http://www.volkswagencamper.co.ukTRAVEL^55
Ashbourne
Wood campsite,
Totnes
Portscatho
Harbour, Roseland
Treloan
Farm campsite,
Portscatho
Original
Devon badgethe coast not far from Totnes. A very different campsite,
Ashbourne Woods has half a dozen campervan pitches
set in a woodland clearing, and tent pitches spread
through the woods. It was magical. I love a campsite with
open fires and the smell of woodsmoke and glimpses of
fires though the trees were wonderfully restful. I got my
own fire going and it was not long before I had company.
I couple of Suisse guys on a road trip made for an
entertaining evening. Professional musicians in a death
metal band and wine makers on the side, a bottle of their
blackcurrant wine was duly consumed as we played ‘Cost
of Living’ virtual Top Trumps (they won).
Totnes has a fascinating vibe. It’s like a festival
happened in 1968 and no-one left. Not your typical high
street, one shop advertised “Crystals, Fossils, Medieval
Instruments, World Music”. Down the rambling streets,
the riverside offered boat cruises down to Dartmouth.
Ten miles of meandering river led to the home of the
Royal Naval College, a busy harbour and the best fish and
chips of my trip with the fish locally landed at Brixham.
Tempting Bliss up the steep hills of Dartmoor was a
memorable day. The southern fringes of Dartmoor lay
only five miles from Ashbourne Woods and were serenely
quiet. A bracing walk from Widecombe-in-the-Moor was
a dramatic change from my coastal walks of earlier days.
After a few days I drove on to Cornwall, making my way
along the south coast to the Roseland Peninsula. I don’t
think it’s actually the inspiration for Talking Heads’ hit
‘Road to Nowhere’ but it could be. South of Truro, on the
opposite side of the wide Fal Estuary from Falmouth, the
area boasts a series of quaint coastal villages, numerous
deserted and remote beaches and a network of creeks