Big Chill’ in South Devon

The West Devon camping weekend at the end of June was held in East Prawle, a picturesque village nestling in the South Hams - as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty this region undoubtedly has all the right ingredients for a relaxing few days.

Although the campsite we were using is a 10 minute stroll up to the village green its position offered a quieter more tranquil alternative to the busier and somewhat exposed top field. With its panoramic seascape - Little Hollaway, has a delightful uninterrupted view out to sea and the coastal headland of Prawle Point - the southernmost point of Devon.

       The weather was fantastic and remained so throughout the weekend - arriving midmorning on Friday we set about getting the tents up which proved a little challenging due to a brisk south easterly coming in off the sea, but at least this cooling breeze had a positive effect by taking the edge off the suns intensity, the rest of the unloading was helped in no small measure by a 3 litre flagon of organic cider that had miraculously appeared as soon as the bikes were unpacked.

Others were now beginning to trickle into the field and soon we had half a dozen tents erected and the beginnings of a camping weekend.

       During the hot afternoon most of the camp were trying to keep cool and master the art of inactivity, after all that was the general idea, but come six o’clock we were all ready for an ale or two and a meal in the village pub.

The Pigs Nose Inn is a pub with a difference, it has an offbeat, quirky interior, which probably hasn’t change a great deal from its days as a smugglers haunt - crossing the stone threshold you feel as if you’re stepping back into an earlier time - strip away the modern attachments and it doesn’t take much to imagine where the smugglers haul of contraband spirits would have been stashed, no doubt in one of the many nooks and crannies that are an integral part of the layout - here they’d have sat plotting their next ‘fraud’ or hatching plans to evade the revenue cutters.

As well as serving a range of local ales and ciders the pub also has a knitting corner and offers a dog menu - that is to say a menu for dogs - not dog on the menu, although in certain parts of the globe dog meat is still eaten - in China for example it has been a popular food source for thousands of years and it’s even on the menu for Chinese astronauts.

With our group ensconced in one corner of the pub, the evening seemed to go very quickly as is often the case when you’re relaxed and in good company.

It was nice to see Chris Wenlock who managed to pop in for the evening also good to meet Nigel from Wiltshire, Gill and Alan from Three Counties, as well as Roger Shufflebottom who kindly advised on my camera set up - now my photo submissions will be up to scratch - thank you Roger.

Many of the photos taken that evening can be attributed to Reg, who seemed to be popping up everywhere, there was just no escaping his camera!

Also there was Andy with a group from Mole Valley my apologies for not remembering all the names and also for anyone I’ve left out, but with so many there it was hard to remember, (I blame the cider... ).

Saturday again promised another fine day, but before anything, there's nothing quite like a cooked breakfast to start the day, so we make our way up to The Piglet Cafe on the green, sit down to fine 'English' and lashings of tea (seem to be drinking a lot of tea this trip) anyway suitably nourished we head on back to camp, assemble everyone - reserve a table for 2:30 at The Watermans Arms in Ashprington and finally depart around 11:00 am - running a bit late, but should make it in time for lunch?

Our group consisted of 15 bikes, thanks to Simon Johnson who arrived on his Griso in time for the off. We pause at the Sherman Tank war memorial near the small village of Torcross at the southern end of Slapton Sands,which is the site of the ill-fated rehearsal for the D-Day landings where nearly 800 servicemen lost their lives when Exercise Tiger went tragically wrong. The tank was recovered from the seabed and now stands as a tribute to those who died.

With our respects dutifully paid we carry on once more, keeping the sea to our right and then turn off into Slapton village, a short cut which eventually joins the A381 and A379 - towards Dream Machine for a coffee stop (not having tea again!)

Reg and Pam peel off here to do some shopping but arranged to meet us later for lunch.

Our route from Avonwick follows the river Avon for a short while, then meanders through some typical English country hamlets, we eventually emerge onto the A3122 which takes us into Dartmouth.

Here we queue for the ferry, sometimes called the floating bridge - with a 5 minute wait there is time to take in the view of the river Dart from the slipway.

Dartmouth is often referred to as the jewel of the South Hams and there can’t be too many vistas that would surpass the view we had that day from the ferry.

Now trying to ride with a little more urgency, as we are cutting it fine for our lunch reservation, the road crests a hill and suddenly there is a panoramic view across Torbay and the English Riviera - with the blue cloudless sky and the bay in the distance the coast and countryside looked stunning, but unfortunately we have no time to linger and admire the view.

We’re now heading towards Totnes and take a back road through the town, just a short distance outside Totnes is our turning for Ashprington and more narrow country lanes.

With 5 minutes to spare we arrive, cross over Bow bridge and park up, Reg who had arrived much earlier came running up clutching a menu saying we had literally minutes to order before the kitchen closes.

With a flurry of activity we park, dismount and head for the bar almost in one continuous movement, or so it seemed at the time.

Offering many apologies for our tardy arrival the staff were very understanding and served us well considering.

The Watermans Arms is a 17th century inn next to Bow Creek and bridge at the bottom of a steep valley, with riverside seating you can watch the ducks and the occasional Kingfisher, its a relaxing and peaceful setting as you’ll find anywhere in the surrounding area.

They had reserved for us a large table on the terrace under two even larger canopies, which after a hot days ride was just the perfect spot to sit in the shade while sipping an ice cooled drink - non alcoholic of course.

Following lunch we line up for a group picture outside the pub but as we were moving the bikes Reg discovered he had a flat rear tyre on his 1100 Sport, so after all the usual quips about it "only being flat at the bottom" one of our group produced a tubeless repair kit. With the repair done and a foot pump borrowed from the pub, Reg had enough air in the tyre to get to the nearest garage - with his tyre checked and other bikes refuelled we set off.

Rejoining the road towards Dartmouth, then onto the A379 for the coast road through Stoke Fleming and Strete, the view along this stretch of road never fails to capture your attention, in particular the sheltered bay of Blackpool Sands with its Mediterranean tableau or the spectacular views across Slapton Sands beyond, but all too soon our wheels are heading towards East Prawle and the campsite.

Saturday evening in The Pigs Nose we were entertained with a live band playing a mixture of blues and folk and very good they were too. Thanks to Scott Carpenter who made it along for a swift pint and to say hello.

Sunday morning we woke up to heavy mist on the coast but it soon cleared as the sun burnt it off. With everyone slowly beginning to pack away and load up their bikes the weekend was now drawing to a close.

Glad to know Nigel made it home okay after some issues with his bike.

All in all a very enjoyable few days, I hope everyone who came along enjoyed it as well, we plan to do something similar next year.

Pete Dempster