Warm days mean trips to the seaside – easily achieved in Devon.
Sue and I popped to Teignmouth recently, taking advantage of the quiet before the tourist season.
It was a lovely day, and I took a few snaps of the pier, including some from underneath as I’m often fascinated by how things are put together.
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Lottie didn’t come with us on this trip. She likes the sea, but it was a hot day and we were going to be treading the town’s pavements – an activity that she doesn’t particularly enjoy – so we left her dozing at home. Here’s a photo of her in the environment she likes best:
Spring has finally arrived in Devon, and in the Campling household we’re enjoying it immensely.
Here are some nice photos of the Teign Valley, my home as well as the location for the fictional village of Embervale in the Devonshire Mysteries.
Mrs C and I have been busy in the allotment, and Lottie is able to sniff her way through the fields, enjoying the sunshine without getting too hot. The fields and hedgerows of Devon are a delight, crammed with wildflowers, and the birds are in full song.
I’m getting into running in a way that I never thought possible, so there’s a picture below of me biting into a post-run flapjack. But don’t worry, the rest of the photos are the landscape pictures that many of you know and love.
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Lottie still going strong
Enjoying a flapjack to celebrate my fiftieth ParkRun. It has taken me a while to notch up those runs, partly due to the pandemic in the middle, but I’ve finally made it. On the first run I couldn’t get far before walking, and my leg muscles felt like they were made of lead, but I can now run 5K in under 30 minutes and that includes a couple of hill climbs. I love the inclusivity of ParkRun, with all ages, shapes and sizes taking part and many people taking the time to encourage others with a clap or a ‘Well done’. It’s no wonder that Dan Corrigan likes a good run; it does me the world of good. (more…)
Although we’ve lived on the edge of Dartmoor for more than 25 years, there’s still plenty to explore.
On a recent drive onto the moors we decided to pass the usual tourist hot-spots and keep going, letting the road take us where it may.
After a short while we found a small parking space at the side of the road, so we parked up and picked a likely looking direction for a stroll. It was a lovely part of the moor, with stunning views of wooded valleys and a glimpse of the village of Widecombe-in-the-moor in the distance. At least, I think it was Widecombe, but we were pleasantly disorientated, wandering without a map.
There were Dartmoor ponies and sheep, and I don’t think we met another soul until we returned to the car park. After our walk we went in search of a cup of tea, but all we could find was a pub, so we popped in for a quick half of local ale. Dan and Alan would’ve approved!
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
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I’m a big fan of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, so I jumped at the chance to see a production of The Valley of Fear at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre.
It was a wonderful night, with the audience on the edges of our seats. Below is a snap of the set, which the actors moved around to show all manner of different settings, from stagecoaches, to trains, to towns, to houses. Very clever.
We had great seats and I loved every minute. And yes, if you’re wondering, the title of my book, Valley of Lies, is an homage to that story.
The stage isn’t raised, so there’s a pic of me standing in front of it. Below that, if you sign in, you can see our photos from the Exeter Comic and Gaming Con which we went to just for fun. It was only my second con and Sue’s first, and we had an interesting time.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
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Sometimes the Devonshire Landscape can be sunlit and inviting, at other times it can be mean, moody and mysterious.
Not much need for me to say more about these pictures of the Teign Valley in March. Spring was ready to start, but the winter wasn’t quite ready to let go. Cue, the wettest March since the eighties, and for England, that’s really saying something.
I hope you like the photos and can imagine Dan and Alan battening down the hatches or retreating to the Wild Boar for a pint of Jail Ale by the roaring fire.
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We visit a nearby wood every now and then, and this one, Bearacleave Wood, is the inspiration for Brandle Wood in The Devonshire Mystery, Mystery in May.
Perhaps you can imagine Dan and Alan marching along the meandering woodland paths in the search for clues.
The view from the edge of the woods shows Haytor on the horizon, and that tor is mentioned in Accomplice to Murder.
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