A different view

Last week we swopped the normal view from our house of streets, houses and distant hills for a completely different view .....

This was our view from the windows of the chalet that we were staying at Bovisand Bay overlooking Plymouth Sound in Devon. We have stayed here twice before and not surprisingly keep returning.

As you can see it is an idlylic spot, there are four separate beaches in the bay (although only one allows dogs out of season!). The weather was mixed too, with sunshine, rain, hail and some strong winds, but that only adds to the magic of watching the ever-changing sea and sky.

This stretch of water has been the departure point for many historical events:-

In 1588 Francis Drake sailed out of here to defeat the Spanish Armada.
In 1620 the Mayflower sailed to America with the Pilgrim Fathers.
In 1768 James Cook left here on Endeavour and sailed to New Zealand and then went on to discover Australia's eastern coast.
In 1815 Napolean was held in a ship in Plymouth Sound for two weeks before it was decided to exile him to the island of St Helena.
In 1831 Charles Darwin sailed on the Beagle and  on this voyage discovered the theory of evolution.

Other voyages weren't so successful there are at least 70 wrecks in the bay.

We did tear ourselves away to revisit some of our favourite locations (further posts to follow), although our planned walk on Dartmoor didn't happen, thanks to me! After a pleasant morning wandering around Tavistock, we decided to eat our pasties overlooking the moor, hoping the rain would stop. Unfortunately I was driving and left the headlights on  - the result a flat battery!

So this was the only walk we got, on the edge of the moors while waiting for the breakdown recovery service to arrive. At least it had stopped raining and we weren't hidden in the moors without a phone connection!

We didn't like to stop on the way back to Bovisand and as way of any apology I treated us to a cream tea at Cafe Bovisands...

Tea pots ready

 Sorry I didn't photograph the food! It's a great place to visit and we can recommend the food, drink and the views. Do you notice that the counter is an old church pew ? There are also some great walks from here along the South West Coast Path in either direction.

Daisy and I looking away from the sea for a few moments.

Thank you for sharing with me the the wonderful creatures you have seen by the sea. They ranged from squirrels to whales, dolphins, sharks, seals, a sea lion and flying fish, I did enjoy reading about them. As you can see we had a great opportunity to look out at sea, but sadly we didn't spot any dolphins. We did however have a few visits from badgers in the evening that made up for it.

In our garden

 I always have mixed feelings returning home after a break, is it the same for you? The blossom from the magnolia  looked so pretty carpeting the lawn. Last night was Earth hour too, did anyone else join in? It was lovely to sit in the peace and quiet surrounded by the flickering flames from the candle light and enjoy an hour without electricity. We should really do it more often.  I always enjoy the clocks moving forward an hour at this time of year giving us lighter evenings for longer walks or more time spent in the garden.

 Wishing you a good week, as always thank you for visiting me.

Sarah x