Writing this piece in July, it seems a long time since we were last in Parkham but in fact it was only three weeks. However since then, we seem to have been pretty busy.
Our June visit included a trip to South Devon to visit my brother, whose home is now in Malborough, just outside Salcombe.
A couple of days after arriving in Parkham we set off on the journey down to the south coast. This journey always seems much longer than we anticipate and the satnav always seem to choose the narrowest lanes as shortcuts. On this occasion this was partly our fault as we decided to visit Lydford Gorge on our journey, which is a little off the beaten track. However, it was well worth the diversion to see this beautiful spot.
We stayed for a couple of nights in Malborough and saw a little of the local area including Kingsbridge, Hope Cove and Salcombe. Salcombe is a lovely town and I can see the attraction, particularly for those who enjoy sailing.
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| View from Salcombe Yacht Club |
On our return to Parkham we met up with friends from Cheshire who were staying in Bideford for a few nights. We always enjoy showing friends around the local area. It was a first visit to the area for these friends and they were very impressed. We included an evening visit to Clovelly where we enjoyed a pint and bar snack at the Red Lion.
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| View over Clovelly harbour |
For the first time in several years we managed to fit in a trip to Rosemoor when the roses were in full bloom. The display was spectacular as was the fragrance!
The rest of our time in the village was spent visiting local friends and catching up with a few jobs in the cottage. All the outside lights had stopped working and I had spotted that one appeared to be leaking and full of water. In fact, when I took it down and dismantled it, it was full of many woodlice which appear to have caused a short circuit! I had brought a replacement fitting down with me and the new light was easily fitted. The outside steps are now finally well illuminated.
After a lovely break with generally good weather we left Parkham for Knutsford on a Saturday and the traffic was fine however, we will avoid Saturday travelling for the next few trips whilst the schools are on holiday.
Since returning we have had our first trip away from Knutsford which was not to Devon for many years! We decided that being relatively close to Northumberland we should spend a few days there. We can certainly recommend the county although it is an awful long way from Parkham (450 miles). There are some beautiful beaches and wonderful castles but the weather can sometimes be a little bracing!
We will be back in Parkham in a few days and are hoping that we will also get good weather for this trip.
