The walk there and back takes 1 hour 15 minutes or you can continue
Posted in General on 07. Aug, 2010
The walk there and back takes 1 hour 15 minutes or you can continue along the cliff top. For more walks, the “Pathfinder” guides to Dartmoor and South Devon and Dartmoor (published by Jarrold and Ordnance Survey, price pounds 8.95) are both good.ONE OF my top finds in south Devon was the mobile catering van called “Hound of the Basket Meals” in the car park at Hound Tor. It is run by a gent, Alan Smith, who sells fresh crab sandwiches (crusts removed on request), good fruit cake and a choice of 17 teas. He is there every day from Good Friday to the end of September, and then at weekends.I have an allergy to over-cosy tea shops but there are some with good food without the frills. Pudding and Pie (tel: 01626 834047) in Bovey Tracey has ham on the bone, roast pork rolls on Thursdays, and Devon’s wonderful organic ice-cream, from Rocombe Farm. The Wardroom (tel: 01548 842620) in Salcombe has crab salads and outdoor tables overlooking the harbour.
Greys (tel: 01803 866369) in Totnes has a retro-cosy style and towering cakes in the window. The Carved Angel Cafe (tel: 01803 834842) in Dartmouth has rare-breed bangers from Heal Farm and seasonal foods.For pubs, the Rugglestone Inn, Widecombe in the Moor (tel: 01364 621327) is a local’s local with granite floors near Hound Tor and Haytor on Dartmoor. The Warren House Inn near Postbridge (tel: 01822 880208) is a walkers’ pub with views across the moor. The Nobody Inn at Doddiscombsleigh (tel: 01647 252394) is famed for its wine, cheese and 200 whiskys.THE BEST restaurants in South Devon create their menus around the best seasonal produce in the area.
Tony and Tina Bricknell-Webb, the owners of Percy’s (tel: 01409 211236), a restaurant with rooms in Virginstow, take the principle of freshness to a logical conclusion by producing much of their own meat and vegetables Even the wild mushrooms are from their land. Tina lets the ingredients speak for themselves with just the right amount of culinary intervention, and the result is a meal that makes you full of good food but not stuffed like a sausage. For pounds 22 for three courses (pounds 18.50 for two) I had Cornish scallops with a dill, mustard and honey dressing (pounds 2 supplement), and at least seven different home- grown salad greens, springy with freshness; home-reared wild boar-cross fillet with a sage and orange glaze and beautiful home-grown vegetables; then a baba soaked with a light rosemary syrup, berries, rosemary ice cream and lemon geranium custard.The Carved Angel (tel: 01803 832465) in Dartmouth has long been famous for its seasonal cooking using good local ingredients. Gas stoves start at around pounds 25 and are capable of cooking anything from stir-frys to omelettes. They are simple and quick to erect (ours takes about 10 minutes) and can cost as little as pounds 60, although prices can top pounds 400 for the three-roomed, multiple-door, all-singing, all-dancing variety.Camping no longer has to be basic. The image of a multi-pegged, Guide-camp-green nightmare is totally out of date – most modern tents are dome shaped with only two or three aluminium retractable poles.
Most tents are so light that, once they are up, you can move them about to get the best view. This year’s British Grand Prix saw some of the worst weather ever in the history of the universe (or so it felt, after six hours of standing about in it) but we still spent three nights under canvas, warm and dry, at a cost of pounds 12 a night, as opposed to pounds 100 a night which was the average price of a local B&B.One of the most common misconceptions is about the tent itself. It provides the opportunity to live a simple existence free from TVs, microwaves, laptops, hairdryers and the million and one other things that clutter up our lives. Campsites are often situated in stunningly beautiful locations – from the shores of Loch Lomond to the heart of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall – and offer more chance of real peace and tranquillity than a month at the Savoy.What most people fail to realise is that, if you have a car, comfort is not a problem. Chuck duvets, pillows, chairs, tables, non-stick saucepans, a portable radio and a couple of good books in the car and you will be in comparative luxury. Holidaying under canvas is thought to be the preserve of parents with kids, penniless students and festival-goers.
Choosing to camp when you earn enough to stay in a B&B or hotel is perceived as a clear sign of miserliness or masochism.
In reality, camping is a brilliant way to get a cheap weekend away – and a chance to escape from all the possessions and junk that surround us. This included hot showers, clean toilets, stunning views and a tip-top barbecue – our own
Sound perfect? Here’s the catch We were camping. So instead, we jumped on a train, thus avoiding traffic jams, and spent an idyllic weekend in the New Forest, lounging about in the shade, walking in the woods, reading the papers, wandering along to the local pub for occasional beer breaks, and all for the bargain price of pounds 6.50 (for both of us). The dreaded “c” word is rarely found in the same sentence as “idyllic weekend”; in fact, the word that most people associate with camping is uncomfortable, along with rain, kids, insects, dampness (and did I mention uncomfortable?). Riverford Farm Shop (tel: 01803 762523), Staverton, near Totnes, has excellent local produce and ham baked with apple juice and cider..