A burst of hot weather takes us unawares but we manage to squeeze in a quick trip to Cornwall to catch some swell. A nice two to three foot and clean blue lines. Spring swell, fresh and exciting before the algae blooms and the water becomes murky with sun lotion and icecream wrappers. Spring lows mean plenty of muscles exposed on the rock and we wash and steam on the barbque with some early prawns. A beer and some hot cross buns - our nod to the Easter season and we're back up the atlantic highway to North Devon chasing the sunset all the way........

The Houseboats are Back

The houseboats are back in the corner of Crow Point, tucked in behind the lighthouse in the shelter of the dunes. Always a releif after winter, they always seem to turn upthe same weekend that the swallows do. Maybe it's time to excavate the flip flops from the bottom of the wardrobe after all!

Laugh

A chance to catch up with the girls, rug, towel, swimming cossie packed...just add plastic wine glasses, a bottle of cava and some sparkling girly friends. An evening swim on Barricane Beach (www.beachcombercafe.co.uk), a little adrenaline boosting rock jumping and a brisk dry off and change behind some rocks. Our best kept locals secret - a cafe on the beach, no frills attached that serves curry till the sun goes down; bring your own drinks and watch the sun go down! Our yearly pilgrimage a toast to friends remember, some now living away from the coast, some moved on and some sadly missed.


Watch until the moon is high in the sky then follow the path around the bay to Woolacombe (www.woolacombetourism.co.uk). Stop off at the Red Barn for a nightcap or a warming hot Chocolate. Catch a local band playing and warm yourselves up with a boogie!. If the wind has dropped and the moon is in the sky finish up with a moonlit walk on Woolacombe beach. A skinny dip in the sea if it's calm and the phosphorescence lighting up the water. Romantic, yes but just as good to share with friends.

Play With Abandon

Another of our favourite escapes is Appledore www.appledore.org

Charles Kingsley's 'Little White Fishing Village' across the estuary.

This quaint fishing village nestled on the quayside where the river’s Torridge and Taw meet. Tucked across the river from the Billowing sails of Instow’s sailing club Appledore maintains an old world Devonian charm tempered by a thriving cultural scene. This small fishing village boasts both a Visual Arts and a book festival at different seasons in the year and has a working shipbuilders yard www.appledore-shipbuilders.co.uk. Narrow streets and colourful cottages lead down to the quay where it’s not unusual to come across a troop of performing Morris Men www.tarkamorrismen.org.uk on a balmy summer’s evening. Visit the North Devon Maritime Museum www.devonmuseums.net and then check out the chiming tide and time bell recently commissioned from sculpture and musician Marcus Vergette. This week visit the Appledore and Instow Regatta. Watch the hotly competed salmon boat racing or join in the crab competition down at the Appledore harbour.

By far our favourite is an afternoon spent competing to catch the biggest crab followed a locally produced Hockins Ice-cream – try not to drip it down your t-shirt!

Listen Hard

Augusts skies are full of contrast. Waking to a clear blue heaven full of promise can soon give way to an afternoon heavy with smoldering low cloud which turn can develop into the most fantastic sunset. You can listen to the shipping forecast or the Westcountry weather but nothing is really as informative as sticking your head outside and looking out to sea. Spot Lundy in the distance and follow the Devon rhyme 'Lundy high fine and dry, Lundy low rain or snow!'. However, low sky or high the weather in August this year is still balmy. Even a day with low clouds is sill warm enough to get down on the beach albeit with an extra jumper and a flask full of tea. Back home in the garden we opted for an evening with family and friends and stocked up the firepit at the bottom of the garden in amongst the orchard. Deck chairs out, a cold glass of wine in hand in hand, sand still in our toes from the day on the beach and the bonfire burning - it felt like being back at boy scout camp again! One of the boys had caught a bass snorkeling off Baggy Point in the afternoon so we wrapped in foil, added some sliced lemons and fresh dill from the garden and struck it on the embers on the edge of the fire. Mmmmm nothing like the taste of freshly caught fish to the accompaniment of a little bit of Jack Johnson in the background watching the sun go down.

Walk to the Edge

It may have been raining this week but it doesn’t make much difference if you’re in the water anyway! Ever the opportunist when it comes to shutting down the computer and experiencing the great outdoors this week, few breaks in the cloud and some ride-able swell and we were off. A trip up the coast to Lynmouth www.lyntonandlynmouthscene.co.uk A satisfying, if crowded surf followed by fish and chips on the promenade..... just what the doctor ordered for the summer swell/weather depression! Entertainment provided free as a high tide and rolling seas washed over the seafront giving some unwary seagulls an unexpected dip in the sea!

Later in the week we partook in a spot of 'rain snorkeling' at Lee Bay www.leebay.co.uk . Hard to say where the ocean stopped and the rain began but wildlife spotted include bass, mullet and of course beautiful shimmering shoals of mackerel. After the best ploughmans we know in our favourite hidden pub The Grampus www.thegrampus-inn.co.uk ,in true North Devon style the sun came out and a truly tropical wave of heat sent us back down to the rocks with our fishing rods. A spot of spinning from the rocks ensured a healthy catch of two mackerel and a mullet whilst the kids had great fun with their candy coloured fishing nets and provided some healthy sized prawns to add to the catch. Fresh fish prepared in the open air and cooked a fresco style on our our trusty tin bucket bbq. As we say in North Devon 'troooly boodifull'. At least the locals seem to be enjoying the summer - I could have sworn the seal that climbed out onto the rock in the corner of the bay was laughing at us as we toasted our catch with a chilled beer and watched the sun sink over the horizon in a spectacular finish!

Live with Intention

Schools out this week and with such a beautiful summer so far everyone’s heading for the beach. Kids on boogie boards fill up the rock pools on Croyde beach, teenagers block the lanes in vw’s crammed full of bodies, surfboards and wetsuits on their way to Putsborough www.putsborough.com. Coming back through Braunton hot and sandy, the queue for an albeit delicious Squires fish and chips is stretching down the pavement!

An empty beach and a quiet wave can seem a million miles away. In our house we're loving the early mornings and late evenings on the beach while the nights are still so short. After the rabble have gone pack up a rucksack with a cool beer and head to the end of Saunton Beach or Baggy Point for a bit of quiet reflection whilst watching the sun go down. Walk on the Braunton Burrows www.northdevonbiosphere.org.uk to the end of Airy Point with a fishing rod in hand to try and catch a bass. Build a fire out of Driftwood at the end of Crow Point and cook your catch in a roll of tin foil, delicious with fresh green Samphire gathered at low tide….. just add a squeeze of lemon! Don’t forget to clear up afterwards and take your rubbish home with you. The beach becomes a top class restaurant with a sea view, a driftwood log the best seat in the house!