Deep into the West Country, the North Coast

After the gentility of Wiltshire, we headed on down through Somerset and on into Devon to visit with Sam's twin, Andrew. Just in time for tea and cake, a welcome break and sustinence for our onward journey into Cornwall. Our destination Padstow, where we booked for two nights into the Metropole hotel overlooking the Camel Estuary. It was good to be off the road.



The next day took us exploring the local area, and visiting Port Isaac in search of Doc Martin . . . but not home! Pretty though the village is, even this time of year there were loads of tourists gawking into peoples houses, looking for some of the familiar TV series characters perhaps. Can't imagine how it must be living there.




So we continued on through to the next fishing village, Port Gaverne, for coffee at the local hotel.


Coninuing our touring, past rolling farmland against a backdrop of the sea . . .



. . .and onto Tintagel, site of King Arthur's fabled Medieval castle, now only the ruins remaining on the headland . . .



. . . turn around to see surely the ugliest building (the King Arthur Hotel, built 1899), but serving the best Cornish cream tea on the terrace overlooking the scene, So the best of both worlds.