Off with the dogs in Frozen Wasteland that is North Devon

Not strictly correct as Devon was a tad warmer than London was at Christmas, but after high tailing it back to London we were off to Devon with my parents, brother, his fiance and her children.. and of course the dogs... Gary would have loved it, shame he was living the high life at Dog Day Afternoon in Orlando.

My Mom came up trumps and hired this house in Bideford for the New Years week....these pics taken from the house's website as I forgot to get any .. D'oh!

It was great.. spacious and fires in all the living rooms and a Aga to cook on, which was interesting to say the least...
It's a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon.In the 16th century Bideford was Britain's third largest port. Sir Walter Raleigh landed the one of the first shipments of tobacco here. In his honour several roads and a hill have been named after him. Today the narrow town centre streets lead down to a tree-lined quay, which bustles with fishing vessels, cargo and pleasure boats. Interestingly the Bideford witch trial in 1682 involved three women, Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles and Susannah Edwards, accused of witchcraft and resulted in the last ever hangings for witchcraft in England.

These were the stunning views of Bideford from the back patio (where incidentally there is a huge hot tub, which is on year round!)

Trust husband to find the comedy road name!

It's an estuary so the tide comes in and out quite significantly

Tomorrow I'm taking you to Braunton Burrows with the dogs... Basically it was a footrace with my parents who think we can all walk at 100 miles a hour Grrrr.. my Mom's nickname isn't Mountain Goat for nothing!

English on tour,,,,

Before I continue with our Christmas travels I must just show you these funnies... Whilst staying at the house we hired in Bideford, Devon (more to follow on that later) we received the 'Bideford Buzz'.. a little free local 'paper'.. like a locals newsletter really... anyway I must have packed it in my suitcase because I found it this morning and had a quick swizz before throwing in the trash... I now know when the Christmas lights were switched on, when the Zebras will be arriving at the local zoo and the 'Moomerland; docked on the 20th October and was loaded with  2950 tons of clay... I know random....

Anyway, getting to the point, there was also a section on holiday complaints from Brits abroad...and I thought I'd share as they made me giggle

Enjoy!

"The beach was too sandy."

 "Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women."

"No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled."

"It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England it only took the Americans three hours to get home."

"My fiancé and I booked a twin-bedded room but we were placed in a double-bedded room. We now hold you responsible for the fact that I find myself pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked."

"The disappointment telling the children that the reindeer could not fly was incredible?you must state this clearly in your brochure in future"

 

"I realise that there is no electricity in the Wilderness Cabins, but there should have been somewhere to recharge my phone"

"On my holiday to Goa in India I was disgusted to find most of the restaurants served curry. I don't like spicy food at all."

"It's lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things in the 'siesta' time - this should be banned"

I'm handing my British passport in.. can anyone recommend a new nationality!?