It's moor fun in Devon

London is fascinating to me because I've never really been in huge cities before, and I've definitely never lived in one for any period of time. The lights, the noise, the constant activity, the completely foreign transportation system, the vast numbers of people are all completely new to me and, though occasionally intimidating, are still interesting. On the other hand, though, I come from a small city in a somewhat rural/agrarian county, and thus it's neat to get outside of London's maze of streets, sights, and shops to see some smaller and/or more rural areas of England. Our class trips to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Oxford were all fun excursion day trips, so I wanted to travel outside the city once, if possible, during the free weekend.

Prior to departing for this trip (as seen in earlier blog posts), I debated what activities or places I might want to do or see. The ancestral connections won out, though, so I headed southwest to Devon and a little village few people know exists...

Chagford is an incredibly small little village. The B&B owner who met me and helped facilitate my trip to Devon provided me with a map that basically outlines maybe six streets in the entire town. All of the buildings are circa 16th or before, many with thatched roofs, and the roads into and out of the village are small, winding country lanes with high hedgerows and stone walls. When I arrived, I half expected to see James Herriot pop out from one of the many footpaths toward the River Teign, it's that idyllic. From my room in the little B&B, I could hear sheep bleating out on the moor, which was cool and a little odd at the same time. After all, it's quite the switch from traffic noises and people talking to wind, sheep bleating, and birds everywhere.

In a way, since Chagford is off the beaten path, as they say, it feels a little like stepping back in time. Everyone was very friendly and very curious to know why I was visiting and how I'd heard of Chagford. Nonetheless, I arrived in time to watch the weekly cricket match and got invited to come to the bazaar in front of Endecott House in the town square the following morning. As it was a bed and breakfast, I also got to eat my first full English breakfast, or rather, I also had a chance to eat a full English breakfast. It's quite a lot of food, but it was lovely sitting out in the garden to do so.

Coming from Florida, the moors are incredible to me, and it's fascinating to watch the low, fast-moving clouds cross them. I didn't particularly notice a change in weather from said clouds, but it was definitely much cooler and windier in Devon, and I finally had occasion to use my rain jacket because it started to rain as I was scheduled to leave. It was a lovely place, and their ancient stone church, though much smaller and less grand than the beautiful cathedrals we've seen during class trips, was charming in its own right. It would be fun maybe to return someday with more of my family (they could appreciate the ancestry connection more), but I'm glad to have gone during my free weekend. (They even had an Independence Day celebration with "American-style" food at one of the local pubs—The Globe—so I had a chance to commemorate the 4th of July sort of in England.) :)

St. Michael's Church

Sunset over the moors (note those low clouds)