Today dawned cloudy and cool which just cried out for a full yoga practice before dragging Frank out of bed for today’s adventures. We had toyed with lots of potential itineraries but decided that since the weather wasn’t really conducive to going to the beach, we would be happy with going to the beach towns. Bacon sandwiches for breakfast and we hit the road and headed north.
First stop Shaldon – described by some as a drinking town with a fishing problem. We wandered through “Smuggler’s Tunnel” (the remnants of an old lime kiln) to ge
t to Ness Beach. The dark red sand was obviously from the cliffs that towered over the beach. We wandered through the village, past the bowling green (which would be a recurring theme throughout the day) and decided to get a coffee at a harbor side cafe.
Fully caffeinated, we moved up the coast to Teignmouth where the day’s shopping was in full swing. We wandered around the town popping into the various shops in search of a few items: a new blue scarf and a plain cardigan. For once I feel I may have under packed slightly – I was daft and only brought one fleece and none of the scarfs are actually helpful in a chilly breeze. So to the charity shops we went. And we were very successful! I got both a blue and a deep wine scarf (£3 each). A few shops later,£3 got me a lovely tan cardigan. (Insert old lady joke here!) While wandering, we happened into a custom shoe shop. We had seen one yesterday in Totnes as well but didn’t really consider any of their goods. This one had the coolest purple boots in the window so I *had* to go in. And while I didn’t seriously consider the boots, there were several pairs of shoes that were very seriously doable… and on sale… and one was my size… and my orthotics fit… It didn’t take much for me to walk out of there with grey hand made shoes that were SOOOO comfortable that I forgot I was wearing new shoes. So much fun!
Once we had exhausted our entertainment options in Teignmouth, we headed south to Brixham where we had seen some entertaining pirate-themed touristy stuff a few days ago. We parked and wandered and found that there was a full size replica of a 16th century
galleon originally sailed by Sir Francis Drake. The replica has been in the harbor since 1969 and the pirate themed stuff that surrounds it is ever so entertaining. Picture a plethora of aging Jack Sparrow wannabes….
But the real purpose for our stopping in this particular town at lunchtime was that I had read about another chippy that did gluten free fish and chips. David’s was a normal looking fish and chips take away that just so happened to have a dedicated friar and even sold GF maltish vinegar. So fish suppers we had for lunch and we sat on the stoop outside the shop enjoying the fish and the sunshine.
After we tired of the pirates, we headed to a quintessentially British seaside area in Paighton called 
Preston Beach where the beach front is lined with lined with colorful little beach huts. I don’t know who owns them or how they are allotted but there were several people sitting outside theirs while we were there and they seem like small cabins for changing, storing beach chairs and the like, and in some cases preparing food and drink. At least one we saw had a propane burner with a kettle on it….
And then it was time to head to the queen of the south Devon coast – Torquay. Frank’s aunt and uncle have been coming to this part of the country, and I believe this town, on holiday for years and it was time for us to explore there as well. Of course, I had an ulterior motive… One of the stereotypical things to do in Cornwall or Devon is to have a cream tea. This usually consists of several scones, jam and clotted cream . Not necessarily something that celiacs can enjoy easily but I had read a blog post about The Singing Kettle that did gluten free cream teas and so we had a destination! Now to be fair, I had seen several other cafes in the last two days that had advertised that they did gluten free cream teas but the timing wasn’t right. Today it was: it had been several hours since our fried lunch and would be several more before our pse
udo-home cooked dinner so it was time for tea. And it was fabulous! I wish I had known when they asked if we wanted extra butter that they meant it to be *in* the clotted cream – it made it unbelievably rich but nonetheless delicious. I haven’t had a decent scone for 7 years until today….
We did another wander around another town but having no new quest, it wasn’t as much fun and we were getting tired. We explored a bit to find a shop that had the few things we needed for dinner and then it was back to the flat for tatties and mince and packing. Tomorrow we start the trek north.
Today’s numbers:
- Towns visited: 5
- Amount of alcohol consumed during meals out: 0
- Amount of fat consumed during meals out: uncountable
- Number of steps (all along various high streets): 21,674 (9.34 miles)
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