Rambling around England.

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Back to our room but a shot of the dry stone walls that are everywhere.


And just like 2014 fine days here but raining as we left.




For breakfast Mrsdrron had the smashed avo and I eggs benedict.

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We did enjoy our stay at the samling just as much as in 2014 but know we now will never be back. Too much else to experience.

 

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So now a long transit to Devon to stay with my sister who I hadn't seen in 2.5 years. Lots to catch up on.
Went rather fast mostly at ~ 80mph. Once again fuel cheaper in the villages or towns. Windamere 1.64 ,Exeter 1.54 and 1.94 to 2.04 per litre on the motorways. A good service area near Gloucester on the M5 with a great farm shop but as it was the last weekend of the school holidays was far too busy so we bought a donut each and continued on to Exeter.
We stopped at the Apple store in Exeter to see if I could get my phone repaired. Now the 2 other Apple I asked how long to repair the answer was tomorrow morning but here it was over 3 days!. managed to negotiate a pick up in 2 days.

Then on to my sisters place. A bit worried at first as I saw this.


The Penzance to Paddington express right behind their house. No worries as I never heard a train.
The next day a visit to a National Trust property Greenway outside Kingswear. Once the home of Agatha Christie. Fascinating and recommended.
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Agatha's mother.


And she shared something with Mrsdrron - a sister 12 years older and a brother 10 years older.



Agatha at age 4. The doll is still here.

 

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You are allowed to play the piano. One fellow was and performing pretty well.








And her dame of the British Empire award was found in a box of porcelain.

 

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During WW2 the American Coast Watchers were based here. One paited the walls. agatha really liked it so it is still there.










A lot of Agatha Christie books here.

 

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Her husband was an archaeologist with work in Iraq. On her first visit there with him they went by the Orient Express to Istanbul.

 

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A picture of a young Agatha.









At the end it is a loo.



And that was our morning at Greenway with Agatha Christie. We now drove down the hull to the village of Kingswear to take an unusual ferry ride.

 

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Kingswear is on the River Dart and across the Dart is Dartmouth. It is dominated by the Britannia Naval college.





Then we crossed on the car ferry which is pushed by a tug. Only fits 6 cars. There are also passenger ferries and they date from the Age of Rail. The plan was to build a railway line to Dart mouth and they built a Railway Station there but then found way too many problems building on that side so the Railway was built to Kingswear and passengers ferried across the Dart.

 

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We then strolled around Dartmouth. Some interesting buildings and history.

 

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The fort.










And a good use of an old phone box.

 

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The last of Dartmouth.



The railway station without a railway.






We finished with a pretty poor pasty.

 

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That night we had dinner in the Turtley corn mill. It was an awful night raining cats and dogs but the restaurant was indeed in an old corn mill but was alive with feathered creatures as well.





Mrs Peacock was waiting for someone to feed her brood. Mrsdrron obliged.


The menu.

 

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So to the food. Mrsdrron had a flat iron steak which she enjoyed and I had the Thai monkfish cyrry which was also enjoyable.



Then desserts. Mrsdrron had the vanilla pannacotta and I the warm treacle tart. We were both satisfied.

 

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The next morning started off OK weatherwise and this was a view from my sister's place. Lovely Devon scenery.


Later in the morning we again ventured forth to the hills above Kingswear. This time to Coleton fishacre the home of the Rupert D'oyley Carte and his wife Lady Dorothy. Together they built the house and started a magnificent garden with plants from all over the world including some tropical plants most of which have thrived.
They had a daughter who eventually took over the Opera Company and the Savoy Hotel Group. hey also had a son who liked to drive fast and died in a car crash in Switzerland after which the 2 grew apart.
Even the car park is in the former orchard with many varieties of apples.



The house.





We went straight into the house as they were having a piano recital.


I got on well with the pianist. She apparently asked everyone why a particular area of carpet was damaged and went through a lot of suggestions but I pointed out it was near the drinks cabinet and if I were there making the best G&Ts it obviously would have been warned. A lot of playful banter and I agreed to come back and make a G&T but she wasn't around when I returned.

 

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little about the place by the National Trust.


Now the house and some of the views.

 

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Props from the last performance of Pirates of Penzance by the D'orly Carte opera.

 

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The bath tubs were big but set down under the floor. I would love one like this.

 

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The patio.