Public Footpath to Sille Bliss

So here in the town I knew a 'type' of carpet was made and the town is known for it. It is high quality carpets that are now manufactured all over the world.

Like most towns there is everything you need. If you lived here you'd have no real reason to leave. They got their post office, grocery stores, take-a-ways, cafes, a couple of restaurants, church, bank, charity shops. I'd live here.

According to wiki, the town lies on two major Roman roads and dates back to the Celtic times of around 300 BC. But most towns in England are all old like this. I LOVE that about this country.

Axminster Parish Church

I went to the local shop called the co-operative to get something. While I was standing in the queue, I started to think about back when I first arrived in England. Back then If I came to the shop and was ready to pay for my item, I would of just got in line right behind the person at the till (cash register) and wait. Here there were about 2-3 registers opened on a long counter where you would think doing that would be OK. I would of just choose which ever was opened or shortest without even thinking twice about it. That's how it usually works in the States, but in England, no. You have to start one queue from behind them all and which ever one becomes free next is the one you go to. I know this now, which is why I started the queue away at the end of all the tills. But during my first month or so here I went into a shop alone and got in line right behind a person at the till (cash register). There wasn't a lot of people at the shop but there was one person standing in line from afar. I didn't know what she was doing... in my mind she was too far to be in line for the next till. But as I was waiting, something clicked in my head that she was actually in line next and I had just gotten in front of her. I ended up walking to stand behind her and apologized for cutting in. I know she noticed, she was looking right at me, but I don't think she would of said anything at all if I would of stayed. Anyway, I'm a veteran at this stuff now :P and even though it's the smallest thing, it was just something I was thinking about while waiting in line.

When I go to the cashier I asked for what I needed behind the counter and after the guy gave me my stuff and was getting my change he asked, "So how long have you been here?" Usually people don't ask me questions when they hear my accent. You can always tell they notice it because they turn to look at me when they hear me talk or their expression on their face changes a bit, as if they notice but they never say anything. It's rare when someone does. Usually they are excited about it. So having this guy ask me this kind of surprised me. I told him proudly it was going on 3 years. :) And he said, "Oh! I thought you were going to say 3 days... you've been here for awhile now." I thought to myself, OH YEA! :) I'm a practically a freakin' citizen! Haha, OK not that close but still. It was cool.

This also reminded me of when Steve and I was at the barber shop for his birthday and an American guy came in to get his hair cut. I didn't know until he was up there getting it done and was talking to the barber. He was going on and on and on. I couldn't help but interrupt and tell him that I was too from the US. It was the first time I had heard an American in the same town as me. It was so weird. He was from California and here for work. Not sure how long he had been here, maybe 3 weeks or so is what I got from it. Anyway, it was kinda cool to meet another American in the town.

Inside Axminster Church

So after our time in Axminster we headed further down into Devon to Exeter. We hadn't been here for almost a couple of years now when we came to see the cathedral and have some cream tea. Ya know, Devon is the home of cream tea. Also did you know that Devon is the third largest county in England? I didn't. And Exeter is one of the two cities in Devon, the other being Plymouth.

So today I decided to have a little wander back down to the cathedral. It's such a beautiful sight and it had been way too long.

Exeter, Devon. England

Cathedral Close. Exeter, Devon.

It was still as beautiful as ever. It was nice to chill out with the rest of the folks enjoying it's beauty and the weather of course. I wanted to go inside but for £7.50 I didn't think it would be that much worth it.

Cathedral Close. Exeter, Devon.

Exeter Cathedral. Devon.

Most of the cathedrals do cost to get in which I think is silly but I guess they need some way to keep it up. Either way, today wasn't the day for me and I was fine enjoying the beauty from outside.

Exeter Cathedral. Devon.

Exeter Cathedral

The next day we stayed in our home country of Dorset in the towns of Dorchester and Bridport. It was nice not having to go too far out. I wanted to have a wander in Dorchester but this was the only time it really rained a lot. It probably lasted on and off for about 45 minutes but by then I figured it was too late to get out and look around so I decided to stay in.

River Brit. Bridport - trail to the park

St Mary's Church. Bridport.

I made up for it in Bridport. Usually when we go places I like to check out the areas and street view in googlemaps so I can get my bearings. I hate going somewhere and not know what is where and where I am. So I did this with Bridport and knew the exact route I wanted to walk when I was here.

St Mary's Church. Bridport.

Bridport High Street

Last time I was here I walked the High Street which was cool and busy but this time I wanted to walk the small back roads to the park along the river then back through toward the church and High Street where we parked.

Just some garden in Bridport I wish was mine :)

It was a really good relaxing route. At one point I thought it was going to get caught in the rain but lucky for me I only felt a couple of very light sprinkles and that was it. I was pretty far away and would of got soaked so I'm glad that was all we had. The clouds were definitely gorgeous though.

River Brit, Bridport.

Friday we ended up being right in our own backyard. It was nice being so local and even better that we were just across the street/parking lot from the beach in Sandbanks.


The weather could of been better today but I couldn't complain either. It was mild enough to wear my flip flops and have my feet in the sand. There is one thing I am happy about with our beaches close to home is that they have proper sand. A lot of the beaches like Brighton and Lyme Regis are pebble beaches. People don't care though, they actually get comfy with their towels and chairs and make themselves at home. I don't see how comfortable sitting on a bunch of rocks could be but I guess you just have to make the best with what you have.

Kite surfers in Sandbanks. Poole, Dorset.

It was cloudy but still a bit bright with the sun trying to fight its way out with no success. The wind was nice and mild too. I got to get some nice shells and relax for a while. This year I will make sure we spend much more time at the beach when the weather is nice and hot. We are silly not to being that we live just a few minutes away. It was the perfect way to end the week!

Poole Harbour. Sandbanks. Dorset.

Today we had another one of our many trips to the Isle of Wight on the ferry. The last few times it was too cold to be out on deck so being able to sit outside this time was great. We didn't stay out too long in the morning because it was still a bit chilly.

So today I decided to visit Carisbrooke Castle. We were so close by it would be silly not to. 

Early History from Wiki says:

The site of Carisbrooke Castle may have been occupied in pre-Roman times. A ruined wall suggests that there was a building there in late Roman times. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions that Wihtgar, cousin of King Cynric of Wessex, died in AD 544, and was buried there. The Jutes may have taken over the fort by the late 7th century. An Anglo-Saxon stronghold occupied the site during the 8th century. Around 1000, a wall was built around the hill as a defence against Viking raids.

This place is huge and you could easily spend a few hours here just looking around the grounds. There's also a museum and a cafe area to have some tea and cakes. I got here as soon as it opened and there were already a couple people waiting to get in. There was also a couple of classes of kids from a school on a field trip. I was hoping they wouldn't be in the way of my photos but as you will see, the place is so big they were nowhere to be seen. Yay! :) 

Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport on the Isle of Wight. A motte-and-bailey castle is a castle with a defense wall or other reinforcement built to strengthen a place against attack, with a keep built on a raised earthwork called a motte. It has an enclosed courtyard or bailey surrounded by a protective ditch.

The Keep - Carisbrooke Castle

This is MY photo. I was standing here! Seeing it back feels so surreal and like I wasn't there at all. Anyway, before I did anything my goal was to go up to the keep and get those awesome views I knew were awaiting me. I knew this would be a challenge and the 71 steps leading up to it would kick my ass, but in the end I was sure it would be worth it.


For some silly reason I felt that the stairs looked easy peasy going up and even down, but they were not. They were very uneven and cracked some shorter and others a little higher. Thank goodness I'm not afraid of heights and I was happy there were railings to hold onto. 


Even though going down was less tiring, it seemed more nerve-wrecking and harder to come down because you could then see how steep they were and it was a bit hard to determine which steps were the short ones and which were a little higher. As long as I took my time and held on for dear life, I was ok ;) At least I wasn't the only one who got tired on these stairs, as I was just getting to the half way point to walk along the top wall bit, the kiddies were coming up, huffing and puffing away about how tired they were. I felt a little better about that :)

Entrance to the keep from the stairs

English Heritage flag in the keep

Inside the keep

The views were pretty awesome from up here and the wind was nice too. After that climb to the top I needed some fresh air to cool me off. I could of stayed up here forever. Here were the views from different angles...






After getting my breath back & taking lots of photos, I head back down the stairs of hell. :P

Me just after defeating the stairs! :)

I didn't have much more time to check out a lot of other parts of the castle I would of liked but this is the perfect type of place to come back again to so there is always another time. And I found out that there are holiday flats here to stay the night for a really affordable price. I love stuff like this. You get to have the whole castle to yourself once it closes and can walk it in the evening. This sounds like it would be really awesome to do and scary fun. This place is awesome, I can imagine how cool it would be here at night.

These buildings are part of the holiday apartments to stay the night

Before heading out I made a stop at the chapel. It was a small chapel but very beautiful as they are all in my eyes...

Chapel - Carisbrooke Castle

Inside the Chapel

Inside the Chapel

This time I felt like I had a very educational trip to the Isle of Wight. This castle was a pretty cool experience and I'm glad I got to check it out.

By the end of the day the sun was out more than ever and the timing couldn't have been more better as we were getting back on the ferry we could get some vitamin D out on the deck this time without it being a bit cold.

Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

Yarmouth Castle - Isle of Wight

Now that it's going on 3 years that I've been here I've learned to be prepared for the ever changing weather at all times! :) I already had my flip flops in the car and changed into them from my tennis soon after I got back from the castle. I already had capris on and a sleeveless top. So all that I had to do was get rid of the cardigan and I was set and ready for the semi-hot weather! :)

I had just got over a very bad pulled back muscle and vertigo for a whole week. I was in bed for 3 days straight and in the house for more than that. It was time for me to get out and get some fresh air, and what better way then to travel somewhere new.

Before getting to our new destination we had to go all the way up to Bideford in North Devon. We seem to love driving from one end of the country to the next. Not really though, but it usually ends up that way. Bideford is directly above the red dot on the map below, just straight up to the other end of the coast.


Coming down to Hope Cove we had to drive through Dartmoor National Park which is always a nice sight and pretty ride.

Dartmoor National Park

So our last stop, Hope Cove is a little itty bitty seaside village with two small beaches in south Devon just 5 miles south of Salcombe and Kingsbridge. 

We made it to our hotel just in time for the sunset and wow was that was nice.

I could of stayed watching it till it got dark, but we both were ever so tired, cold, sleepy and hungry. We just wanted to get in and take a little nap before dinner... pretty much the usual when we are out like this all day. We got all checked in into our spot for the night - The Hope and Anchor Inn. We were shown to our room and oh, lo and behold, we were in a cove view room and our window was directly towards that beautiful pink sky.

After getting settled in we were ready for our nap. We were so close to the sea that with our window open, we were able to fall asleep to the seagulls and the soothing sounds of the crashing waves. It was like listening to one of those relaxing audio recordings to help you sleep. It was pure bliss. 

After our much needed nap we were ready for some food. This place had a huge and really nice pub. The restaurant area was up on the first floor (2nd floor in American) with windows all around. It was too dark to see the sea from here but in the day time you could definitely get a full view while enjoying your food. The menu was really good. Obviously great seafood choices and that was what we went for.

Starters: Steve's fish chowder and my calamari rings

Mains: Steve's beef & lobster burger & my fish, chips & mushy peas

I always have to have my cider! Cheers! 

My cider and Steve's Cornish lager

After dinner we didn't last long... we had a little night time walk down to the cove and quiet road to another cove/beach area on the other side. It was very eerie and quiet, very dark on the beach and towards the sea. I love the eerie strange feeling and how my mind plays tricks on me. You could hear the waves crashing against the large rocks that looked like big monsters in the distance cause you could only see their shadows. I would be back here in the morning to get a better view in the light.

Hope & Anchor Inn

 After our little walk, we were back in our room relaxing and in total chill mode. 

Choco and something to read

Waking up to the sound of the waves and seagulls... ahhh... I could do this every day. We already have the sound of the seagulls in the morning at home.. but the waves, oh yes, I'll have that too please. We made it in for breakfast and this time got to get those nice sea views from the windows in the restaurant. We had the whole place to ourselves too. I was sure anyone staying over wouldn't possibly be getting up at 8:30am. I was right about the hotel being quiet, but I was so wrong once I was out. People were obviously up and out, maybe we weren't the early birds I thought us to be. The local shop was open for business and I had my little stroll to the other beach and there were quiet a few people out having their little walks with their partners or dogs. 

This is such a very pretty area. I don't know about coming back in the summer. It's so small and closed in I can see it very packed with families and lots of kids. This really wouldn't be the same quiet and romantic place we visited today. I think I like it better as just us two with it all to ourselves. Now if we did have a family, most definitely. But I don't think this would be the place for quiet time in the summer. 

Either way it was a wonderful new location to visit and I'm glad we got to experience it. :) 

After leaving in the morning we still had to go to Salcombe. It started to rain once we got here but it was fine. I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Though this is a very lovely place, we were in a completely different area from the town center and there wasn't much to roam around to. So I spent my time chillaxing in the car until my Babz returned. <3 

Salcombe, South Devon. England

Salcombe, South Devon. England

Salcombe, South Devon. England