A Day Out.

This morning we all went for a walk in The Valley of The Rocks. Sally had been there once before but it is spectacular and one of the few places you can see wild goats. It's just a shame that it is only that the 'wilderness' is only in that valley.

Naturally we climbed Castle Rock. While we were at the top discussing how similar it was to some of the New Zealand coast that Sally and Vytas  visited we got into conversation with a couple from New Zealand who were visiting Devon. 

I keep saying that I would love to have my birthday tea (and cakes of course) sitting up on a big slab of rock at the top of Castle Rock but the way up is quite a scramble over rocks so that will have to wait for another year.

Most of the goats were sheltering from the wind down in the bracken but a few were happily sunning themselves on rocks above the path. The car park has had a major make-over and where once you parked on level-ish stony ground the parking spaces have low wooden rails with the short grass growing through a plastic grid with each bay marked by white inserts. (I should have taken a picture to show this properly) and the rest is new grey gravel.

We walked around the coast path (behind the rocks on the right) before cutting through and back down to the valley. 

Having driven up slowly behind a tourist coach that fortunately turned off at the Lynton Steam Railway we were still in time for our lunch reservation at The Station Inn. When we pulled into the car park it was filled with vintage tractors and other vehicles and we saw a couple of local farmers that we know.

The carvery is excellent value with large slabs of beef, pork or turkey and as many vegetables as you can pile on your plate. My portion looks enormous, and it was, but I only ate part and gave the rest to Vytas who can eat an awful lot. In the end he didn't eat everything but took home a small doggy bag, not very often done in the UK. Afterwards we walked around the pub garden and looked at their goats and alpacas including a billy goat who kept trying to break down the gate to his enclosure to get to some nanny goats at the other end of the field. Every time he jumped up to butt the gate he hit the gatepost instead which must have given him a sore head. Sally and Vytas went straight off from the pub on their 3 hour journey home while Peter and I drove home feeling stuffed to the gills. It's nice and windy so the first load of washing is out and drying. I did some weeding in my veg patch, hand weeding close to the plants and then more vigourously with the hoe. The screws on the toilet seat had defeated Vytas so he sawed through the plastic fittings instead and I fitted the new seat this afternoon.

This giant hover fly was sitting on the patio by the front door. The usual hover flies are about 1cm long so it was a surprise to see it. I didn't manage to identify the exact species but it feeds on aphids and other small flies so it is welcome here. I've just been out and moved it onto a plant away from my sneaky cats.