Exeter Again!, Devon, June 2024

With a young granddaughter in her first year a visit to Exeter was a must. As usual on our way down we stopped over at the Hartley Arms next to the Grand Union Canal. The welcome and service at the pub was second to none, the pub's new owners are investing a lot in customer service, with both the real ales and food improving all the time. I opted for a rib-eye steak, which was cooked to perfection, an ideal tea after the trip down the congested motorway. I was concerned that the England football match that night would mean that there were no spaces to park up for the night, but there was plenty of room available. The journey was a nightmare with the motorway dealing with more vehicles than intended when it was built.

We opted to eat in the bar, and not take advantage of the giant screen outside, on which the football was being shown. The idea was that we could rush outside to see the replay after a goal was scored. After we finished our meals, and the match had finished we returned to the motorhome for an early night.

The next morning we were up an away for a breakfast in the nearby Dobbies, where a crate of Camden ale and some cider was also purchased to wash down the indian takeaway that was planned at my daughter's house that night. We also filled up with diesel at the Londis before the motorway, making a significant saving in the process. In line with the previous day the traffic was again terrible, with us arriving at the site at 5.30pm rather than 3.00pm as planned. The latest arrival at the site was 6.00pm, and the manager was waiting for our arrival to explain the rules and which of the pitches were available. My daughter turned up shortly thereafter to give us a lift to her house. Once there her partner took our food orders and arranged to have the food delivered, a luxury not normally available to us given that we live in the middle of nowhere!

The delivery was very quick, and we polished the food off, all the time my granddaughter was sleeping in her cot. The evening was fine and we took advantage of this by sitting out on the terrace. This was partly necessary as Finn would not have entertained their cat, which was locked up in a room inside. After we finished the meal, and had a good chat we were returned to the site.

Next morning we had a leisurely lie in and a bacon sandwich before we were picked up again for a lunch at the Rockfish restaurant on the Quay in Exeter https://tinyurl.com/ckw5ssbp . The Rockfish restaurant in Exter is one of a chain of Restaurants in Devon and Dorset, all of which are set in a coastal location. The fresh seafood is of an exceptional standard, with there being a seperate menu for children. My ten month old granddaughter enjoyed her meal, which it was possible to tailor for her specific tastes. Finn also enjoyed the sprats he was given. I would highly recommend you visit should you ever be in Exeter. After our meal we wandered up and down the Quay, it being a very nice day. There were many people around with a few canoeing on the river. We briefly stopped off for coffee and cake, before returning to my daughter's house to finish off the day on the terrace, polishing off the drinks left over from the previous night. It was a lovely day made better by sitting on a sunny terrace. As the day cooled down we were returned to the site again.

The next morning we had another leisurely time before we were picked up to go to Powderham Castle, not very far from the site. The castle (pictured at the top of this page) https://www.powderham.co.uk is fortified, although I doubt it has ever seen battle, it being the family home of the Earl of Devon. We were visiting as my daughter thought it would be interesting to see the jousting tournament being held that day. When we arrived the grounds were crowded and we were directed to an overflow car park a distance away.

When we walked to the castle we decided my daughter, her partner and my granddaughter would join me and go in and explore the castle, with Sue, not being a fan of exploring old buildings opting to look after Finn outside, as dogs were not permitted inside. The castle has some fine artifacts and decor, and the tour around the house was interesting. After spending a time in the castle we decided to rejoin Sue again in the courtyard. When we got there she was nowhere to be seen, and we soon found out that she had moved to an isolated spot in the grounds, by the tennis courts, to take Finn. The reason being that small children and other dogs had wound him up into a state and he wouldn't stop barking. Sue was beside herself and had withdrawn to this empty area in the grounds. We regrouped under a tree whilst the jousting tournament was starting, and decided, given Finn's current mood, that it would be stressful to enter the crowds. We then spotted an empty table and benches and decided to have a drink and a snack there. I left to join the queues by the burger and drinks vans. They must have been cooking to order as the time it took to be served was horrendous. As I queued I looked back to the table to see that Sue had left with Finn, to withdraw to a quiet area under some trees. When I got to her she was in tears trying to cope with the situation. We decided to abandon our plans, and return, instead to the motorhome.

We were back there in minutes, and had decided to order a takeaway snack from the nearby Brightside Roadhouse https://brightside.co.uk. The room inside the motorhome was at a premium and I volunteered to eat my meal outside. My daughter's partner has a red van, and when he returned to the site with the meal he had come to the attention of the site manager, who was swiftly at our pitch. We had breached some rule to prevent extra people staying on our pitch. Things were swiftly cleared up, and the manager, happy with the explanation, left us to our food. I polished off my Dirty Brisket Burger, and washed it down with the last of the Camden Ale, and all was right with the world again. Sue had calmed down as Finn was now behaving himself again, eating up the scraps which had fallen from my plate. Eliza's bedtime was near approaching, and our guests left to leave us on our last night in Exeter.

The next morning after completing all our jobs we were away from the site before the designated departure time.