We were in no rush to get out so took our time getting ready.
We had planned on riding over towards Lynton & Lynmouth, sneaking in a train ride on the way.
As we were leaving the campsite, Sue got talking to the owners of the parrot which turned out to be an African Grey. I stopped the car on the way past and joined in – especially as they had a couple of dogs to pet.
The drive over didn’t take to long and we passed a National Trust sign to Arlington Hall and the National Carriage Museum. “We could go there, sometime,” Sue suggested.
For now, we continued to Woody Bay station for the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.
We bought tickets (and a teddy bear) including an upgrade to First Class. Before our train departed, we had time for a drink and cake (there’s always time for cake!)
The line only runs for about half a mile but we rode in comfort in our restored Victorian carriage.
Back at Woody Bay, we drove back to check out Arlington Hall.
The house was very interesting and we asked many questions of the volunteers.
Into the grounds, we found a couple of traditional geocaches before looking in on the National Carriage Museum.
I thought that a number of the vehicles looked like giant prams but Sue was much more interested in the exhibits than I.
After the obligatory visit to the tea room (no cake this time) it was back on the road, driving past the railway and into Lynton. The settlements of Lynton (at the top of the cliffs) and Lynmouth (at the bottom) are linked by a Funicular. But first we had a mooch around Lynton, grabbing a few AdLabs.
Obviously, we had to ride the cliff railway.
We descended the one hundred odd metres at a gradient of fifty eight percent.
This railway is water powered with the downward car being made heavier than the ascending vehicle by filling a three thousand litre water tank. At the bottom, the water is released when ready to rise.
Down at sea level, we took a look around Lynmouth, again grabbing a few AdLabs, this time commemorating the great flood of 1952 which resulted in the deaths of thirty four people.
It is hard to imagine this tranquil little river causing so much damage.
Strangely, there arose a conspiracy theory that the flood was caused by RAF cloud seeding experiments in the area days before.
Meteorologists have dismissed this.
With all part of the Adlab completed, we ascended back to Linton from where were purchased some very scrumy ice creams before returning to the car.
On the drive back, as we were passing Barnstaple, Sue asked what was at Instow, for where she had seen road signs pointing.
I knew that there was a decent pub there (courtesy of the Good Beer Guide) where we should be able to get something to eat.
We found somewhere to park and made our way, along the front, to The Quay.
Sue treated herself to Mac and Cheese while I went for the Prawn & Crayfish, Chilli Linguini – both were delicious.
I washed my dinner down with a pint of local Otter ale.
When the landlord came to clear away the dishes, he asked how we’d found the food.
“The food was a little spicy”, I replied, “but the beer was ‘otter!”.
I thought that was quite clever and it eventually dawned on mein host.
With full bellies, we took a short stroll along the nearby Tarka trail which follows the line of a disused railway. At one hundred and eighty miles long, The Tarka Trail is the longest, traffic-free footpath in the UK.
We only managed about a mile but managed to find three geocaches during our evening stroll.
