travel theme: early

Jacobs sheep and lambs

a very young Exmoor pony

early foliage

early cherry blossom

Sharing my EARLY photos with Ailsa and co.

One Word Photo Challenge: Eigengrau

Eigengrau is a grey so dark that it’s almost black

centaur with shell head sculpture

winter in Amsterdam

Countisbury foreshore, Lynmouth

sharing dark grey images with Jennifer and others

word a week: spray

Autumn spray in Turkey

cascate delle marmore, near Terni, Italy

the magic garden, Koh Samui, Thailand

Khang-Si waterfall, Laos

the water cannon at Lynmouth

coffee barista in Thailand

A word a Week

travel theme: unexpected

sheep may safely graze

look carefully at the edges of the bay window. What do you see sticking out at both ends?

a bird in the hand

Snow white and dwarves – Arlon

Sharing with Ailsa

one word photo challenge: grey

you have to look at this last one really carefully to see that the front half of a sheep sticks out to the right of the big bay window and the tail end from the left

GREY with Jennifer Nichole Wells

WP weekly photo challenge: sea

What does sea mean to you? images of peaceful beaches or waves crashing on the beach in a winter storm? people messing around in boats or earning their living from the sea?

Here are some sea shots taken in Turkey

flamingoes in a sea-fed estuary

crab catching in the Dalayan delta

and some in Lynmouth, UK

the incoming tide soon fills the harbour

Do you think the sea is different in different countries? click here to see other people’s sea

weekly travel theme: beaches

Ailsa’s challenge this week was BEACHES

My favourite beach

different views of the beach at Lynmouth, UK

view of distant Porlock bay, UK

Some beaches further afield

evening on the beach at Seminyak, Bali

a vendor of kites on the beach in Bali

a Balinese fishing boat

boats on the beach at Amed, Bali

children’s festival on the beach in Bali

Cee’s fun foto challenge: which ways – paths, trails, walks, sidewalks

plaque on a woodland trail near Chiang Mai, Thailand

trail along the bottom of the valley to Heddon’s Mouth, Exmoor, UK

woodland path leading from Watersmeet to Lynmouth, Exmoor

start of the path from Watersmeet

woodland walk in Combe Park, near Lynmouth, Exmoor

Weir Water walk in Oare valley, Exmoor

Exmoor trail

Lynmouth 2012

In August 1952 the small coastal town of Lynmouth was devastated by floods after days of continuous rain. The West Lyn and the East Lyn rivers burst their banks and flowed through the town destroying property and lives.

My family has now been visiting Lynmouth for 46 years, always staying the same place, a place which holds memories galore for me as I first visited it when I was 9 years old. In my adult years I have not had much opportunity to return but this April I took my aged parents back for a weeks holiday. We went in the second week of April. It was bitterly cold and we only had warmth and sunshine for 3 days, the rest of the time it was grey but at least it was mainly dry. Most days we huddled in the car with a good book and a thermos of hot coffee enjoying the views over Exmoor.

the cottage we always stayed in

view from the living room window towards the manor house

view from the back bedroom

the water cannon in action in the Glen Lyn Manor estate. They have harnessed the power of the water in the river and produce enough electricty for themselves as well as the national grid.

Lynmouth has changed little over the years. When we first went in 1963 it was the first year that the Glen Lyn estate had really been open for visitors after Lynmouth suffered appalling loss and damage during the floods of 1952. The Rising Sun was the first pub in the village although it now offers accommodation and rather more upmarket food. There is still a fudge shop and tea gardens. However, the appeal of the place is its beautiful location and easy access to the moors and surrounding countryside.

the harbour

another view of the harbour at high tide

the Rhenish tower and Mars Hill, location of the Rising Sun

During the week we managed a couple of riverside walks and I spent a couple of hours each day beachcombing on the beach and trying to avoid the incoming tide – unsuccessfully – while trying to photograph the waves.

Lynmouth beach looking towards Foreland point

view towards the cliffs on the other side of Lynmouth

high tide and rough weather

several times we saw surfers clad in wetsuits enjoying the long swell

As this was probably the last visit we re-visited all our favourite haunts:

the valley of the rocks

Robbers Bridge

Oare valley

views of Oare valley from above

the ford at Malmsead

This is Lorna Doone country and the action in the book is supposed to have taken place here. Many years ago we walked up the “Doone Valley” but it is beyond my parents’ abilities now.

We re-visited Arlington Court, home of the Chichester Family. Sir Francis, the lone yachtsman lived here and the family’s love of the sea and ships of all sorts is immediately obvious from the vast collection of model ships.

The house and grounds of Arlington Court

ancient ceramic tile found in the grounds of the manor

stained glass window in the chapel

Chambercombe Manor, reputedly the most haunted house in the UK

One day I took the woodland walk from Watersmeet to Lynmouth

through the hanging woods

full of primroses,

wood anemones,

arum lilies

and the buds of new ferns

I snapped this pheasant on our last day as we were driving over the moors

Porlock bay lay open below us

one of the cottages in the very picturesque hamlet of Selworthy, maintained by the National Trust

more picturesque cottages in the town of Dunster

If you are interested in reading more about the flood disaster go here and here

Priscilla visits North Devon I

17.04 we set off for the UK yet again, this time for a week in Lynmouth (http://www.britainexpress.com/villages/lynton.htm) in North Devon with C’s parents. We had glorious weather for our drive over but I have to say that the cross-channel trip left a lot to be desired. I think I would have done better flying although I might well have got blown off course and that sea really did not look very inviting. We drove along the south coast of England, and a very green and pleasant land it is at the moment with masses of cowslips and bluebells in flower.

Our home for the next week is a small cottage, called Many Waters, on the Glen Lyn estate.

A notice at the entrance warns motorists that the cats are deaf. They might have been deaf but there was absolutely nothing wrong with their noses for they arrived every morning just as bacon and eggs were served!

C’s family have been staying here, usually the last week in April, for the last 40 years and it has become a home from home. The living room is wood-panelled with a number of antique ceramic plates balanced precariously on the ledge at the top of the panelling. It looks out into the manor building, garden (with statue) and birds land on the window ledge to feed (and be admired!).

Woodland walks on the hillside above the cottage lead up through the gorge to a waterfall at the top. Depending on the amount of recent rainfall this waterfall can be quite spectacular. The water now powers a hydro-electric pump which provides enough power for the estate. Excess water is used to fuel the water cannon which provides much enjoyment to youngsters visiting the estate.

Indeed, Lynmouth suffered heavily in the floods of August 1952 when many of the buildings were completely destroyed and many people lost their lives (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/16/newsid_2960000/2960180.stm) and (http://www.scribd.com/doc/2025579/Lynmouth-Floods-1952) – a storytelling exercise.

In this photograph the stone fireplace on the far side of the river indicates the level of the floodwaters in 1952.

Views of the village and harbour of Lynmouth