Hold very tight!

Aside

We four friends mustered at Minehead bus stop and thanked Heaven for clement weather. Some of our quartet were more enthusiastic than others, about mounting to the top, open deck but as I pointed out that had been the whole point and no –one was prepared to sit downstairs, alone, without the obligatory blether. Had we boarded at the station we would have had a better choice of seats and two of us sat backwards – but that was fine. We quickly became aware of the height of the bus and the lowness of the trees and there was a lot of ducking and diving in parts. Once through Porlock where we saw the spire –less church (legend has it that it was stolen and placed on the unfinished Culbone Church) we slowly climbed up onto Exmoor for stunning views of the Bristol Channel, Wales and the moor. It was too early for heather and only a smattering of gorse but we saw clumps of rhododendrons in the distance.

We reached 1,200’ before the dramatic descent into Lynmouth, with views to die for; no photograph can convey the frighteningly sheer drops. We dismounted in warm sunshine and ambled to a coffee house where we learned that decaff is cheaper than normal coffee because the manufacturers sell the caffeine – so our host told us. There is an almost vertical funicular up to the sister town Lynton but we were content to browse round the shops in Lynmouth and welcome the summer at last.

We were spoilt for choice for a lunch venue though four people never see things the same way; eventually we chose a place which looked fine from outside but seemed dark inside. We asked for a table for four and although mine host didn’t quite grimace churlishly we sat down feeling we were in the way. When Joy said she didn’t feel welcome that was enough and, as one man we left. Finally we settled on Riverside Cottage. After entering through the wrong door we came across the owner who was run off her feet but gave us a beaming mile and said she would be with us in a moment. Result!

Lunch turned out to be our usual jolly affair and when we thanked our hostess she said it was people like us who made all the work worth while. On our return journey we braved the top deck again but the weather had clouded over and we were blown to bits. The total journey cost £4.90 but we four with our new bus passes didn’t pay a bean.

Photos to follow.