It was worth the price (or points) paid for premium economy as we were able to get a reasonable sleep.  The plane departed on time, but we were delayed at Singapore as we had to ensure that we didn’t arrive at Heathrow before the curfew was lifted at 6am.  

A leisurely start and Georgie and I headed into Tiverton to buy supplies for a fish pie for dinner.  We popped into a few of the galleries to view the local art before stocking up at Tescos. We took the dogs out for a longer walk along some different laneways, though without Smudge who had returned to Graham’s parents where he spent five days a week. 

Unfortunately, Ron had been violently ill during the night so he and Bryony headed home.  With Cadi and Sticky in their crate and ready for a walk, we drove out to the Exmoor coast and parked at Woody Bay.  The walk followed the South West Coast path past 100 year old sessile oak trees and bright yellow gorse bushes.  

Another glorious but cool day, a little windier than the day before, but perfect for a trip to the South Hams.  The dogs were keen for another day of walking and we drove to Bigbury to take a walk around Burgh Island – accessible at low tide by a strip of sand.  At high tide, the access is via a sea tractor across to the art-deco hotel, famous for featuring in two Agatha Christie novels.  

Georgie and Graham were attending a funeral in the afternoon and we stayed local with a cycle down to Tiverton and followed the Grand Western Canal for 11 miles to its end point.  The canal wound its way under numerous bridges and through little towns to end at a couple of picnic tables. 

Another sunny day, but cold and windy.  We drove in two cars to Okehampton, with our bikes in the boot.  Graham and Georgie hired e-bikes, but they took a while to sort out a bike which was the right size for Georgie.  Fortunately, there was an adjacent café so we could stay warm with a coffee whilst we waited. Just after 11am, an hour later than planned, we cycled off on the Granite Way.  

A somewhat cloudy morning as we headed to Budleigh Salterton to explore the newly reclaimed wetlands. Debbie had posted on Facebook that this was one of her favourite places, which seemed as good a reason as any to revisit it. 

Such a perfect day that we tempted Graham away from his desk to join us in a walk to Dunkery Beacon which is the highest point on Exmoor and the second highest in southern England behind High Willhays on Dartmoor.  

The pets were keeping us company over breakfast, with Cadi and Sticky waiting eagerly for their next walk.  

The National Lotteries had a promotion for the week which allowed free entry into participating National Trust properties on presentation of a valid scratchie or lottery ticket. We had diligently paid 1 pound each for a scratchie the day before as part of our plans to visit Knightshayes.  

Georgie was working and Graham was doing further quiz preparation so we decided to park at Darts Farm and ride to Exmouth, an easy ride along a dedicated bike path. There were quite a few people out and it was pleasant riding with views of the railway line, River Exe and the estuary.  We followed the foreshore at Exmouth and stopped for coffee and an early pasty for lunch with views over the beach.

A leisurely start whilst we waited for Graham to return the wine purchased from Tescos.  Kirsty joined us for a walk up the lane to Criss Cross with its extraordinary 360 degree views across Devon.  We could see to the estuary where we had cycled the day before. We had a long chat to the kids whilst we walked, catching up on their news whilst sharing the magnificent views.  

With Simon named on the insurance, we were very appreciative of having access to Graham’s car as we set off to Wales.

We made the most of Georgie’s book “the Extra Mile” to find a lovely café in Clevedon just 5 minutes off the motorway for our morning coffee.   

When we were first planning to visit, Kathy had sent a link to Pen y Fan which is the highest peak in South Wales and part of the Brecon Beacons National Park.  Justin had recommended a few routes that we could follow, but we settled for a more direct route to give us time to explore Brecon in the afternoon. 

A perfect day for cycling to Hay-on-Wye.  We took the canal route initially which was a little more scenic that the Grand Western.  As an added bonus the signs only required you to go slowly under bridges, not to dismount.  We passed a few canal boats, including one in motion and one with a resident.  

Following advice from Kathy and Justin as to the most interesting nearby castle to visit, we set the sat nav for Powis Castle, just under two hours drive away.

Just before the castle, we stopped off at Greenhouse Café and Kitchen for a coffee and scone in a lovely setting next to a garden centre. 

With winds forecast to be gusting up to 60kms per hour, we weren’t in a rush to head out and it was late morning by the time we were ready to brave the elements.  

We started the day with an early call to Jonno in Australia then worked out how to get the bus to Bury for our planned walk back along the Irwell Sculpture Trail.  Conveniently, the buses had moved to contactless tickets earlier in the week, and it was just 2 pounds to travel to Bury, no paper tickers required.