Tom's Travel Blog

I sometimes feel this blog can be a bit “first I did this, then I went there, then I did that”. Well, as such it’s a true record, but not perhaps the most gripping of accounts. So here’s something a bit different – short accounts of encounters I had in Exeter and Topsham yesterday.

First up was the chap alongside – Collin Pereira. I met him in a small market area in Exeter. There were 8 or 9 temporary market stands set up, selling fresh produce of various sorts – fresh fish, newly-baked artisan bread, eggs straight from the farm (these included duck eggs and quail eggs), a butcher – you et the picture. Among them was Collin’s stand. His tag is “India in a Jar – with a Dash of Devon!” Basically, he’s selling jars of chutneys and pickles that he’s made (or, given the volume, had made to his recipes), incorporating local produce. He’s a chef. Previously he’s worked in a number of restaurants all over the country, having first come from (I think) Goa. He currently has his own restaurant (in Paignton, I think) but he’s also started this retail business, selling from markets and shows all over south Devon. He was a most charming and friendly man – very entertaining and enthusiastic. We had a couple of conversations. The first was early in the morning when I first saw his stand when I was on my out to do the Roman Walls walk. I promised I’d come back later after my walk and once I’d had the chance to talk to Val. So I went back at lunchtime and we continued our conversation; again, interesting and enthusiastic. I bought a couple of jars – Devon Venison, and Turmeric and Black Pepper. Here’s a link to his Facebook page. I enjoyed meeting him. If the chutneys are good, that’ll be a bonus!

During the morning I had coffee at The Coffee Cellar on Exeter Quay. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that two foreign tourists in succession proffered £50 notes for individual coffees, and the Barista took the notes. I had a short chat with him when I was being served. He was a young man, possibly a student, and he made me an excellent cappuccino. I’ve always seen it done with the chocolate being added at the end, but he didn’t do that. He sprinkled the chocolate on top of the espresso before the milk was added; then he gently poured the hot milk down the side of the cup, thus floating the chocolate on top. Then, by carefully and skilfully pouring the final bit of the milk into the middle of the cup, he made the patterns that we’re all familiar with. Quite the best cappuccino I’ve had, I think. I hope he didn’t get fired for taking the £50s. (more…)

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Exeter Cathedral

Today I travelled to Exeter. This took three hours, by train – they really do go slow through Cornwall. Surprisingly the train was pretty full – there were a lot of passengers getting on and off at all of the little stations.

So I got to Exeter St Davids at lunchtime and decided to walk to my hotel, The White Hart. This was a mistake – it was nearly a mile, with lots of hills, and i was pulling my big suitcase. When I leave on Friday I think I’ll get a taxi.

The White Hart, like the Longboat Inn at Penzance, appeared when I booked it to be a pub with rooms. In the case of the Longboat that was true. I haven’t really mentioned it much, but I wasn’t impressed. I was in a pretty small, poky room, and getting in and out of the bathroom took a fair amount of planning – throw the towels in first, then push the door fully open, step in, shut the door, and you can use the loo….. The White Hart, on the other hand, is both older and newer. Older because the front part of the hotel is a very old inn – allegedly 15th century in places. Newer, because there’s a brand-new accommodation block behind the old part that’s fully up-to-date. Much better – I have a standard, Premier Inn-style room this time.

What about Exeter? Well, I walked up to the Cathedral area (the Cathedral Close) and was suitably knocked out. The Cathedral sits in the middle of the Close so it can be appreciated fully. (This is in contrast to York Minster, say, which is very much hemmed-in by the surrounding buildings.) I took a few photos.

Later I went down to an area called The Quay. This is an area on the River Exe, at the edge of town, where quays were built for boats. Originally the boats came up the Exe but this was blocked by weirs downstream. The citizens of Exeter then built the first canal in England, the Exeter Ship Canal, alongside the river, and terminated it at – the Quay. Initially just handling barges, by the 18th century it was taking sea-going ships. It all fell into decline during the 19th and 20th centuries as ship sizes continued to increase, but in the last 20 or 30 years the whole area has been restored, re-purposed and generally smarted up. Cue brasseries and restaurants in old warehouses, lots of apartments, and general improvement of the area. It looks very good, I have to say, and I went back to one of the pubs for a meal this evening.

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