THE NORTH DEVON COAST

On Sunday morning, just after 6.30 am, we drove off for our "weekend away." We were heading to Ilfracombe on the North Devon Coast. After a three hour drive we reached our destination thanks yet again to Charles (Tom Tom). We wanted to go firstly to the tourist information centre but were a bit before its opening time so had a quick look around, and then drove 15 more minutes to a village named Woolacombe. Once we arrived here, we knew this was it, the place we wanted to stay for the weekend. The tourist information suggested a Bed & Breakfast and it was here at "The Imperial" owned and run by Roger we stayed for two nights at 90 QUID a night. Bargain considering a meal with drinks out costs us around 30 QUID. We were served an English breakfast each morning which kept up going throughout the day. First up we headed up the street to get Dave and the kids decked out in wetsuits for swimming (the beaches here are a lot colder than Australia for swimming- can you believe this beach is covered in snow in winter?) We ended up buying the kids one each figuring they will get use out of them in Ireland and also France.















Dave said the water was so cold it hurt but kids being kids didn't feel a thing! Roger lent us a boogie board so they had an absolute ball.

As it turned out, Roger's daughter and her children from Noosa on The Sunshine Coast, Qld had been visiting during the summer so the kids made friends real quick. Then, yesterday morning, after a fabulous breaky Roger took us down the beach to catch crabs and little fish.

This is Roger. He's a lovely, lovely man whom made us feel very welcome. His B&B is located right on the beach and just near the main street. Again, we'd thoroughly recommend him and his B&B. Details as follows:

The Imperial

Bay View Road

WOOLACOMBE

N. DEVON EX34 7DQ

01271870594

07855819056

After our crabbing expedition Roger introduced us to a "Cream Tea." Scones with jam and CLOTTED cream. De-lic-ious! I reminded Dave to take his cholesterol tablets! Especially after dinner out of traditional cod, chips and peas.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and of course we've no regrets but if we knew how great Woolacombe would be we would have stayed there for at least a week. Woolacombe photos here.

This morning we packed up and sadly left after a fabulous weekend. It was definitely a highlight of our time in the UK. We again stopped in at Ilfracombe (Allan, the place in Qld was named after this) to look around further and snap off some pics. These villages are definitely tourist destinations with lots of ice-cream and homemade fudge shops. The smell of this one we simply couldn't resist.

Dave was most impressed with the eleven metre tides. We checked out St Nicholas Chapel which is located at the very top of the headland. Ilfracombe photos here.