Peter was off rowing this morning so the rest of us planned to go out for a walk after breakfast. Our original plan was to head out to Barricane Beach so that we could do some rock pooling. Luckily, just before we left I checked the date of this year's sandcastle competition at Woolacombe and it happened to be today. It's a fun event but the problem is that there is only one road into Woolacombe and the traffic jams on sandcastle competition day are legendary. Instead we headed out to the Valley of the Rocks. Driving through the wooded valleys around Watersmeet we had to slow down for a red deer hind who stood in the road for a while before leaping off into the trees.
As we arrived it was all looking very atmospheric with low clouds creeping down from the tops of the hills. My friends hadn't been there before and they were impressed with the rugged scenery. 
At first the only wildlife we saw were the glossy Exmoor ponies that run free in the valley but later we saw the wild goats soaking up the sun on the most treacherous looking ledges. Sam tried to take a photo of a crow sitting on a post but it flew off at the last moment so the picture was birdless.
The views from the cliff path were as spectacular as ever. The mists slowly cleared and we could see right across to Wales. For the rest of our walk there was sun !! and it felt hot !!
We climbed up to the top of Castle Rock, it's a great spot for a picnic so maybe that's what I'll plan for my birthday treat later in the summer. Rain permitting of course.
As we arrived it was all looking very atmospheric with low clouds creeping down from the tops of the hills. My friends hadn't been there before and they were impressed with the rugged scenery. 
At first the only wildlife we saw were the glossy Exmoor ponies that run free in the valley but later we saw the wild goats soaking up the sun on the most treacherous looking ledges. Sam tried to take a photo of a crow sitting on a post but it flew off at the last moment so the picture was birdless.
The views from the cliff path were as spectacular as ever. The mists slowly cleared and we could see right across to Wales. For the rest of our walk there was sun !! and it felt hot !!
We climbed up to the top of Castle Rock, it's a great spot for a picnic so maybe that's what I'll plan for my birthday treat later in the summer. Rain permitting of course. We ended our walk with a cup of tea in garden of the tea rooms by the car park. I had a chat with a man sitting there with his flat coat retriever, (not as nice as dear old Zulu). Dogs are an acceptable ice-breaker for us reserved Brits.
Back home Peter had prepared a barbecue and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the last of the pleasant weather though clouds had begun to gather in our valley. I've baked a chocolate cake as it is Peter's birthday (he doesn't do birthdays).
1 comment:
What a beautiful walk. Much better than fighting traffic. : )
Post a Comment