Michael and Pam's Travels Our European Motorhome Adventures and other Travels

Exeter to Dartmoor, England 2016 🇬🇧

Travelled : 99 kilometres from Colaton Raleigh to Lydford, Devon

Visited : Exeter (Park and Ride £5 double), Exeter Cathedral (£6 double senior), Royal Albert Museum (free), Dartmoor National Park

Stayed : Castle Inn, Lydford (Brits Stop free) N50.64375 W4.10901


We start our day by thanking our host at the Otter Inn, before heading off for Exeter.  Our plan is to do the ‘park and ride’ into Exeter but when we arrive at the carpark it has a height barrier, which defeats the purpose so it would seem.  We drive up an adjoining street, the first business a tile shop has a big carpark.  I walk in an ask if we can park there and he thanks us for asking and says ‘no problem’ and shows us the shortcut back to the park and ride.  He makes some remark about cricket which I respond without a profanity.


Park and Ride, £5. Worked out well, we need to change our thinking about how we get in and out of large English town.  15 minutes later we are dropped off near the tourist information centre.


Walking the laneways of Exeter we found this odd little pedestrian bridge.
Construction on the Cathedral at Exeter started in 1114.  It has the longest continuos medieval vaulted ceiling in the world at 96 metres.
The Cathedral vaulting has 400 rounded keystones all decoratively carved and painted.  It’s a warm and friendly place with lots of guides to ask questions and a guide booklet with a comprehensive history.
Part of the vault and great glass window dated 14 century.

Enough Cathedral for one day we wander around the main square and shopping precinct to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. We have a coffee and spend an hour going through the exhibits.


We found some very odd exhibits in the RAMM.

Time to hit the road again and we head west out of Exeter and start the climb into the Dartmoor National Park and onto the high moors.



The road into the park is narrow and very winding. From Moretonhampstead the road climbs steeply up onto the moor, the trees disappear and the road opens up.
Cows and sheep are wandering the road. It’s cold and windy up here today, lucky it’s summer.


Parked up behind the Castle Inn, Lydford.
We take a late afternoon walk around Lydford and find a very interesting village.  Just up from the Castle Inn is the ruin of the Castle (surprise) and a lovely old Church and graveyard.
Lydford Castle appears to have been used more to keep people in than out.  Built in 1195 it’s actually easy to access most part of the structure via steps and ramps.
Winding our way to the top via the spiral.
The roof no longer exists, but you get the feel of the 1200mm thick walls.
The Church and graveyard are just immaculate, so is Pam for that matter.
A lovely and well tended graveyard.
Lydford Church, the interior was full of local memorabilia.

Michael and Pam


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