old, but the more we walked along the beach, the more I remembered of childhood holidays with mum and dad. We could remember a castle-like hotel we had stayed in (a it more up- market compared to my current type of accommodation!) , with stairs to the beach, and suddenly, there it was directly in front of us.

Fond memories of the colourful little bathing huts , row after row, many with their rather tatty- looking Union Jacks. The looming black clouds made the early evening colours even more splendid and dramatic.

Paignton pier. I used to love piers and all their money-swallowing games and amusements, with all the noise and garish colours of the fun fair and the sickly sweet smell of candy floss and tooth- decaying candy rock. I realise I have grown up now, and cannot imagine what the attraction was! Strange to walk on the pier and not feel excited by my surroundings.

Instead, the stroll along the Esplanade was so enjoyable with the warm fresh air, the sound of the softly lapping, gentle waves and the calls of the gulls, and the vibrant colours of rocks, sand and water.

There used to be a natural sea pool here, but now there is simply a beautiful place to fish and crab, and enjoy the clear waters of the rock pools.

The end of the school holidays. I guess just a few days ago this walkway would have been packed! What great timing.

Here the combination of the stunning scenery and the tiny wee changing sheds.

Long stretches of red sandy beaches, with hardly a soul on them. Puffy white clouds contrasting with the amazingly deep blue sky and the magnificent rainbow which stayed there for so long. It was just a gorgeous place to be.

If the weather stays fine tomorrow, I think we will have to join these gulls! The water looks soooo inviting. As we sat and enjoyed a very tasty meal in the old Boat Shed , now restaurant, we were lucky enough to glimpse gannets diving for their evening meal- a fabulous sight.

Sailing and SUP must have been fantastic here tonight with such calm seas and gentle breeze.

The poem by Spike Milligan is quoted in many a local brochure and seems hugely appropriate

"I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky;I left my shoes and socks there - I wonder if they're dray".

Day two in Paignton, we set off on the Round Robin trip, a brilliant combination of steam railway from Paignton o Kingswear, ferry across the Dart River, cruise up the Dart to Totnes and bus back to Paignton. . An easy way to see a huge amount of this beautiful area, without having to do any planning. I really enjoyed this aspect, and actually it was a perfect day. It was warm and sunny as we set off and most of the day it stayed that way, with just an occasional brief shower, or later on a heavier downpour, followed by sun minutes later.

We left on a very comfortable and uncrowded steam train, pulled by Hercules the locomotive. Steam trains are so pleasant because of the sedate speed they move at, winding their way up gentle hills and through forests , with occasional magnificent views of the beautiful sandy beaches (presumably packed only one week ago)

And lovely bays. We had both marvelled at how clean the beaches were and we realised that tractors work hard to ensure that beaches remain so pristine.

It was only a thirty- minute journey but was most enjoyable. They have done a great job on the little stations we stopped at, with old posters, suitcases, etc, to add more interest to the short trip. Here the stop at Churston Station

Our final destination on the train was the colourful little village of Kingswear, on the River Dart, opposite Dartmouth. Arrival there was really pretty with all the hundreds of yachts moored there and the locomotive up front puffing out its smoke.

It would have been great to spend more time in Kingswear with its really colourful houses adorning the hillside

But with limited time, we took the foot passenger ferry across The Dart. Beside us was the unique car ferry which is either pulled or pushed by tug boats across the narrow stretch of water to Dartmouth.

It was very restful to wander through the narrow streets admiring the picturesque, many Georgian or Tudor style buildings. The Hanging baskets are spectacular and lush, either extremely well cared for or they have enough rain here. I could well imagine retiring in this area if I did not live in NZ!

Although we are not yet in Cornwall,their famous pasties are everywhere, although we have not yet tried one. They look and smell great, so I am sure we will indulge in the next few days!

There were some very interesting streets with historic houses and quirky signs. Everyone and everything is catered for. Even the dogs have special parking areas.

No wastage here it seems. Even bras can be recycled and made into attractive, fascinating plant holders.

Was it my imagination or was someone watching me?

I found this doorway( face) in a very attractive part of town, bayards Cove, which is an area of the town overlooking the river, with cobbled streets and stunning hanging baskets. Everything was so well- maintained and spotlessly clean.

Following the Devon coastal route you can walk towards Dartmouth Castle, which I did, but sadly did not have quite enough time for the whole walk.

I did thoroughly enjoy the interesting street names -

Wow, this road was so steep and narrow I could not envisage ever being brave enough to drive up it, but I saw a couple of cars using it, fortunately for them, not at the same time!

The views from here were breathtakingly beautiful up the River Dart , towards Totnes, the route we would later take.

The homes were also fabulous, all immaculately cared for, with colourful gardens and marvelous views. With such great weather as well as all the other pluses, it was not hard to see why people settle here. Apparently, according to a local, it can be very pleasant here weather- wise even in the winter, with chilly yet sunny days. Sounds perfect,

Just a little further on I came to a very pretty area, Warfleet Creek, with a long history spanning many wars , as far back as The English Civil War in 1643, and just gorgeous views. I would have happily spent much longer there . It was so quiet and relaxing despite all its warfare in the past!.

Before boarding the boat to Totnes, I had a really wonderful time watching a group of children, with their dads, who were far madder and more excited than their kids, fishing with bucket- like nets. They had been crab fishing and tipped back in the 80 crabs they had caught. These must have attracted a massive shoal of whitebait, these tiny fish you can see in the photo below! I have never seen anything like it. They were cornered because in hot pursuit were dozens and dozens of very large mackerel. Within seconds, the grown ups had buckets of whitebait. They were so full that the fish were leaping out and dying on the stairs around them. As the whitebait and dying whitebait were thrown back into the sea, in swarmed the mackerel, finishing off the weak or injured ones but also ending up on the end of hooks or in the nets. It was amazing to watch. The excitement turned to tears from the kids as they begged the hysterical adults to save the fish! A remarkable ten minutes!

The cruise up the tranquil waters of the River Dart was gorgeous. 9 miles in 90 minutes up the tidal river past stately homes , one belonging to Agatha Christie. The views from her massive property at the top of a hill , looking over fields and forests , must have been inspirational. The house now belongs to the National Trust.

Dotted in amongst tiny inlets were the remnants of old salmon villages, this one with only 10 inhabitants. It must be marvelous to stay there for some days, but I am not sure I could cope with being quite so remote.

Despite this being a river and not a lake, the reflections were phenomenal. It was really idyllic and the weather held until five minutes from the end of the trip. Lucky us. Great commentary during the trip thanks to a guide with a wonderfully dry sense of humour.

At Totnes, the weather changed almost by the minute. At times, it was dry on one side of the road and raining on the other.

We only had a really short time there but I really like this little town, which was packed with alternative shops, lots of unique clothes and food shops and little cafes, many selling vegetarian or vegan food.

It was very colourful despite the dark clouds and seemed to be a town of younger people than Dartmouth and Paignton.

Today we decided to make the most of our time in Paignton ( we were not due in Penzance till late afternoon) and headed out to the very colourful and busy little fishing town of Brixham, it was here that trawling began and fish is still a vital aspect of this community and everywhere you go there, there is the smell of fish , and lined up along the harbour walls are adults and children fishing for crabs or whitebait.

It is such a picturesque harbour with all the colourful boats and the hills above with terraces packed with brightly coloured homes and hotels. It reminded me of parts of coastal Italy.

Once again humour abounds! I loved this dogs' drinking bowl!

Only thirty minutes from Brixham is the very beautiful and historic headland, Berry Head. The fort there was built in the Napoleonic era to protect the headland. Now it is a favourite place for walkers on the South Devon Coastal route and also bird watchers.

We had a great view back to Paignton and the beach we had visited only two days ago, and yet it seems ages ago!

What breathtaking views from the fort along the limestone cliffs. I think that Jim and I did part of the coastal path about 35 years or more ago, but I am not sure which part. It would certainly be something I would perhaps like to do one day, Annie too. Of course, we were being spoilt once again by the remarkable weather!

Not only were we thrilled by the open clifftops and cliff views. It was also beautiful walking through the shady forests nearby. I realise just how positive and enthusiastic we British are. 'It's lovely here, isn't it? ' receives yes, 'fabulous/ brilliant/ fantastic/ incredible/ amazing!'. Of course the weather features frequently too and the number of positive adjectives used really impressed me - not a 'nice' or 'not bad', to be heard!