Fingle Bridge, Devon. Ham, egg, chips and a pint (and a cracking walk)

So, its time to kick off with my first location and I have chosen one which I personally have visited many times since childhood, Fingle Bridge in Devon.

The bridge from the Inn

Located on the edge of Dartmoor, Fingle Bridge is a 17th Century bridge spanning the River Teign near the village of Drewsteignton.

Now, the National Trust members amongst you have probably been in the area visiting the stunning Castle Drogo. Fingle bridge is not far and you can reach the grounds of Castle Drogo by taking the path turning right once you have crossed the bridge.

I want to concentrate on not just the bridge itself but the woodland walks you can take along the banks of the River Teign.

If you arrive by car you can either park up next to the Fingle Bridge Inn (yep, there is a pub which I will most certainly come to later) or drive over the bridge to park on the other side of the river. Now the choice is yours which way you wander. As I mentioned, I have been coming here since I was knee high and have always been drawn to turning left and taking the woodland path.

Those of you who like your mountain bikes will really enjoy the trail here. Keep an eye out especially during the summer if you are walking for people tearing by on bikes but there is more than enough space for you to lose yourself along the walk.

When you start your walk (with the river on your left shoulder) you will notice what looks like ruined stone cottages. These are the remnants of the old corn mills that used to operate in the area. Pushing on deeper into the wooded area you will still have good access to the river banks.

The view in this picture shows the sort of terrain and scenery you will be walking through.

Other view looking up towards the moors.

Now sadly i am no wildlife expert and I cannot claim to have witnessed this however, I am told that there are otters in the area so try and keep an eye out when the path does take you closer back to the river. It is up to you how far you push on. Personally, being quite lazy and always thinking about where my next meal is I tend to spend an hour or so exploring and just soaking in the area before heading back to the bridge. I do prefer to stay down in the gorge around the fishermans path.

The River Teign. 

Right, back to the bridge and straight into the Fingle Bridge Inn. This is a cracking pub and I have to say I had one of the best meals there once. Back in 2007 I spent a rainy week in Devon with the wife. After a bit of a drenching we stopped for lunch at the Inn. 

Now this is the point of the blog I suppose.....the rain had clearly kept everyone away so not only did we have the whole area to ourselves, the pub also was deserted. Sat next to a real open fire watching the river from the window whilst devouring ham, egg and chips (plus a pint) was pure luxury. And I have the rain to thank for this experience. 

Stick your waterproof on and Embrace the Weather.........

Now, as this blog progresses I am bound to rattle on about Dartmoor a few times. Keep your eyes open for those special little places and if you are visiting Castle Drogo, make the detour. I however would certainly say a visit to this tranquil part of south Devon is well worth it to escape the usual crowded spots. 

Happy exploring

Fingle Bridge - my ham egg and chips moment

Welcome to Embrace the Weather

Hello to one and all.

First may I say thank you for stopping by and having a look at this new blog. Secondly, welcome to Britain and some of the amazing places the British Isles have to offer.

The reason I have decided to start writing about some of the great places in England & Wales is purely for selfish reasons. I wanted a little platform on the internet to capture my own thoughts and photographs of days out and holidays to share with family and friends but also thought people may also receive a little bit of inspiration from where I have been.

I need to be clear early on, I have no problem with people going to other countries. I myself am pretty well traveled having spent nearly two years in Greece, six months in Egypt and various trips and holidays all over the globe. So why write about England & Wales? Why not write about Greek islands and the Pyramids? Well, every time I have spoken to people from outside the UK about home they always reel off the same old places they have visited. London, Oxford, Edinburgh, Stonehenge etc etc. I think to myself how much they are missing out?

On top of this, Brits themselves seem to deny themselves the pleasure of seeing things that are practically on their doorstep. I have been very guilty of this. I live in a place called Studley in the Midlands and yet it took me years to actually visit a stunning house called Coughton Court. this is a twenty minute walk from my house and when I did get around to seeing it, I was blown away - beautiful. I will probably find some time later on to write about what is on my doorstep however, here is the actual motivation behind the blog.....

"I hate the weather"

"Its too cold"

"Its too wet"

and when it is sunny......"Its to muggy"

So, these people decide they want to pay a fortune to go sit on a beach in some far off place just because it may rain a bit in the British summer.

Now for those of you who pick your holiday location because there is something you genuinly want to see fair play to you. I have hoping to convert the ones of you that book something because it is cheap and hot. For those who can't decide between Spain and Turkey I will ask if they whether they want to see the Alhambra or Ephesus. Uh, I just want the sun.

Well, save some money and look at what is in your own backyard. You will be surprised. 

Yes, take an umbrella but also some suncream. Our weather does change but this blog is not about that. It is about history, tradition and genuinely beautiful scenery.

I will be posting about the first location soon. I hope this has been enough to grab your attention and hopefully inspire you to either visit the locations I write about or at least pay more attention to what is on your own doorstep.

One final point, all photographs on this blog are my own. The picture used as the background to this blog was taken from Tintagel Castle in Cornwall during a short break I took a couple of years back.

And as I mentioned my home of Studley, here is a picture taken of the field right by my house. And the sun was no where in sight........