Storming onwards
On our way south, with our first port of call being Dartmouth, we noticed that the dramatic hot weather of our first week in the van was about to give way to another extreme. Heavy showers and strong winds were forecast over the next few days, so while being relieved that we were no longer going to be trying to keep the van cool, we were a little apprehensive about the logistics of the rain.
We had been full time in the van for around 12 days at this point so we were looking to stock up on water and dump our grey waste. We stopped at Dartmoor Estates Tea who, for a small fee, let non campers fill up their tanks and use the bins. We met Kathryn at the tea farm and she told us about the organic farm and the process of picking tea leaves. Turns out that this is a delicate process and is only done a few times a year. It was one of those - sun is shining but the rain is hammering down moments - as we filled up our water tank, and it was strangely enjoyable.
Good park-ups and bad ones
The wind and rain hit hard in the evening. We had picked a pretty last ditch attempt park-up for the night as our first choice was full. The traffic noise paired with the wind and rain meant a bad night's sleep for everyone. We spent our lunch break exploring Totnes in the rain before continuing heading South.
Fully stocked up, and now parked up not far from the South Coast, meant that we could spend our next few non-working days exploring some of the towns along the south Devon coastline. We had a great park up near Dartmouth castle along a narrow treelined road that also led directly onto the South West Coast Path. We spent some time exploring the Compass Cove circular walk along the coastpath which wound through woodland, looked out over the coves and circled back through the coastal fields. We were able to spot an adder as well as Cirl Bunting during our walk. Dartmouth itself was picturesque and full of independent shops. There were particularly great bakeries, cafes and seafood restaurants too, if that's your thing.
Battening down
The stormy weather was due to return, so we decided to turn tail and hide further inland at Buckfastleigh. We found a safe place to park at Dean Court Farm shop, which is also a Britstop. The weather was so bad that we spent most of the day in the van after browsing the shop. We took inspiration from the farmshop and decided to book into a second Britstop for the night at Stokeley Farm. We received a warm welcome and learned that they often have live music and pizza nights plus lots of different vendors on site.
With the weather looking better, we were able to explore the Slapton Sands Nature Reserve which is currently great for a scenic and rare flat run as the road running along the seafront is closed to vehicles.
Exercise Tiger Memorial at Slapton Sands.
Salcombe and Saltram
The next coastal town on our list was Salcombe, much like Dartmouth, the independent shops were everywhere and we had to pick up some pasties and a brownie from one of the bakeries. I had a vegan pasty which was top notch!
We are lucky enough to be National Trust members and so are trying to take advantage of the free carparks and the beautiful locations. We tried East Soar carpark which linked back on to the South West Coast Path. Not far along the trail we found a self-serve tea barn which was stocked with tea, coffee and cake and an honesty box.
Our next National Trust site was Saltram, which is a Georgian house and estate overlooking the River Plym. The estate has a great circular accessible trail down to the river and through the woodland and many accessible paths around the house and gardens. The whole estate is dog friendly except for the house itself.
Over our next few working days we will be heading over the border and into Cornwall!
Walking routes:
Compass Cove Circular Walk - 6.4km, Parking near Dartmouth Castle or at Little Dartmouth Carpark
Food we ate:
The Crafty Mussel - All seafood (mussels would you believe) except for the excellent mushroom mac and cheese.
The Pasty Shack - Excellent pasties including an epic vegan pasty!