And so another transition day dawns. We packed up our belongings and the car and headed northward. The original plan was to trek all the way to the Lake District today and then visit my family tomorrow but the fates did not allow for that so we planned a two-stop strategy and headed for the Cotswolds today. We had decided that our last activity in Devon would be a trip to Exeter Cathedral (haven’t had enough stained glass yet!) so we dropped off some dirty clothes at a local laundrette for a service wash and headed to the Cathedral for some history, photography, and quiet reflection.
AND IT WAS CLOSED! Grrr…. No visitors today because the Cathedral was hosting the commencement event for The Open University. Now I’m a big fan of 
education and The Open University was doing distance learning before any one had thought of MOOCs but why did they have to be in THIS particular cathedral on THIS particular day? I was miffed. Okay, I still am a bit miffed.
So we wandered around the high street killing time until the laundry was done. Exeter is actually a very interesting city and has far more character than some places we’ve been this trip (read: Plymouth). But it wasn’t enough to soothe my angry soul. So after the requisite wait time, we decided to grab some lunch before picking up the laundry and we found a bright spot in the bad day: Tea on the Green, serving gluten free pasties! They actually had a pretty extensive gluten free menu but the one thing I didn’t get in Cornwall or Devon was a pasty 
and now was my chance. And it was lovely! Being right across from the cathedral (grumble), there were lots of people in their graduation garb in the restaurant with us. It was most entertaining. As was the dog under the table next to me, Maisie was her name. But more on dogs later.
So lunch completed, graduates congratulated, laundry retrieved, and we were on the road again. A short two hours and 20 minutes and we would be at a bed and breakfast in Little Compton, just outside Moreton-in-Marsh (any Agatha Raisin fans out there?) Or that was how it was supposed to go until there was an accident on the M5 which added more than an hour to the journey. By the time we got to the B&B, there was just enough time to get checked in and have a cup of tea before heading out to dinner. The owner of the B&B had made reservations at The Red Lion in Long Compton, not to be confused with the Red Lion in Little Compton. And boy were we glad she did – what a fantastic meal! Another bright spot in the dog day.
Which brings me to dogs. The English LOVE their dogs. They bring them everywhere – and not just the pocket purse sized dogs either. All dogs of all sizes. Maisie who kept us company at lunch was a cocker spaniel. Tonight at the Red Lion, there were no fewer than 5 dogs in the pub – 4 looked like black labs and one was a Scottie dog. FIVE DOGS IN THE PUB. I can just see the US Health inspectors cringing…
So not much to report today but there might be a few numbers of interest:
- Number of times we sped up and then slowed down again during the hour long traffic jam: 6
- Number of times the car in front of us changed lanes trying to get ahead of everyone else in the traffic jam: 4
- Number of dogs in the pub tonight: FIVE
- Number of steps along the Exeter high street while waiting for our laundry because the cathedral was CLOSED: 11,506 (496 miles)
- Number of capital letters used in this post to indicate emphasis: 40
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