My partner and I just returned from a few days in Devon for my birthday. We did something quite different this time. We swapped the car for the train for a couple of days. The idea is that he could be relieved of the stress of driving on unknown and congested roads and then finding somewhere to park!
Fox and Hounds Country Hotel Eggesford
For our objective, we stayed a few nights at Fox and Hounds Country Hotel within 5 minutes’ walk to Eggesford station on the Tarka Line service from Barnstaple to Exeter.
The hotel was formerly a coaching inn with 150 years of history. It stands on extensive grounds with River Taw at the bottom of the garden.
The food served at Heywood Restaurant was exceptionally good, thanks to its Swiss chef.
There’s also this luxury Treehouse on the grounds with its own balcony, although the price is not cheap!
Travelling by train
For two days we travelled by train, taking advantage of the unlimited travel offered by the Devon Day Ranger. The ticket costs £16 per person per day and is valid from 9.00. So Fox and Hound was an inspired choice to stay because we could hop on the 9.01 train at Eggesford station that took us to Exeter St David’s station to start our day’s excursion!
On the Takar Line to Exeter and Dartmoor Line to Okehampton, we travelled through scenic countryside. The drawback of train travel is that the scenery passes by so quickly that it can only be admired by the eyes though every so often the train slows down to allow a quick snapshot or two.
We visited Teignmouth and Dawlish on the Riviera Line which hugs the coastline. Looking out of the train was like being on a boat as the railway line is really close to the shoreline.
Teignmouth
From what I saw, Teignmouth is a charming seaside town on the edge of the mouth of River Teign, hence the name. The rows of elegant Georgian buildings on Den Crescent gleamed in the sun. They’re separated from the promenade on the seafront by an expansive lawn. We found a vantage point to admire the sea view from the restaurant called The View on the upper floor of Pavilions Teignmouth ( a performing arts centre) while enjoying our mid morning refreshment. What a way to spend my birthday!
Dawlish
Dawlish is another resort town on the Riviera Line. It’s famous for the way the railway runs right along the town’s seafront. In fact there’s a walkway on the sea wall adjacent to Dawlish Station. It was rather eerie seeing people walking by the train window!
The town is called “home of the black swans”. They can be seen on the wide open green called The Lawn, with shops and eateries on either side.
Exmouth
There’s a local joke that goes “Welcome to sunny Devon where it rains 6 days out of 7”. Well, we had the seventh day for a couple of days so it was almost inevitable that it rained on our last full day when we visited Exmouth in the morning on the Avocet Line.
Although the line also runs along the shoreline, there was not much to see. Not only was it drizzling but the windows were too smeared for looking out. Exmouth was a total washout for us. We ended up spending the morning in a café!
Okehampton
We travelled to Okehampton in the afternoon by which time it had stopped drizzling. The station is located on the top of a hill. We walked down to the town via a path in Simmons Park. It was so muddy that all I could do was to watch where I was going rather than admire the scenery. The town looked really quiet. There’re brown signs everywhere for walks which looked rather pretty, though brighter weather would be needed to do them justice.
I normally spend my birthday in April somewhere warm like Italy or Hong Kong so I forgot how iffy the English weather could be! Still, the sun did come out for my birthday which makes Teignmouth rather memorable for me.
