Blogs from Devon, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 6

I started the morning with another one of my sad, early photography outings. About three miles from Sidmouth, along the costal path, is Ladram Bay, apparently one of the jewels of the Jurassic Coast. Needless to say, I can't read something like that and let it pass. Looking at my map that showed roads even more narrow and winding than those on the way to Wellington, I figured it would be just as easy to walk there as it would be to drive. A nice early morning stroll along the cliff tops. I was wrong. It was long, dark, steep and difficult to follow. I should have realised when part of it was clearly marked as "High Peak" on the map. The clue was in the name. The photography in the bay was worth the walk ... read more

These tours on heygo are with a guide who stays silent throughout, no commentary just enjoying the interesting architecture and views of these two towns in South Devon. Totnes - From Saxon beginnings to today's vibrant market town, Totnes has a national reputation for its many notable buildings and monuments. Totnes has a reputation. It's famed for being the most eccentric town in Devon – if not in Britain. A recent report even went as far as to call it 'weird' The Totnes pound (t£) was a complementary local currency, intended to support the local economy of Totnes, It was in circulation from March 2007 to June 2019, when it was discontinued due partly to an increasingly cashless economy. Brixham - Brixham Harbour is located on the southern side of Tor Bay and boasts one of ... read more

Before we talk about today's tour, a word about the weather. Now I have been looking for the right words to use to describe the weather in the southern part of England and the kindest word I can find is unpleasant. A more apt description would include words like wet, cold, cloudy or deeply overcast or downright miserable. Our weather has been on and off rain, cold and drab. It rains in this part of the world 1 day out of 3, so dealing with rain is a must if you are planning to come here any time of the year. This is my first summer vacation ever where I was happy I brought a jacket. I even spent money on a heavy hooded sweatshirt to accommodate! Oh well, we will persevere. After another fine English ... read more

This is a story of my maternal ancestors. Prior to visiting Devon the first week of May 2019, I had populated my maternal ancestry family tree back to 1103 and then to 240 AD (see prior blog at ). According to "The Baronetage of England" in that year, "Galfridus (Latin for Geoffrey) Miles (Knight) had his seat at Northcote, in the parish of East Down in Devonshire (north of Barnstable, Devon), and that John Fritz-Galfrid (Fritz meaning the son of) held divers lands there, and in the hundreds (a subdivision of a shire which had its own court) of Witheridge, North Tauton, Black Torrington, etc. He changed his name to John Northcote. Galfrid de Northcote (John's son) lived in 1188, and held lands in Colstan, in the Witheridge hundred." According to the family history written by ... read more

Only last week, in the days between the revelation of this journey and coming here, I went to a workshop called (translated to English): 'Shit, I'm awake. Now what?!' It was about the awareness of the journey you make, the Hero's Journey. The concept is by Joseph Campbell, but I can not go into detail about it here, because An, who did the workshop, put a lot of effort in it and it would be unrespectfull to give it away here. Anyway, last night at diner, I had an inspiring conversation with Bruce and Draeyke. It was about how I am learning to talk with the Universe and have courage, talk out loud, what I dream about, what I want to do. I talked about travelling with my stories (as I am a Temple Priest of ... read more