Dorset and Devon Coast Trip, Day 8 (Sat 15th May 2021)
Our site at Stoke Gabriel was a little too far to walk to Totnes, so we shared a taxi to the town with our friends, Jeeves and Michelle. We had originally booked to stay on a site nearly in the centre of Totnes, but due to flooding on that site, we had needed to transfer the booking to an alternative.
We hired a minicab which was advertised on the site, but when it arrived, we found it to be in a very dirty condition. It looked as though the driver lived in it and it had not been cleaned for months. It really needed mucking out. He had to transfer much of his belongings into the boot to make room for the four of us, whilst we waited on the pavement in the rain. Then on the journey, his oil warning kept beeping, which he explained as needing a new sensor and there being “nothing to worry about”. At least we arrived in one piece, but we did not rebook him for the return journey, despite him providing his business card.
Totnes:
The town of Totnes is built on a hill, with the main street running straight up it. The street is called “Fore Street”, but I didn’t see any sign of a game of golf. There is an arch about halfway up, called “The East Gate Arch”. This was handy as we needed somewhere to shelter from the rain again.
The town has an alternative vibe and Saturday is market day, so there was a lot to look at. The markets had only just resumed after lock-down, so the place was busy.
Back at the bottom of the hill, the river is bridged in two parts, the first part onto Vire Island and the second part over the River Dart itself. Before crossing over the bridge, we had a cup of coffee and a pastie for lunch at a café.
After a brief walk on the other side of the river (it was raining again), we returned to the town side and caught a taxi from the rank at the end of the amusingly named “Ticklemore Street”, back to the site. Fortunately our experience could not have been more different with a vehicle which was a credit to its owner.
Stoke Gabriel:
The village of Stoke Gabriel is about a mile downhill from the site so we explored it after a brief rest, during which it finally stopped raining. It is a gem, mostly built on a steep slope down to the level of the river.
Although old, the village church is relatively young compared to the yew tree growing in the churchyard. It is quite famous, having grown there since around the year 1066, it is claimed.
On the corner, near to the church, there is a pair of stocks, with the invitation to try them. I didn’t and I doubt they are the original ones, but they occupy the site of those.
The village overlooks the river Dart and “The Mill Pool” which is a large man-made lake, the waters of which are held back from the river by a weir.
"See-u-Later" 