Diary 12 Dec 2024
I drove my transit van to Falmouth after lunch . Dressed in four layers over legs and five layers over upper body. Didn't need the heater on in the van as I drove along even though it's bitterly cold. Even had the window open .
Legs … two thermal long johns, 1 pair jeans and over it my ski trousers.
Upper body…. two thermal long sleeve vests, one collared shirt, hoody , sleeveless coat.
Sat in the van at Pendennis point for quite a while reading the times newspaper ( downfall of Assad in Syria) was warm as toast even though cold and windy December evening outside. No heating in van.
Then I parked in the Quarry car park (free in the evening) and sat in Wetherspoons till midnight. Had to take off several layers unsurprisingly . Watched YouTube… fly fishing on Rio Sil using bubble float and also the news especially Middle
East conflicts. At midnight I crashed in van at the quarry carpark. Did my experiment …. to go without a sleeping bag , just the many layers of clothes. I was fine, and dropped off to sleep.
This means I won't need motivation to get out of a warm bed as I am already warm in my clothes and can get up and go out without shocking or forcing my body. Woke early and left the carpark about 8 am before I needed a ticket.
Sunday 15th Dec
Did not go to church this morning as I’m a bit of a baa-humbug at Christmas and I can get bored in carol services and Nativities . Instead I tidied my flat so it's quite a bit better (though I didn't finish) and packed my van for the big road trip ahead. I was heading (eventually) to my parents in Shropshire. The trip will be via several stopping points including Exmoor , Somerset levels and then Cheltenham for a few days before I get to my parents for Christmas .
I Decided to head up out of Cornwall on the A30 instead of the Atlantic Highway and turn off just before Oakhampton up the A386 to Bideford . It was dark by the time I turned onto the A386, the road is quite narrow, windy and quite unpleasant to drive in the dark also its quite a long drive . Next time I think I will go back to using the Atlantic Highway which is wider and faster, but I'll probably turn off the A30 at Bodmin and pick up the Atlantic Highway at Wadebridge.
I was hoping to stop just after Hatherleigh to look at the River Torridge but there was no nearby laybys to stop at , and it would have been too dark to see much.
I got to Torrington (where there's an RHS garden) and parked near the bridge , had a look at the River Torridge there from bridge , using my powerful torch… its a surprisingly wide and fast flowing river.
Monday 16 dec 2024
Slept overnight in my van in the industrial estate in Bideford ( RGB Building Supplies Carpark).
I had brekky in Morrisons cafe then headed to Jennetts Reservoir on the edge of Bideford . I paid online the evening before for a day ticket fishing - £9 concession . An email is sent with the pass number to open the electric gate , security is very good on the site.
Not a bad size reservoir 8 or 9 acres surrounded by trees in a fairly steep valley.
It's got good size Carp in it , plenty of Bream and Roach, the odd Tench but I was after the large Perch in there . However when I got there the water was very brown and murky and not very good for lures . There were a lot of Bream bubbles near the dam (or maybe Carp?) A couple of lads were fishing for bream across opposite side of the lake.
As I cast my lure near the dam a Robin sat on the fence and watched me fishing. The weather was fairly mild . After about an hour I had enough ..I was not feeling confident due to the water murkiness .
I next headed towards Torrington as I wanted to look at the River Torridge for possible future Trout fishing trips. I came to the Tarka Trail Cycle hire and Puffing Billy Cafe . Theres some old trains here which I will have to come and video another time for Youtube. I walked from the cafe along a track to bridge over the Torridge . It's a lovely stretch of river, quite wide and a powerful flow . A huge log jam was piled up against the bridge , trees swept down from recent floods. Two elderly men were cutting logs by the river and throwing them into their car. I asked about fishing rights… one man, Mervyn , with the broadest Devon accent I've ever heard, told me about his son in law Heathcliff who has the fishing rights from the bridge upstream to just past the next bridge . He lives at the local mill and I can offer him a bit of cash for fishing. Mervyn also claimed he was in the film Tarka the Otter, a film based locally. I'm not sure if he was winding me up .
My main aim of the day was to visit the Valley of the Rocks near Lynton on the north coast of Exmoor . Somewhere I have been interested in visiting for many years .
I set off from Bideford to Barnstaple (managed to not get lost in Barnstaple unlike my last visit in summer ) I then took the windy road up and down steep hills with woods and fields . I stopped for a cup of tea from my flask at Blackmoor Gate carpark then continued on to Lynton . There are great views of coast and cliffs from a high up lane approaching Lynton. It didn't take long to drive through Linton and before I knew it I was in the Valley of the Rocks . It didn't disappoint me. It was better seeing it in real life than reading about it in books or seeing it on youtube. I won't go into too much detail but it's basically a very rocky valley next to the sea with very unusual rock formations and outcrops and also has a colony of wild goats , I didn't see any goats though.
Next I headed towards Minehead along the coastal road , however I came to a problem , the road near Lynmouth was closed and a sign diverted me inland on the road to Simonsbath. My other problem was that I now didn’t reaally know where I was going , I usually check my bearings on Google Maps but my mobile phone had run out of battery and was unable to charge it on a standard USB cable . I decided it was time I bought myself a new roadmap of uk.
This unknown road took me up and up until I was up on top of the wildest part of Exmoor . All around me was miles and miles of hilly rough grass and moor , golden yellow in colour. I was wondering if this was devine intervention that the other road was closed as I would have missed this wonderful remote landscape . I was the only vehicle in sight driving on this road, I felt I had this vast area all to myself , no signs of houses either . Eventually I passed a van-conversion like mine, it was parked in a layby high on the moor, and then after I passed the van it was just me alone in the wilderness again.
Eventually I descended down off the moors and arrived in the small settlement of Simonsbath.
I took the road towards minehead and reached Wheddon Cross , this is a village I had driven through previously in summer , albeit from a different direction (from Tiverton) so it was a good feeling arriving somewhere I felt a bit familiar with. At Wheddon Cross I noticed a petrol station with a large shop. I thought I must buy a road atlas now … but the noticeably attractive young lady at the till said they didn't sell them . I expressed my surprise. Maybe it's because everyone uses google maps on their phones if they get lost.
Next place I got to was Dunster which has a distinctive mediaeval round building called Yarn Market which sticks out a bit into the road.
I continued along the road and soon arrived at Minehead . The plugs weren't working in Minehead McDonalds to charge my phone , the overworked staff were unhelpful and unfriendly (probably stressed) so I went to Brewers Fayre where you get unlimited tea or coffee for £3.25. The pretty young receptionist (another!) was the opposite and very helpful and showed me where the plugs were .I also chatted with her later. I spent two and half hours watching fishing videos etc. on youtube . Then took a windy, dark, annoyingly long road past the Quantock hills to Bridgewater. Hinkley power station was a notable landmark on the left in the distance , all lit up in the dark and full of what looked like tall cranes.
At Bridgwater I hadn't a clue where to find anywhere , the data on my phone had run out . I found an Asda and nipped in to use their wifi and got acquainted with where everywhere is. I went for a walk to look at the River Parrett from the roadbridge . Next I spent an hour in Mcdonalds on youtube before parking up in a nearby industrial estate (on a road called Symons Way for future reference ) where I crashed out to sleep.
Tuesday 17 Dec 2024
I drove from Bridgewater in the direction of Glastonbury to RSPB Ham Wall.
I was greeted at the info centre by a pleasant young lady called Kaya who encouraged me to join the RSPB. I have been meaning to join for many years so I decided now was the time . Had a good chat with her, when she saw my postcode she told me she grew up in Perranuthno, Cornwall. Her parents were travellers . She has a degree in Ecology from Bristol Uni.
While we were talking a Marsh harrier flew over the carpark . I decided I had better get to exploring the reserve . Thankfully I had my telescope in the van which was a bonus.
The reserve is a fantastic mosaic of man made lagoons , reedbeds and small woodlands. Many of the pools and marshes were originally a result of commercial peat extraction
The first lagoon I came to I saw a large number of Shoveller ducks, also Cormorants and possible Pochard. A Great White Egret flew past.
The next set of lagoons are shaped on the map like a rib cage. Here were more shovellers, Coots , and my FIRST EVER GADWALL duck.
Two marsh harriers were patrolling the large area of reedbeds, flying low and occasionally diving down into the reeds to try and grab a small item of prey. In the distance Glastonbury Tor poked up above the treeline.
Walking around the reserve I saw a good number of common species and the trip was rounded off nicely by a grey heron on the path ahead of me standing motionless at a very unusual diagonal angle .. I think it had spotted something in the grass verge of the path …maybe a vole.
Below is a list of the species recorded.
Marsh Harrier x 2 , Great White Egret, Shoveller ducks, woodpigeons, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Blue tits , Blackbird , Gadwall Duck ( 1st ever), Kestrel over carpark, Pochard ?, Lapwings (flocks) , Mallards, Cormorants , Dunnock, Tufted ducks ( possibly Goldeneye but too far off to say for sure ) Wren , Robins, Herring gulls , Coots , Grey Heron.
That evening I continued on up the M5 to Tewkesbury. I spent the evening in Tewkesbury Wetherspoons and late that night parked up in one of my regular spots at the leisure centre car park.
