Quite a day today (well yesterday really as I am writing this on Sunday evening). Saturday 17th October was our first full day in Devon with Bertie and we were still getting to grips with the reality of the ordinary roads here when viewed from a motorhome rather than a car. After the drive back to Exeter last evening I was concerned about the road to and from Beer where Joan’s 80th Birthday Party is being held. So we drove to Beer to suss it all out by daylight, and although the road was narrow the road was not as busy I had feared, until we turned off the main road and started down the long steep hill into Beer. There is only one road in and out of Beer. Beer is a very pretty little town squeezed in to a deep narrow valley leading down to the sea and beach sheltered by high chalk cliffs. There is a stream running alongside the main road and lots of bright flowers in large planters. Very pretty, despite yet another dull day. Bertie purred down the hill in second gear at about 15mph. We found the main car park behind the Dolphin Hotel (the party venue) without any trouble. Satisfied that we could get here and park OK  we drove on to Seaton and Axminster on our way to St.Giles Church at Kilmington where Eileen’s grandmother is buried. We plan to replace her gravestone as the present one is hard to read (despite only dating back to 1929) and we want to add a mention of Eileen’s Mum and of Graham too. We called at the Vicarage for advice and found Simon, the vicar, and his wife Pauline most welcoming. They invited us both in for coffee and good natter.

From Kilmington we drove up to Blackbury Camp – an iron age hill fort high above Beer. We filmed the drive up there as the lanes got narrower and narrower. The Camp itself is lovely – the ramparts are high and the setting is very beautiful and unusual as it is heavily wooded with mature oaks, holly, ash and beech. We parked up and put the kettle on and had a late lunch before walking around the Camp.

Bertie is getting used to these roads and seems more relaxed about the hills and tight hedges. Eileen videoed our return to Beer down that steep hill. She is getting good at this video lark! I should mention that our camera is a Samsung WB250F  and in its normal mode the lens has quite a wide angle which seems to make our progress  look much faster than it really is – in both these videos Bertie is never doing more than 20mph and often much less! Bertie is definitely built for comfort not for speed!

Joan’s party was lovely with all nine of her great grandchildren there and all were keen to dance with their great granny whom they obviously adore. We left there at 11pm and made our way back to our hotel in Exeter arriving just before midnight!

Some photos of our time at Blackbury Camp are below:

Fungus on a stump at Blackbury Camp

The ramparts of Blackbury Camp

The hill fort is unusual to us who are far more used to the great open hill forts of Dorset and Wiltshire that are on open grassland. Here the whole fort is covered in mature trees.
The hill fort is unusual to us who are far more used to the great open hill forts of Dorset and Wiltshire that are on open grassland. Here the whole fort is covered in mature trees.
This old tree has new life as host to a range of bracket fungi and is peppered with woodpecker holes
This old tree has new life as host to a range of bracket fungi and is peppered with woodpecker holes

Bertie at Blackbury Camp

Devon Lanes!
Tagged on: