Day 9, Tuesday 31/5

 

Alan's car  outside our home for the last few days

Day 9, Tuesday 31/5

 

Visited Vintage Tyre supplies in Lymington before setting off for Dunchideok, South West of Exeter for the start of the Nick Walker tour.

Followed a somewhat circuitous route from Beaulieu to Hurn (near Bournemouth) to visit the aircraft display there (which was in the adventure playground, you could climb up and sit in quite a few of the planes).

 

 Left Hurn and followed the A30 for a while till we got past Dorchester. A few miles after this we stopped at a pub for an excellent lunch. We then left the A30 and traveled along the coast through Lynn Regis (very narrow one way streets with blind bends and very steep getting out). We got slightly lost in Exeter but a nice gentlemen (an astronomer as it turns out) came along and convinced us if we kept following the road we were on we would get to the right place, which we did, surprisingly.

By pure fluke we managed to see a sign to Dunchideok that I think "The Scarlet Pimpernell" must have seen and then went down ever shrinking lanes till we eventually got to the Lord Haldon Hotel (Best Western) which has magnificent views across the valley. 

I pointed out the road we had used to another attendee the next day (which was not the route we where supposed to use) and he responded saying, "You Aussies are brave". I think he might have been having second thoughts about lending me his Alvis for the next few weeks.

 

More wildlife

And even more

Maritta likes thatched rooves

First historic car we have seen on the road

Short break at Vintage Tyre Supplies

There are some odd signs in the UK

May have been a playground but was a great place

Alan tries this helicopter for size

Some of them are a bit cozy

And complicated

Another odd sign

Lunch stop

Yes, it is two way, they get a lot narrower

Haldon Hall, Dunchideok, Devon.

Our carriage for the next 6 weeks or so

Narrow view of the car park.