Day 10 - Exmouth - Rest Day

Accommodation - The Dolphin 

Weather - Very overcast, light rain, gusty winds. 

We must have known it was a rest day as we slept in. The breakfast room didn’t open until eight thirty so we had plenty of time. We’re pleased with the location of our hotel as it’s halfway between the harbour and the township and only five minutes walking each way.

We went exploring after breakfast and headed first to town to find collapsible umbrellas to walk around the township. We found these at the large, undercover Exmouth markets. We then strolled to get our bearings. There were lovely flowers in the town’s centre which was surrounded by many coffee shops. The Jurassic Coastline now starts and Exmouth had dinosaurs placed throughout the town centre’s park.

We decided to walk to the harbour for a coffee and walked alongside the long promenade. The sea was very choppy and the wind was blustery. It wasn’t looking great for tomorrow’s walk. 

Unfortunately, the little coffee shop near where we arrived on the ferry yesterday didn’t open until eleven o’clock so we returned to the town. We braved the weather and had morning tea outside one of the coffee shops where it was threatening to rain. Henk convinced me that I really needed to replace my favourite walking boots as mine were breaking down due to their “mileage” and the pounding they have been taking on the current path. The extreme wet weather two days ago hadn’t helped either. I reluctantly agreed and I now have a new pair of extreme weather boots to wear in. It’s not ideal but a necessity. 

We then went to the Exmouth Museum and Heritage Centre which was staffed by elderly, keen volunteers. It was a great visit filled with 25 studious Spanish teenagers who were attending the local language school. We found that the exquisite lace made in East Devon is known as Honiton Lace and is made from weaving very fine threads with the aid of bobbins resting on a pillow. 

The afternoon was spent resting before going to dinner again at the Ristorante Sapori. It was a fun evening with a woman’s 80th birthday party as they had hired a professional singer and we all sang along. Once again we had a delicious meal, this time with locally-caught mussels. 

We returned to our hotel and reviewed tomorrow’s weather and the forecast was dire for walking with heavy rain. The local television news reports were full of flooding damage and they were also hoping for not a repeat of two days ago. We have decided, given the forecast, that we can’t walk to Sidmouth tomorrow. The plan is now to get a train north to Exeter and spend the day touring the town then catch a bus later in the day to Sidmouth. There’s quite a bit to see in Exeter especially the cathedral and the museum and art gallery so we’re looking forward to it. We’ll be needing our new brollies.