Today we visited Brixham and Dartmouth in the south of Devon. Firstly though we called on John Batten's cousin Ben Bright and his wife Vera at Goodringham near Torquay. Ben and Vera have a lovely home at Horseshoe Bend with a super view from the kitchen window out to the bay. A steam train runs from Paignton to Dartmouth and vice versa every half hour and the railway line is just below Ben and Vera's home. So down to the little bridge we went to watch the steam train go by and whilst there we took in the views back to Goodrington beach. I love the beach huts.


 We had rung Ben and Vera the night before to see if they would be home and had asked Vera not to go to too much trouble. We would get there about 10.30am and have a coffee with them. Well we should have known Vera would not take any notice of us! The table was laid with a magnificent spread once again. Vera will be 90 on the 20th December and Ben was 91 in May. They are amazing. They still do all their own gardening, cleaning and cooking. Ben continues to grow a few veges and there are no beans nicer than English runner beans. I think Ben enjoyed me quizzing him on family history information. He has such a wonderful memory, particularly when it comes to figures. We left Ben and Vera's about 12.30pm and headed west to the fishing town of Brixham.

It is Fiona's birthday today and we managed to talk to her whilst travelling down the motorway. Mobile reception is not good in the small villages, especially if they are in a hollow. We celebrated Fiona's 13th birthday with a dinner in Launceston in 1984. These days we always seem to be away during August. Happy Birthday Lovee.

Peter was the driver today and it was good of Nick to agree that Peter would drive today. Nick will be our skipper on Friday. We have hired the car to use it and it was good for Peter to have Nick alongside, to answer questions about roadside signs and markings on the road etc. In lots of places the roads are only wide enough for vehicles to park on one side of the road. It is strange to see cars travelling in opposite directions, parked on the same side of the road. Double yellow lines on the verge means you can't park.

Nick decided our best option was to park and ride. So we parked for 5 pound and caught the bus that is available every 15 minutes. Certainly saved the hassle of trying to find somewhere to park! This option is available in so many places in the UK now. We walked around the harbour and shopping area of Brixham. Residences are built on the steep rises on either side of the harbour. It was 'Pirate Thursday' so all the stall holders were dressed as pirates. The town holds a yearly pirate event, which competes for the title of the most pirates in one place, and this draws visitors from far and wide.

The English children have about 10 days of their summer holiday left, before back to school in early September. So the town was busy with plenty of children attempting to catch a crab or two. We didn't see anything that was close to size. A replica of Sir Francis Drakes ship the 'Golden Hind' is a tourist attraction and all were dressed in appropriate costumes. As we walked back along the cobbled streets to catch the bus, noting narrow ally ways, it was not hard to imagine the smuggling that went on in villages like this many years ago.

From there we drove to where we were able to catch the ferry across to the CBD of Dartmouth. The ferries are taken back and forth all day by a tug. A very interesting operation. The train from Paignton comes into Dartmouth on this side of the water. Pete did well driving through the busy street on the waterfront. There were people everywhere as it was 'Regatta Weekend' in Dartmouth. A navy mine sweeper was in the harbour as part of the celebrations. The Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the initial officer training establishment of the British Royal Navy. It is on a hill overlooking Dartmouth and Royal Naval officer training has taken place in Dartmouth since 1863. It is a very impressive building on a large piece of land.

Our best option was to park and ride and we headed out of town to find where! What a rip off the cost of parking was here! Although when divided by 4 it was okay and it was sure better than driving around with all that traffic and pedestrians. The pay machines had a piece of paper covering the normal rates, informing everyone the price for Regatta Weekend had increased to 10 pound. Doubled!. That was a quick way to increase revenue. I guess one could say "Making the most of an opportunity"!

Whilst we were waiting for the bus I started looking at a map of the area. There was the locality of Churston Ferrers. That was where John Batten was born. I've not heard any of the family talk about John's parents living anywhere else but the locality of Sheepwash. We are a long way from Sheepwash. Now I have another family history question for Aunty Kath and Aunty Gwen.

We wandered around Dartmouth for a couple of hours. Enjoyed a couple of Regatta races, had a coffee and took in the festivities. I think it was close to six by the time we got back to the car. The weather had been great in South Devon all day, but as we headed back north it was raining. It had rained on our way down in the morning, so we did wonder if it had been raining all day. We had obviously picked the right location for our day out.

A quick stop at Sainsbury's in Exeter to purchase a hot chicken for dinner and our day was nearly complete. Thank you Nick and Barb for another lovely day together and 'Thank You' Peter for getting us safely there and back. I guess Nick won't forget that tight corner between Hatherleigh and Merton, that you did take a little fast! The driving instructor needed a brake on his side of the car to accommodate the raised leg!