Moving up the coast to Ilfracombe

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Today we have moved on to Ilfracombe- an English seaside resort town. The B&B where we are staying contacted us earlier in the week and asked if we could check in early as they had appointments during the afternoon. As we only had a short drive, we were happy to agree. The morning was quite wet, so we didn’t stop on our way. The forecast suggested that it would clear about 10am, but by the time we arrived in Ilfracombe (round 12) the sun was yet to make an appearance, although the rain was almost stopped. We found Marine Court, our home for the next two nights, and met Karen and Russ our hosts. They suggested a walk down to the harbour and around the lower town. We wanted to check our where our restaurant for this evening was - The Olive Tree run by Thomas Carr- and also find somewhere for tomorrow. We had been told it was quite busy in the town, although the season was winding down and places were starting to close for the winter. They suggested an Italian restaurant and a fish restaurant and a couple of others. We could only find the Italian one open for saturday night, so we booked it. We walked around the harbour to get our bearings, and also to find lunch. The tide was out and the boats were all sitting on the sand. The harbour seems to be in a few parts, with large hills at each end. Thee are lots of Victorian buildings, built for the tourist trade as the railways made places acccessible. We were glad that we weren’t here in the season- it would be very crowded. at one end of the harbour is a statue called Verity. It is a big talking point! It cost a lot of money, and the statue is not particularly nice to look at. One side is all right To look at, as Verity has all her skin on. From the other side there is no smooth skin , but muscles and sinew. Not a pleasant sight. It is an allegory about justice. We found some very tasty pasties and ate them as we watched the people in the area. After enjoying a good walk we went back to the B&B to do some washing and have a rest. We have planned out a few possibilities for tomorrow in the area around Ilfracombe. Hopefully the weather will be kind. Later in the afternoon, Peter walked down to see if the tide had come in much. The difference was quite marked. It was also a bit cooler, so we will need our jackets when we walk to dinner later on. Dinner was at the Olive Tree - chef is Thomas Carr. Peter booked this months ago, and we were rally looking forward to this dinner. It didn’t disappoint. 7 course tasting menu, with some lovely local fish, duck and two beautiful desserts. Not something we can do,every day, but fantastic for something special. Walking home, the harbour was lit up and the tide starting to go down again.

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