I arrived in Totnes by steam train again today. I went to the tourist information center to find out about a riverboat cruise to Dartmouth, a town near the coast. The timetables weren’t working in my favor so I decided to put that off until tomorrow. Instead I explored the open market, which happened to be on today, and took a walk to Dartington Hall, an arts college just out of town. The open market clearly lived up to the descriptions of Totnes being a town with a hippy influence. The market had some of the regular farmer’s market stalls with fresh bread and flowers, but also had a mish-mash of tye-dye, used goods, as well as handmade and international items. I also encountered a few Greenpeace representatives, looking for signatures or donations.
After perusing the market, I grabbed a scone a some clotted cream from a cafe and found a nice quiet spot near the river to enjoy it away from the masses. If you don’t know what clotted cream is, let me know and I’ll introduce you to it. It doesn’t sound quite as appetizing as it truly is, a very decadent treat.
I commenced my walk toward the hall after my break by the river. I followed along the river for a while then turned inland, passing a an old house and a large field banked by trees, a very nice walk.
Along the way, I ran across this cleverly disguised faerie door in a tree trunk and a little blue faerie shoe.
Further along, I witnessed Boo Boo, a three-year-old golden retriever, take possession of a very large stick from a small pool of water.
I soon arrived at a mill with a sparkling creek and caught sight of the most beautiful damselflies I have ever seen.
I reached The Cider Press Shops, part of the Dartington estate I believe. After a bit of perusing, I started toward the hall. As I was checking my iPad to determine where I was, a stranger caught my attention, asking me about the iPad. Frank explained that he was considering getting one for his son, who is in the software industry, and wanted to know how I liked it. Do you think he asked the right person? Well, we got to talking and he and his wife happened to be heading to the hall. They asked If I wanted a ride and so I decided to tag along with them. You’ll find Frank and Mo in a photo below. Also, Mo had very staunch ideas about GM foods. Very interesting. I liked them both very much and enjoyed spending time with them.
View the Dartington Hall post for our walk around the Hall.
