Monday 1 November 2010

A place to remember

More pic of my time in North Devon. I lived on this street for 6 months, circumstances meant that I had to return to Yorkshire, but I will never forget this fantastic area and hope to visit again on holiday.
One of my favourite watering hole was at the bottom of this Street.
It was called The Champ. However the other was The Beaver and that is the only pub in the UK with that name.
There are many historical stories surrounding The Beaver. Some say it was where traders gathered to sell Beaver pelts from the Americas, while others belief it was where the press gangs used to train the new recruits. They wore beaver hats hence the name. Nobody knows the truth but I like the Press gang one. This place is called Appledore and along with Bideford has been a free port since Elizabeth 1 made it so. It got Freeport status for it's part in defeating the Spanish Armada. It has been a free port ever since and only a monarch can rescind it. 
The name Appledore is usually considered to be Celtic in origin. There was a Saxon settlement, and a Viking raid in 878AD. The settlement prospered as a port in the Elizabethan period, and some cottages date from this period.




This is part of Appledore harbour, You can see Instow in the background.
I spent hours looking over the river on an evening, it is a beautiful place.


















This is another fantastic place. It is called Hartland and is a photographers dream. There are fantastic landscapes and great bird life. There is something for everybody. It is a popular place during the summer months because of it's beauty. I was lucky to be there over the winter so I had the place virtually to myself. Bliss..







 


































Finally this is Lynmouth, another wondrous place cut into the cliffs the village has a Water lift that takes you to and from Lynton and Lynmouth.
It was known as England's Little Switzerland by the Victorians who regularly holidayed at the resort. A fantastic place to visit on the edges of Exmoor it has coastal and wooded areas with tumbling river running through it.













10 comments:

Unknown said...

Wonderful series of photos and a very interesting history lesson. The coastal shots are awesome!

S. Etole said...

Such vibrant color and history ...

Montanagirl said...

Beautiful photos of an even more beautiful region. Nice work!

T. Becque said...

These are gorgeous! I LOVE the top photo. This place is amazing to look at.

Lisa said...

These are so very gorgeous each and everyone of them. .I love the ocean.

ju-north said...

What great photos! The colours are fantastic. I remember (just!) hearing about the terrible flooding at L and L.

Chris said...

Looks like a beautiful street to live, very colorful, just as all your pictures there! Fantastic colors and scenery...

MadSnapper said...

LOVe the harbor shot and the one with the boats aground, I am thinking because the tide went out. both are lovely photos. I like the old buildings a lot to. narrow streets and tall buildings. thanks for our visit to Devon and Appledore

Scott Law said...

Oh my, these are some beautiful photos. They make me want to visit each of those places. Wonderful.

Unknown said...

They are all gorgeous, Kev. I live in Poole and i was in kimmeridge bay last month, that is a beautiful place as well, i believed that sometimes the camera cannot give justice to a place you just have to simply admire it physically.