Day 52 – Bigbury to Brixham

 

Date: Friday 17^th September 2010   Distance: 28.38 Miles

 

We had a good breakfast with lovely sweet cooked plums to start with. The tandem was fine despite being left locked to a wheelbarrow in the garden

The ride uphill soon joined a tidal road. It is an interesting place full of wildlife. There were the ever present egrets then a black one went by and we wondered if this was the ibis that had been sighted further up the coast later on our journey. I was sure there wasn’t such a thing as a black egret. Next came very hilly lanes then across an A road where we had the right of way- almost unheard of!

 

On into Kingsbridge, we stopped at a Methodist Church for a coffee break and quick change of the brake pads, which were screeching and smelling badly. They were lovely people who seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing. Several had ridden tandems before and one elderly lady felt quite nostalgic for the saddle again.

We walked down the one way street and enjoyed looking in the shop windows- an interesting mix of art and craft, trendy children’s clothes, good butchers, bakers and grocers in attractive period buildings especially fantastic was the Town Hall and clock.

 

Out from Kingsbridge to the River estuary it was very pretty with a lot of people here. It was up to a church with an unusual tower, almost like a castle turret, framing a lovely view across the estuary to Salcombe, when we looked back.

 

Up some more and then some more to Slapton Hey we chatted to a lady out on her “field” picking marrows. She held up one for us to photo as I tried to get a good shot of the freshwater lake with the sea in the background. Down the hill was a strip of road between the lake and the sea, flat and exposed. Plenty of people were walking with binoculars.

 

Up hill to the next village called Strete where the pub hadn’t sandwiches only expensive main meals and it didn’t look particularly inviting. Instead we bought sandwiches from the little shop and went to the next beach strangely named Blackpool Sands mostly because it was extremely fine gravel. It was a beautiful place and the weather glorious but with a bit of an Autumn chill in the air.We sat on some large stones under a huge fir tree. People were kayaking. There was a shop, café and log fire in the café- apparently it was very cold first thing in the morning. Cars had to pay for the car park but I have to say that in it is the nicest toilets ever. Clean, flowers, nice soap and piped classical music! Yet another oldie came to chat about the tandem.

 

Here we took ferry to Kingswear. The bike just fitted behind the cars. Height of the season must be terrible as the queues were long enough today. The ferry was towed by a longside tug, which went at quite a speed towards the other side, suddenly cutting its engines as we neared the quay. Maybe he played chicken to relieve his boredom?

This is another pretty town full of interesting buildings and the steam railway to Paignton. We had a coffee break at the station and watched an engine back onto a long line of carriages and then leave, tender first.

It was a very long 2 miles up followed by a short 2 miles down to Brixham.

We found the Smuggler’s Haunt quickly and doubted if this would be a good stay when every thing seemed to be in crisis. Their boiler had broken down and the engineer had lost his van keys and he was blocking entry to the back garden for the tandem. Brixham had a big issue with parking for B and Bs. There were no drives or car parks by the properties. Bob carried the bike over the van and up the bank. The van stayed the night as the engineer never recovered his keys. But it wasn’t cold and the evening meal was OK though limited in choice.

We spent the late afternoon looking for Bob’s uncle Ron. We eventually found the house unoccupied after climbing countless stairs to Station Hill. Worth it though as lovely views across sea all along Jurassic Coast in late sunshine. It is definitely a working harbour with lots of trips out but none late enough for us. Museum closed at 4pm too!

 

After dinner at 7.45 it was almost dark and we walked around the harbour which had a really nice feel to it and came alive once the lights were on. There was an American “pirate” giving a couple a guided- tour. We took our picture by the Golden Hind and the harbour lights behind. The moon was up and stars coming out.