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With the weather having picked up dramatically day 6 saw us off on another grand tour thanks to Clive, who spent the day driving us around Devon and into Somerset.

Our first port of call was Chelfham, a small village on the route of the old Lynton and Barnstaple railway. The landscape here is dominated by the impressive old viaduct.

Cafe and viaduct

Underneath it nestles an old mill and the ‘crafty cafe’ which is run by a community organisation called the growforward project. They serve great breakfasts as well as other food and drink and regularly hold music events, yoga sessions and all manner of community focussed activities.

Whilst the reborn Lynton and Barnstaple railway hasn’t reached here yet the station’s been beautifully restored and is open on a regular basis.

Pretty Chelfham station.

Our next stop was at the railway proper. The current base for the railway is at Woody Bay. The old station building contains a ticket office, cafe and shop with the rest of the site containing the line’s loco depot and carriage shed. It’s all beautifully kept and a real credit to the volunteers. Trains run along the former line as far as Killington Lane which is roughly a mile away. The trip offers some fantastic views of the Devon coastline – and what better way to see it than in some superbly restored railway coaches hauled by a steam locomotive which is a carbon copy of one of the line’s original engines?

No 762 is a modern recreation of one of the original engines used on the Lynton and Barnstaple before its closure in 1935.
One of the beautifully restored old coaches.
Clive enjoying 1st Class luxury!

I wish the L&B every success with their ambitious plans to extend the line in each direction as it really is a little gem of a railway.

Our next port of call was the coastal town of Lynton, where we took the funicular railway down to Lynmouth. The funicular has the distinction of being the highest and steepest water worked railway in the world. Lynmouth itself is a pretty little harbour with a torrid past. In 1952 the village suffered a terrible flood which killed 34 people and left the place buried in mud. There’s little sign of the event now other than a small museum which tells the story of the tragedy.

Joining the funicular car at Lynmouth for a trip up to Lynton.
When they said the funicular was steep, they weren’t kidding!
Lynmouth harbour

Having explored and filled ourselves with ice cream we set off again, this time to Exmoor , where we crossed the border into Somerset. There’s some fantastic views to be had from the moors. You can look across the Bristol channel to South Wales, or along the Somerset coast to spy places like Minehead and Hinkley nuclear power station.

Looking along the coast from Exmoor towards Minehead, with Hinkley nuclear power station in the distance

Having driven back to base the day ended with an evening out at Westward Ho! where we enjoyed a few drinks by the beach before tucking into fish and chips. Well, what else should you eat besides the sea!

Low tide at Westward Ho! with the wind driving the sea onto the rocks.
In the opposite direction, surfers hope to catch a few waves.

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Cheers,

Paul