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Just to prove we can be predictable we are off to The Eels Foot Inn for the August bank holiday just like we did last year. However this year we have no excuse we are just going because we want to and we can.
We left my folks at about 11ish after having spent the night. Dad now has iPlayer via the Wii I gave them.
 The famous Minsmere blocks We stopped for a comfort break on the B1120 at the South Suffolk show ground which was a collection of shacks trying to be a village of shops. I was not convinced but the broccoli, stilton and sweetcorn pastie was lovely. We got to Minsmere at about 14:00 parked up and headed the wrong way round because the north wall is shut till February 2012. We had ticked off most of the waders on the what’s about sheet from the west hide, then headed off down towards the bushes around the sluice, for some reason they call them the sluice bushes.
We saw some little brown jobs then headed on to the east hide where some RSPB staff were adjusting a pump to stop something flooding while the north wall works progress. We had some great views of godwit, sanderling, and ruff.
On the way back retracing our steps it started to rain so we popped back in the first hide to wait for it to stop. We finally spotted the ringed plovers that had evaded us up till that point.
We were in the hide for about an hour and it looked like the rain was really set in, but eventually we noticed that it had stopped. We headed back to the car park then were soon back at The Eels Foot Inn.
 Thistle We were in the bar early it guaranteed a table and means we would be in bed early and therefore ready to get up and go early in the morning. I had fish and chips again and Helen had veggie lasagne both were very good. There is a new chef and looking at the specials the food is getting better. Not that it was lacking previously, just that apart from the usual pub fare there are some more unusual dishes, tomorrow I may have smoked haddock, leek, saffron and pea risotto!
 A Tollesbury Cappuchino After a “Sharp” gathering yesterday it is off to the jewel of a county that is Essex for a “Baldwin” gathering. We were up early so rather than sitting around I found a place called Tollesbury Marsh nature reserve which is sort of en route, being just off the A12 at Chelmsford.
The M25 was heaving because a section in Surrey was closed both ways after an accident yesterday. All the traffic to Kent was being diverted via the north of London. Once on the A12 we soon took a turn off around Chelmsford and passed through Maldon towards Tollesbury. I am always surprised at the quaintness of the Essex countryside when you consider the negative image it has.
We parked up at Tollesbury marina, (loos were locked!) and headed down the short stretch of road to the actual marina itself. We passed an impressive sparrow colony of possibly a 100 birds, then walked past the sailing club and down to the sea wall that skirts the Essex Nature Trust reserve.
 Tollesbury Marsh The tide was out and the mud was exposed, the further from the marina we got the more waders we spotted: whimbrel/curlew, godwit, sandpiper, oystercatcher, redshank, golden plover, lapwing, linnet, reed bunting and wagtail. We sat for on the see wall then headed back for a coffee, in the local greasy spoon. I had cappuchino and crisps Helen had beans on toast and chocolate milkshake, (I can’t imagine why!).
The Barbecue/Party went really well, everyone seemed to enjoy them selves, there was plenty to eat and drink. We were booked in at a B&B called Timbers http://www.timbersbandb.co.uk/ which is close by I popped out and dumped the bags there at 16:00 to save a lot of palaver later. We were not quite sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great B&B the hosts, Alan & Angela could not do enough to make sure we had everything we needed. Breakfast was a feast, we had a veggie breakfast, but the choices were extensive. There was fresh fruit salad, home made yoghurt, and home made Jam.
 Mersea view After breakfast it was back round the relatives house for a cup of coffee then Helen and I went home but not before another look at the local wildlife, this time at Mersea island where there is a ferry but no song with a Liverpool accent to go with it. The sun was shining and there was plenty to see on the mud exposed while the tide was out.
 Jelly Fish Last day in Devon, so we. Decided we liked the coast over at Woolacoombe so much we would walk from the south end of Woolacombe Sands over to Croyde Bay and back round baggy point. We parked up at the car park at Putsborough Sands (£6 for the day) then walked in land over to Croyde Bay. Helen took a comfort break while I waited I was chatted up, turns out she was only after my money for the RNLI.
On the way out of the bay towards Baggy Point we stopped for coffee at the NT tea room, I had a coffee cake and Helen beans on toast as brunch. It started to rain on the way out to the point but it did not put off the kids being guided round the rocks in life jackets and wetsuits. After a while I had to put the poncho on. The path is fairly flat so we will mark this down on the list for the September week.
Back at the south end of Woolacombe beach I had my sandwiches (Helen did not need any), in the car. We went down onto the beach to have a look at the rock pools, we had a look along the tide line, I came across a plastic tube with a purple balloon on the end on the balloon was printed Modem Radiosondes I’ll see if I can find out where it is from. There were also a lot of Jelly fish washed up.
 Woolacombe Sands On the way back we wanted to drive down the toll road and get a video of it, some how we missed the turning, but we did find another interesting road which will appear on youtube, watch the space. We got back to the hut and had a quick tidy round and pack before heading down town to the Vanilla Pod restaurant, which enjoyed earlier in thge week.
 Sunny cove We fancied seeing a large beach, and Woolacombe sands is the closest. We paid our £1 to go along the toll road through Valley of Rocks and the Lee Abbey estate, the road gets very narrow in places. The plan was to park at Mortehoe (£2.60 all day) then go north an loop back round the headland to get a look at the sands. It took about a mile to get out of the village, via a campsite toilet block and swimming pool complex, but we were soon out in the open country with Devon cows and the likes. Our plans changed a bit on the way out and we decided to go as far as Lee Bay.
The descent into the bay was steep and through a wood called Wrinkle Wood, but the effort was rewarded by the views at the bay and the laughs we had at the woman in the car park crouching behind her car only 30 meters from the public conveniences. After a quick coffee we headed up hill (always comes after a down hill) towards Damage Hue cliff. The path was one up hill after a downhill over and over again, Helen said she liked the hills to be “short and sharp”.
We passed a couple of stunning coves and stopped for lunch after a big climb out of a valley, where there was a seat looking back along the coast, as lunchtime views go they don’t get any better. In the valley below we caught site of a few Stonechat.
 Sunny day Helen has decided that when technology makes it possible we will install on one wall of our living room a device that allows you to have a view of your choice, even streamed from remote locations. Remember folks you heard it here first. We got to a sign that said Morte Point was 1.5 miles which would have meant another 3 miles back to the car so we took the direct route back to Mortehoe.
We then drove on to Woolacombe and had to spend £6 to park the car, just to have a coffee, look at the shops and the lovely beach! We decided to eat in veggie burgers in a bun, then get an earlyish start for our last day, we think we will go back to Mortehoe and do the bits we missed!
 Lee Abbey Final today we are doing a local walk along the coast westwards, slightly in land then return via the valley of rocks to say hello to the famous Lynton feral goats. The walk out was quite hard lots of up hill, just to drop back down. We got good views of Lee Abbey and Castle Rock.
There seemed to be lots of flies about, and they all liked hanging out around me, Helen was not bothered by them at all. Helen had a theory that it was because of the witch hazel she had on, I decided it was because I did not have a shower this morning!
You are reminded at every gate and style that you are on abbey land as there is often a short religious, saying attached to the wood work. Birds were very scarce to start with but later we came across lots of Goldcrest, and even a Peregrine Falcon. We also passed a working party trying in vein to win the battle with the Rohdedendrons. One friendly lady, from Cambridge, explained that they worked in the morning and had the afternoons off, my guess is that it some how subsidised the accommodation.
 Castle Rock We had lunch down at Lee Bay where there is some shelter from the wind and odd shower that had started to become more frequent. Then we walked back up to Tea Cottage (run by the abbey) for some cake. Very nice tea shop with fair trade shop attached. I had apple cake with pixie dust, served by Pixie in person, and Helen had lemon drizzle cake and ewxcellent hot chocolate, which we then needed to walk off.
We walked past the abbey, and on to Castle Rock, where the feral goats are. The climb to the top was fairly easy, the top was a bit disappointing because it seems that the goats must sleep there at night out of the wind and rain, but they don’t move when they need to poo, so there was goat poo everywhere.
We sat for a while between Castle and Rugged Jack and could see what we took to be Guilemots flying from the cliffs and swimming in the sea. We chose to walk back to Lynton over the hill and despite the hard slog to the top it proved well worth the effort, we stopped to have a look at some duck like birds, that turned out to be swimming Gannets, and spotted two Dolphins/Porpoise both with a calf swimming close by.
We were back in Lynton by 1700 we had been out for 6.5 hours and walked over 10 miles, but with all the walking we have done recently we felt we could have walked further. We rounded the day off with fish and chips for tea and an episode of the apprentice.
 Arty shot of marsh and sky We were all ready to walk to the valley of rocks, but just as we were about to leave the rain started. It looked set in, so we decided we should take the car instead. We headed towards Porlock and through Minehead which despite our expectations we though looked realy worth a look round. Our aim was to have a look at the medieval village of Dunster with its casatle at the top of the hill. We paked outside the village (£1.50 for 2 hours). Found another homing pigeon ring near the church, this time with a live pigeon attached, number GB 08 C 30083.
The sun was out by the time we got back to the car, so we thought a walk was on the cards. We parked at the long term car park in Porlock, (£2.50 for 4 hours, turns out you can park at the village hall for 20p). We put on our boots and headed towards Porlock Weir, the path was in an ancient oak wood, but after Porlock Ford Helen hit her “trough of disillusionment” when we lost the path signs and were heading up hill. I had read the map and knew we were heading in the right direction, and we were soon at the famous Weir.
 Daisy from Dunster church garden A sandwich stop was in order which took Helen to “the age of enlightenment“ and everything was right with the world, particularly when I found an aquarium to look round. (Ed. “Bloody cheek”) The plan was to walk back across the stony beach along thje coastal path and then strike inland halfwauy across the bay. Unfortunately we were thwarted by the breach in the beach, well that is what the signs said anyway.
The sign said we had to go another way, but that was not going to stop us going along our planned route, a slight detour and a small trespass and we were back on route. By the time we had got back to the town we had walked about 6 miles, and needed some retail therapy. Helen purchased some cheese and crackers.
On the way home we chose the toll road run by the Porlock estate based in Bath. The road is very twisty and the views are fantastic (£2.50 for a very quiet road reminds Helen of the French autoroutes). Back at the hut I downloaded the days photos and then Freshened up before hitting the town. We arrived at the Vanilla Pod restaurant at about 1845 and were the first customers. The food was very good, we shared a mezze, I then had the fish stew and Helen the leek and butternut squash. I would recommend it to anyone in the the area.
 River Lyn at Lynemouth A sunny day was too good to miss with the expected rain on it’s way. We walked up to the town hall and called for a cab. Carol’s Cabs turned up and took up to County Gate, which is just over the Somerset border. We soon lost the coastal path and had to take a shortcut across a field of cows and calves. A very long descent followed but stopped short of the sea, then we gradually rose back up to about 300m, when we decided lunch was in order.
We saw some new holiday birds including GS Woodpecker, Wheatear, Peregrine, and confirmed later a Winchat. After lunch we descending along some precipitous paths, towards Lynmouth, made even worse by the strong wind. We got the funicular up the hill and went out to a pub for something to eat, were a Dutch party of MG owners had descended.
 A big duck A relatively early start but in spite of dire weather warnings it was dry so we headed to Braunton. According to where to watch birds this should be a mecca for waders. It took 35 minutes to get there we parked and walked down the track to the end of the dune area called Rock Point. There were loads of birds about, and the weather was holding out. We came across quite a few areas where there were lots of orchids, I counted at least 3 different species, but don’t ask me to identify them.
We got to the end and stopped for lunch, then walked round the point, where a man and his were flying an electric glider. As we rounded the point we heard a large straining engine and spotted a duck, not the feathered variety but an amphibious vehicle but it was clear from the plumage (written on the side) that it was a royal marines vehicle. I got it on video before it disappeared into the sea. We finally spotted our first wader, a curlew flying past. We continued along the beach and added dunlin and little ringed plover to the list. We then spotted more military activity, some sort of sea exercise with landing craft and inflatables. The weather then caught up with us, luckily we noticed lundy disappearing and had time to get the waterproofs out. A long soggy walk back to the car park.
It was still early, 1430, so we thought a drive back via Illfracoombe was in order. We had stayed in the seaside town about 15 years ago, we remember it well because of an Italian restaurant we found and ended up eating there too many times. We had a pasta course followed by a pizza on three occasions, I vaguely remember having a desert on one of them.
 Damien Hurst cafe We parked up down at the harbour and decided a coffee was in order so we found a trendy looking place on the quay side. We had a hot chocolate, a cappuccino, and a piece of cake between us. I noticed that there was quite a bit of modern art around the room, a painting made up of coloured dots, another piece made up of fish in formaldehyde, and a couple of abstract pieces made from butterfly wings, something seemed familiar to me. When the waiter came over I asked about the art, he told us that the cafe/restaurant was owned by Damien Hirst, and he owned a couple of others in the area.
The rain still poured but was not a problem as helen was keen to visit the aquarium. It was small but well laid out featuring creatures only local to north devon. A keeper was feeding the baby rays with prawns held in chopsticks and keenly volunteered some fascinating information about local fauna, which was great. We then headed back to the hut stopping at least three time in search of the most elusive wholemeal rolls for tomorrows walk.
After cleaning the huts washing machine. We went up town to The Queens pub in Lyton centre for some grub. It is very popular and we had to wait for a table to be vacated by their queuing system. The great food made the wait worthwhile, and the real ale was well kept.
 Raining in Cadgwith We swap locations today, leaving Cadgwith which we have grown fond of with it great view of the village roof tops. We were out of the hut early, 0930, and on our way Tom Tom said we would be there just after 1300 so we had an hour in hand.
The weather was variable with rain following sun, and very windy. We decided to take the Atlantic highway (A39) as it would be more scenic and we had time to spare. We stopped at Widemouth bay for lunch where there was lots of surfing going on. The wind was blowing hard straight up the beach so we did not get out for a walk. We did see some birds we did not recognise stiff wings like Fulmars, with black wings and bodies and a white under side. They were surfing the wind between the waves.
We drove back to the A39 via Bude, then were on familiar roads all the way to Lynton as we hjave spent various holidays along this part of the coast. We got to Lynton at 1400 and found the new hut without too much trouble. Went down the famous funicular to Lynmouth to have a look round and suss things out, then went back to the hut for Pasta and garlic bread.
 Truro Cathedral As promised by the weatherman it is raining today, so we decided a trip to Truro was in order, to have a look at the cathedral and museum. Hopefully layter today the wet weather will pass and we will be able to take a walk north from Cadgwith.
We listened to a Matt Lucas Desert Island Discs episode on the way down, very interesting and funny man, shame about his tracks which were mainly musicals. We got to the city and parked up in the centre, £3.40 for 3 hours. We are currently enjoying a cappucino in Costa coffee.
We had a look round the cathedral which is very impressive. It does have a bit of a twist in it perhaps the builder did not have a set square. Helen bought 6 books in Waterstones (strike that it was 7 but one is for me), and I tried to buy a pair of walking shoes. Pizza express followed for lunch.
Pizza was up to the usual standard you come to expect from Pizza Express not fantastic but tasty and good value, service swift and with a smile. They even have Dyson Airblades in the loos. What to do next was our dilemma!
On the way back to the car I can across an independent camera shop selling second hand kit, and managed to bag myself a bargain, a 50mm f1.4mm Canon Lens. The light it lets is very impressive. Watch this blog for some photo’s.
We headed back to the hut in the hope that we could get one more walk in before we left, but the weather was having none of it, there was heavy drizzle. I packed in the hope that later I would be able to get out.
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