Just thought I would show you some of the beautiful harbour area around Torquay…

~ Bella

Another glorious outing to another glorious location – this time a ‘Devon longhouse’ that dates back to 825AD.

It had previously served as a nunnery and a Celtish farm, before the building was remodelled in 1081. In 1086 it was one of the nine small-holdings mentioned in the “Domesday Book” and by then belonged to the Abbey of Buckfast.

~ Bella

It was a strange kinda day as I headed out into the moors in search of a very strange grave…

…and this is the grave of Kitty Jay, a young woman who was reportedly betrayed by her lover, and then took her own life – but why is that so strange..?

Superstition of the time meant that those who died from suicide were buried at the parish limits – and preferably at a crossroads – so their souls could not find a way back to potentially haunt those left behind.

Kitty was buried accordingly, but her body was later dug up by a Mr James Bryan who re-interred it and set up the stones which now mark the spot.

That’s still not so unusual – but what is…  Kitty Jay’s grave, ever since she was laid to rest in this new location, has fresh flowers on the grave.  No matter what time of year, whether summer or snowy winter – there are always fresh flowers.

Many people have owned-up over the years to placing fresh flowers – some are simply strangers who have heard the story… but local lore holds that when no one else comes with fresh flowers for Kitty, the faery folk and moorish pixies take over and make sure there are always lovely blooms to adorn her final resting place…

I must say, it was ever so beautiful there with such a feeling of happy peace…

~ Bella

Here in England – and probably other parts of Europe as well – there seems to be quite the battle of who is the oldest this or that…

We decided to go for a drive and find what is reported to be the oldest freehouse (pub that is not connected to a brewery) in the world – and what a gem it is!  (and both Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh were once regulars – and just wait to hear what happened to Sir Walter in the inn!)

According to Google Maps, we should drive straight ahead from here…  hmmmm……

As soon as we walked into this particular room, the feeling of it being ‘alive’ with history (ghosts, spirits, call it what you will) was palpable!

When Alec went to the bar, I noticed a woman arrive and sit by herself, so I asked her to join us – turned out we had sooooo much in common.  Alec couldn’t get a word in.

~ Bella

On our adventure today, we found by delightful chance a lovely little 15th century pub called The Cleave where we had lunch – but even the drive there was beautiful…

 

~ Bella

The landscape of Dartmoor is truly magnificent – at any time of year…

       

…complete with magnificent Dartmoor Ponies – a native but endangered breed.

To put the size of the massive boulders into perspective, the gate post would have been about five feet high.

Dartmoor version of a traffic jam.

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~ Bella

It was a beautiful day in South Devon and we headed out to find an old pub somewhere in the moors where they have had a fire CONTINUOUSLY burning since the 1700s!

I love the old ‘Table of Tolls’…

…a quick spin through the grounds of beautiful Bovey Castle…

…and of course, remember to visit the … ferrets..???

…and into glorious Dartmoor National Park…  it was a bit overcast this particular day and so the photos don’t do it justice… but trust me – it’s stunning!

This is a Dartmoor Pony – a native but endangered breed.

…and finally to the pub…  The Warren House Inn.

 

They have verified records of the fire’s continuous burn since 1845 when embers were transferred from the original old building across the road (that was about to be demolished) and into this hearth – but local legend suggests the fire had burned continuously since sometime in the 1700s.

In this photo (below) one can see part of the old foundation from the original building…

It was ever so peaceful, and ever so lovely…

~ Bella

Taking myself off for some R&R time, I had a lovely afternoon at Torquay’s ‘The Grand Hotel’.  It is a beautiful building, with construction dating to 1881.

…Yum…

~ Bella

My dear friend, Alec, and I headed off to one of the (many) old pubs in the area.  In this case, a smugglers’ pub dating to 1540!

To put that a little more into perspective, that’s the year King Henry VIII died!

…and this (below) is the sign for the pub literally next door!

~ Bella

The hotel in which I was staying for the first month here was the venue for a beautiful sight…  A seniors’ group were having their Christmas party, including a visit from Santa Claus! – but this was weeks before Christmas..?

I was speaking with one of the ladies and she said this way, they can have their own Christmas celebration with their friends, leaving them available to focus on their own families afterward.

Merry Christmas, everyone…

~ Bella