Beautiful Bideford: So Much To Offer

Bideford may not seem remarkable to the average tourist. Yet after reading Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho!, I enjoyed exploring the north Devon city where his protagonist Amyas Leigh grew up, attended school, and set off from on his maritime adventures. Kingsley references lay everywhere. His name adorned local businesses and streets. Restaurants and public houses took their name from characters in the novel. The Burton Art Gallery & Museum offered up a Charles Kingsley room. And of course, there was his statue, where he stood atop his gleaming pillar, surveying (or guarding) the park. 

There's the Long Bridge, one of the longest remaining medieval bridges in England. Cars and pedestrians cross it constantly. Standing along its thick stone walls, one can soak in magnificent views of the surrounding houses and countryside. 

From there, we could also see the barge where we ate lunch. At least, we fancied we could. It's really back there, resting behind the other ships that seem intent upon hiding it from view. From the Long Bridge, Bideford's modern counterpart looks like it must run directly over the barge, but it's far enough away that when you're on the barge, you can't hear the cars passing by, the drivers intent upon traveling to and from work, and otherwise going about their daily lives.

Bideford has plenty to offer, including historic churches, summer festivals that celebrate the regions heritage, and a weekly Panniers Market. It even has a Citizen's Advice Bureau. There, Bideford residents can emulate the example of Compo Simmonite in the Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. As related in the show Last of the Summer Wine, he once visited his local bureau with Nora Batty to confirm that renting a room from her for twenty years constituted a common law marriage. Much to his chagrin, the resident legal export couldn't confirm his contention, but still, isn't it nice that residents have a place to learn the answer to practical questions like that?

Dragon Dave

Recovering From My Seven Sisters

Sometimes, the journey home seems longer that the trip away.  This proved the case with our return from visiting Seven Sisters.  The muddy path demanded even greater concentration than before, and although it had stopped raining, we were still cold, and lunchtime had long since passed.

At one point, a hearty-looking gent breezed past us, taking his three dogs out for a walk and a romp.  He threw the ball for them, and barked commands, and they obeyed him joyfully and without hesitation.  While we skated along as if on ice, he strode along in wellies, the rubber boots making easy work of the soft, squishy earth.  His example reminded me of Compo, the small, scruffy character in "Last of the Summer Wine." Having visited Holmfirth, and knowing how changeable the weather in Yorkshire can be, Compo's decision to always wear wellies, regardless of how sunny and bright the day began, suddenly seemed wise.

By the time we reached the road, it was after 2 p.m., and for some reason, neither of the food places nearby appealed.  So we boarded the bus back to Brighton.  

At one point in our walk, we had noticed a rabbit watching our slow, steady progress.  While not as large as the Giant Rabbit Guardian of Sacramento Airport, he had nonetheless seemed large for a rabbit.  On the bus, we overheard a woman tell her friend about an old lady who lived in a cottage at the outskirts of her town.  The old woman's husband had died a few years back, and she kept to herself, and spent her time caring for small wild animals such as our friend the rabbit.  The woman seemed as skittish of civilization as the animals she cared for, so the lady on the bus occasionally brought her a hot meal, and sat down to talk with her for awhile, before returning to her everyday life in the city.

Of all the nearby towns, I had wanted to visit Rottingdean.  Rudyard Kipling, a writer perhaps best remembered for The Jungle Book, lived there.  I thought it would be nice to see his house and the gardens named in his honor.  But we were tired and hungry as we left the bus, and a pub called The White Horse promised hot drinks, good food, and above all rest for our cold, weary bodies.  We heeded its siren song.

A woman with open wounds pulled drinks behind the counter, and a young man with a darkened face took our order.  We found a comfortable table inside, and watched the storm clouds looming overhead.  I felt sorry for the two behind the bar: death seemed to have claimed them so early in life, and their bodies were rapidly decaying. Then I remembered what day it was, and I took heart.  

Even Zombies return to life on the day after Halloween.

The staff at The White Horse served us two pots of hot tea, and plates loaded with more delicious food than we could eat.  

We tried our best to honor the cook's glorious efforts.

By the time we finished our lunch/dinner (Linner?), the sun was setting, and the male zombie informed us that the Kipling Gardens were most likely closed, or soon would be.  Outside, the air had grown colder, and the sky was spitting down rain again.  So we clustered under the shelter of the bus stop, and waited for the bus back to Brighton.  

Farewell, Seven Sisters!  Farewell, Rottingdean!  Perhaps one day we can return, and visit you both again!

Dragon Dave

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Holy Trinity Church in Holmfirth

This is the view of Holy Trinity Church that we most often see in the British TV show “Last of the Summer Wine.”  Our favorite characters, Norman Clegg, Compo Simmonite, and Foggy Dewhurst, walk along a road that climbs the hill, and in the background, we see the familiar blue clock face on the Church tower.  Or, alternatively, we see the white clock face.  (They don’t discriminate on clock face colors in Holmfirth). 

What I hadn’t realized was that this church was located adjacent to Sid’s Café, where Sid and Ivy, along with their occasional helpers, served our favorite characters their usual cup of tea.  The exterior shots never revealed this, and the church windows shown through the windows in the studio interiors for the café never revealed this.  So it was that when we visited Holmfirth last year, we discovered Holy Trinity, and after taking tea at Sid’s, stepped inside to see the church.

We spoke with a nice woman in the foyer, who related several anecdotes about the filming of the television series.  She was used to being asked questions by those who had made the pilgrimage, from all over the world, to see her town.  She also said that someday she’d like to visit the United States.  The place she’d most like to visit?  Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley.

Those days in May were cold, but every night we retired to our warm, second floor room in the Old Bridge Hotel, and as darkness descended, the church clock faces would begin to glow.  We didn’t get to attend a service in Holy Trinity that weekend, as we had so little time to see the town.  I wish we’d been able to squeeze one in. But that’s a joy that will have to wait until we can return to Holmfirth.

Ironically, I saw the Doctor yesterday.  With his mop of dark hair, and his youthful inquisitiveness, he always brings a smile to my face.  I’d met his friend Jamie before, and the two introduced me to Victoria, a young girl who’s traveling with them after the death of her father.  Apparently, they’d read my post “Mummies, Yetis, and Zombies, Oh My!” and the three told me about their own encounter with the Yeti.  When I mentioned that I was missing Holmfirth, the Doctor offered to take me there for a quick visit.  Unfortunately, his TARDIS is a little erratic.  I might end up instead on the planet Skaro, on a space station hundreds of years in the future, or even on the moon.  Sure, I'd have an exciting adventure, but I also might not return home for a year or two.

Needless to say, my wife would not be amused.

Dragon Dave