Mist on the Moors

Due to the rain we decided not to catch an open top double Decker bus to the twin towns of Lynmouth and Lynton and drove instead. This turned out to be a good choice as the rain was persisting down for most of the day. Up on top of the Moors it was actually persisting down rather heavily.
The towns are based on steep cliffs (one up, one down) in an extremely picturesque part of the country. The gushing rivers join just before running into the sea. Here they have created a port of sorts and have built a commerce out of being a tourist town since the beginnings of the industrial revolution. The heart of the two towns is the tram car which links the two without anyone having to expend any energy. The said energy is supplied by water (they have plenty) so the cable cars are filled with a heap of water, the differential between the weight going up and down is sorted out by the appropriate amount of water. Thus is does not use electricity at all. It’s the most green form of transport in the world. Very cool - especially since it’s over 100 years old and still working well.

So in the rain we rode up, walked around Lynton in the misty rain and rode back down again in the rain to Lynmouth, had some great fish and chips (not soggy) and drove back home over the moors. Due to an accident on Porlock Hill (gradient 25%) we had to detour into some obscure parts of the moors. This was a fascinating drive though long tunnels of greenery, mist covered hills, winding roads, a wilderness in which you can see for miles (sometimes obscured by clouds) and classic old villages nestled over bridges at the bottom of steep valleys.
We left the gloomy weather behind us in the moors and headed back to town where the sun was beginning to shine and the people were emerging from under their thatched roofs. After some R&R we then went for a walk, wandered around the horseshoe loop up the valley and took in the ambiance of the quaint country setting.
Dinner in the Ship Pub (700 years of history) was great. Good food, wine, company and lots of laughs were had by all. No doubt we’ll all sleep well tonight.