Trip with F's on a BP. Firsts, family, Food and Fun.

[drron]

The food as per menu.








All very tasty and obviously fresh.


The steak was the only let down. quite tough.




Desserts. Two hazelnut semi freddo and 2 sticky toffee puddings. Nice but not outstanding.




All in all a very good lunch experience.

 

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Then we went to the veggie garden.

 

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More veggies.

 

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After lunch we went for a drive first stopping at Ashburton a village with several antique shops. Like most villages quite narrow streets.




This is the former Town Hall. like several of the buildings it is built over a small stream.


And this is a bridge over that stream.




A pleasant village with gift shops and restaurants as well.

 

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Next up it was going to Devonport on the Tamar river. The Tamar is the border between Devon and Cornwall. So we caught the ferry to Cornwall.


A spare ferry,


Looking back to Devonport Which is home to the Royal Navy. The nuclear subs have recently relocated from Scotland to here.








And Cornwall.

 

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You get off the ferry at the village of Torpoint. Then drove around a large bay to Cremyll where there is a nice looking pub, a passenger ferry to Portsmouth and views of the Royal William Yards which was the victualling headquarters of the Navy but now being turned into private apartments with several restaurants.











the pub.




You can then enter the Mount Edgecumbe Country park.




Views to Edgecumbe house.


And the Orangery which usually operates as a cafe but today was closed for a wedding reception.

 

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The Orangery gardens were colourful.

 

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You can then walk around the waterfront. Came across an interesting story pertinent from n Australian history content. Captain Cook left Plymouth on his voyage to Australia.






The view out to the English channel.




An island off Plymouth with yet another fort.


An old gun emplacement.



Then the view across to Devon.


You can see another fort but in fact it is a fake. just a wall to convince the Spanish that it was a fort.
Now the view across to Plymouth Hoe.

 

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We then drove up to Mount Edgecumbe House. First a visit to the old stables A part of which was converted to a fire station after the house had a severe fire. It would have helped if it was still operating as one block of the stable complex had a severe fire in February this year. There are various exhibits and a couple of shops but we came for the cafe and tea and scones.






Now note I did put the jam on the scone first but those of you used to Cornish ways will note it is served with clotted cream. So th other half of the scone had cream first.






Then walked over to the house.

 

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The house was first constructed in 1547 - 1552. It was completely gutted in 1941 by German bombs. It is a Grade2 listed home and the Gardens are listed as grade 1. The National Camellia collection is part of the gardens.

 

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And a pictorial history of the house. The first photo is Plymouth after a week of bombing in early 1941.

 

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Now some views on our way back to the ferry. the first are from Mount Edgecombe.
























Tregantle Fort.

 

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Back to the ferry. It was peak time on a Saturday afternoon so the third ferry was in use and all were full.
The black object is one of the nucler subs.


This shipis different to all the others. look closely at the stern and you see the German flag flying.


















And towards the middle a slightly obscured nuclear sub.

 

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Next was a visit to a memorial to one of Devonport's favourite sons - Robert Falcon Scott. I really was moved by this memorial. Extremely well done and mentions all those in that expedition. There was great support for the memorial in the community who raised all the initial cost. It was rededicated in 2012 the centenary of the ill fated mission. Naturally the plaque of that rededication was by Princess Anne. It is a little hard to find.

Scott Memorial

Scott Memorial at Mount Wise Park, Devonport.

www.devonportonline.co.uk

And a lovely view.

 

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Next was a drive through the Royal Willam yards.


















And off to Plymouth hoe past one of the few surviving buildings in central Plymouth.

 

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And views from Plymouth Hoe. Hoe means the high and grand part of Plymouth and nothing to do with the American usage. In the past as now grand hotels and residences. But I am her for the views. first over Plymouth sound.





To t he right side of the picture just to the left of the back blob is the Eddystone lighthouse. I could just see t with the naked eye. It's predecessor is now erected here.






and the fake fort again.


Mount Battern where Lawrence of Arabia was stationed before WW2 flying sea planes.


And back for a nie home cooked dinner.

 

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Sunday and another rainy day. They have big pigeons here - the wood pigeon.


This one decided to take a bath in the gutter.


We were off to a boutique hotel on the border of Devon and Cornwall. The Endsleigh hotel.

Hotel Endsleigh

Hotel Endsleigh is set in 100 acres of fairy tale gardens, woodlands, follies and grottos created by Humphry Repton

thepolizzicollection.com

 

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The menu.



We started with some foccacia.


I was the only one who has a starter - the Scotch egg which I liked,


Mrsdrron had tte Moules for main and really liked them.


I had the cornish ale battered cod and it was the best battered fish dish I have ever had. A thin batter that wasn't oily and perfectly cooked fish.


The others had the stone bass.


Mrsdrron had the panna cotta


And I had the very nice trifle.


The gents was through the boot room.


Some of the rooms on the way back.





we had coffee th others had tea.



When I went to th throne an alarm rang, I dropped a bundle and the alarm rang again even louder. when I stood up it happened a third time. I wondered what I had done wrong. It turned out to be nothing. I got this message on my phone.


I breathed easily.

 

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After lunch we walked around the Gardens.






















That is the river tamar. On the other side is Cornwall.

 

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