Drying Weather

Today has been, what Nan Mac would have called, good drying weather. A stiff wind has swept the cobwebs from every nook and cranny throughout the day. It has meant that clouds came and went in quick succession. When the sky was clear.it was lovely and warm, but when there was cloud cover the wind felt a bit cool.

The question for the day was “What should we do?”. We decided that we would start by walking off breakfast with a wander up to the Connaught Gardens. The gardens have, year after year, won awards for Britain in Bloom (or something similar). The Gorse Fox noticed that it hasn’t won for the last two years. It was not really surprising. Whilst it was still nice for a stroll, and offered some wonderful views, the gardens were neat and tidy but hardly a riot of colour. 

We sat for a while, looking out over the beach to the west as families set themselves up for the day, and frolicked in the edge of the surf. As you look west you can see a number of stacks that have been created by the sea breaking through the soft Triassic mudstone (which also accounts for the reddish brown colour of the sea). 

We wandered back along the Jacob’s Ladder walkway. It was clear the beaches would be well used today. We returned to the hotel to get the car.

The Gorse Fox had an urge to explore Seaton, about 10 miles to the east. He had a vague recollection of driving through it once, many years ago. We found our way across and parked in the short stay car park. The village seemed rather quaint as we made our way down to the promenade. 

The sea was totally different at Seaton. Obviously there was a pocket of chalk, and the sea was no longer discoloured. The wind continued to blow and cast a fine spray across the pebbles as we walked along the front. Deciding after a while that there was very little else to see, we turned back and looked for somewhere to get a coffee.

Seaton has a tramway. This drew us to find out more. There is an impressive tram terminus where you can get tickets for a 25 minute journey along the banks of the Axe, through the wetlands, to Colyton. We thought about taking the return journey, but there was a bit of a queue and it did look a bit “cosy” on the tram. Whilst masks were mandatory, there really was no opportunity for social distancing. We decided this would be a trip for another time.

Overall, there are parts of Seaton that were quite pleasant and the seafront was quite nice, but it seemed to lack the charm of Sidmouth. We hopped in the car and returned.

We had planned to sit on our balcony and soak up the sun. As soon as we got settled, the clouds swept across again and it was too cool to stay out in shorts and light t-shirts. We are now sitting in “our” prime position in the lounge enjoying an afternoon cream tea.