an exmoor b&b owned and managed by sue & andy north
guest house and b&b, lynton, north devon
34 lee road, lynton EX35 6BS tel: 01598 753328
We were shown an old Lynton & Lynmouth brochure today. Strangely there was no date anywhere to be seen in the whole brochure, but we were told it is from the mid to late fifties. Many of the guest houses and hotels have changed their names or do not exist any more, but one nice b&b was apparently well known for 'generous table and excellent cuisine'!
We were contacted recently by a lady who has some paintings of North Devon scenes. Although the subjects of some are easy to identify, she wondered if we could help with this one. It does look familiar, and we have asked a few local people, but we're still not sure. We said we would put it here to see if any of our guests who walk the coastal path often might recognise it. We wondered if it was in the Ilfracombe direction, which we are not so familiar with . . . any ideas?
Thanks to Paul and Janice who stayed recently for sending us these excellent pictures. The robin was taken at Watersmeet and the otter was at Lee Bay, the first local sighting of an otter we have heard of. We have put larger versions in the misc. section of the picture gallery.
Interesting goings-on in the Valley of Rocks recently. The wild goasts (over 160 of them) have been herded up for their welfare check by the council. As they were moved from one pen to another the goats were treated for blue tongue, ticks and worms and will be released again this evening. The National Trust warden was on hand to explain to interested onlookers what was going on, and a local television team came to report the event on the news.
A great way to see the Valley of Rocks is to walk over Southcliffe to Lee Abbey, then take the lower coastal path route back. This year there is the added incentive of the Lee Abbey Tea Cottage at Lee Bay. Although we have not tried it ourselves yet, we have heard that it is possible to get to Lee Bay using paths through the woods after descending Southcliffe, making the walk virtually circular. While doing this walk and visiting the tea cottage the other day, our guests Janice and Paul saw an otter at Lee bay. This is the first local sighting of an otter we have heard of!
This seventh annual Lynton & Lynmouth Music Festival was this weekend. There seem to be more people attending every year. Various musical events are staged around Lynton, Lynmouth and the surrounding area, and the main stage is on the green at Lynmouth. Yet again the weather was perfect on both days, which must have helped attendance figures. Here's a few picutres from the main stage on both days.
We visited Cheristow Lavender today, something we have been meaning to do for ages, and is well worth visiting. It is a lavender farm near Hartland with a nature trail, nursery, tea room (lavender cream teas) and gift shop selling various lavender items including strawberry and lavender jam and lemon and lavender marmalade, which we brought back and will be in the dining room to sample at breakfast time . . . but not for long!
The Hartland area is perfect for a day out from here, as it is only about an hour's drive. The rugged coastline of Hartland Point and Hartland Quay is very picturesque and there is a coastal walk from Hartland Quay to the Speke's Mill Waterfall, which is said to be the most impressive waterfall in the south west. We will save that for another day. The area also includes Hartland Abbey and Docton Mill Gardens. Gardens
We were so pleased to receive this lovely gift from our recent guests Takashi and Fumiyo, from Japan. It is a custom in Japan to bring a gift when staying at someone's house. It is actually for putting drinks on, but it is far too nice to use, so we have put it in the guest lounge where everyone can have a look at it.
The Summer edition of the Exmoor magazine arrived today and as usual there is an interesting walk featured. This month it is a four and a half mile (two hour) walk around Dunkery, starting at Dunkery Bridge and including Dunkery Beacon and Stoke Pero Common. This is the area that we intend to visit to take some pictures of the heather this year, so this walk looks perfect, and makes a change from the popular loop from Horner Wood. The magazine is in the shops now, but if anyone fancies just doing the walk we have copies in the lounge.
Home - Prices - Accommodation - Menus - Location - Guest Book - Walks - Gallery - Attractions - History - Blog - Reviews