A Turkey and Tinsel Break in Torquay December 2014
Daish`s Holidays
Daish`s 5 day coach trip to Torquay, staying at the Devonshire Hotel with half board
Cost £132 (including £10 single room supplement)
Monday15th December 2014... (Supposed to be Christmas Eve)
I met Keith outside Morrison's in Newport (IOW) just before 7am
There were several people already waiting when I arrived and there were the usual good mornings. The seasonally decorated coach soon arrived and the driver loaded our bags and we were given seat numbers to find.
The coach then travelled to various locations such as Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin collecting people who were booked to go on the trip. It was a bit tedious touring the Island again that we know so well, but we endured the experience. We then caught the 9am ferry at Fishbourne to Portsmouth and began the road journey to Torquay, stopping at Fareham to collect more customers.
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| Keith at Bridport |
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| Toilet break at Bridport |
After the final pick up the coach headed towards Torquay, stopping for half an hour at Bridport. Keith and I found a little cheap café in the high street and had tea. We were successful in cajoling the amiable Irishman who served us into providing two cups and plenty of milk for our single pot of tea. As well as quenching our thirst we also satisfied our hunger by purchasing a tart ( bakers variety ). After returning to the coach and continuing the journey we eventually arrived at the Devonshire Hotel in Torquay at 1.45 pm. A member of staff from the hotel came to the coach and made a quick speech of welcome. Our bags were unloaded and staff members took them to our rooms. Keith and I were put in the annexe of the hotel, me downstairs, room 53 and Keith upstairs, room 59
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| Devonshire Hotel in Torquay |
It was still light and the first thing we did was walk down the hill and have a look at Torbay harbour. We visited the tourist information office and found out much about the buses and places to visit that were open this time of the year.
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| Our first glimpse of Torbay |
We had to be back at the hotel by 6.30pm for our evening meal. I think we were the only two men together, the rest were couples. This caused some titillation and murmurs amongst other guests. Why is it two women can travel together, but not two men without causing merriment? There was a man on his own called Bert. so the hotel sat the three of us together on table 16. A Portuguese waitress called Rita served us on the first evening. She was very friendly and helpful and didn't mind a little teasing. The meal was adequate and tasty without making us feel bloated. After dinner bingo could be played at a pound a go. We didn't participate in the bingo, but sat near reception and used our tablets. The WI-Fi in the hotel was weak and intermittent and was only usable near reception. We eventually walked down to a pub and used their WI-Fi and watched OPR play Everton. The result was inevitable and when we returned to the hotel we watched the entertainment for an hour, before going to bed.
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| It was Christmas before Christmas |
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| Torquay Harbour |
Tuesday 16th December 2014........(Christmas Day)
Breakfast was at 8.30am and consisted of cereal with fruit, grapefruit and prunes ( good for our bowels) An English breakfast, toast and tea or coffee. All served by our Polish waiter called Artur. After breakfast, we walked to the harbour to catch a ferry across Torbay to Brixham. The fare appeared only to be a pound each way, but we couldn't find the departure point. In the end, we went into the harbour office and were told that the next ferry was 11.30am and the fare was £6 single or £7 return, with an hour to wait. It was a different company than the summer ferry (we felt disappointed and ripped off )
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| Bert and Keith at breakfast |
We decided to catch the number 12 bus which would take us around the bay and through Paignton. We sat upstairs on the bus in the front seats and conversed with a local hotel musician. He told us that that local seasonal entertainers earn about £100 per performance. We also enjoyed a friendly discussion about the 2015 forthcoming election with him. It was a pleasant ride and Brixham was a pleasant little fishing town with an interesting harbour with many lobster pots on the quay, but few fishing boats in the harbour ( maybe they were out fishing) There were many hotels and properties on the cliff tops overlooking the harbour with lovely views. We wanted to view a local military museum, but it was closed.
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| Brixham Harbour |
After wandering around the harbour and talking to local people about the area we boarded a bus back to Torquay but stayed on until the bus reached Newton Abbot It was approaching dusk, but the time was only 4.30pm. We walked through the market and looked at the shops. We wanted to make sure we got back to the hotel in time for Christmas dinner with mulled wine by 6.30pm, so we jumped back on the bus and at the hotel, we enjoyed the meal, bingo and entertainment.
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| Brixham |
Wednesday 17
th December 2014......... (
Boxing Day)
Another welcome breakfast enough to keep us going all day until the evening meal. Fortunate for us our table friend Bert had a poor appetite so Keith and I got extra rations. Thank you, Bert. We made a slightly later start to the day and left the hotel at 10.30am, walking downhill to Torquay seafront and boarding the bus to Brixham. At Brixham, we caught a second bus towards Dartmouth. To reach the town we had to catch a ferry across the River Dart, the cost being £1.50. The town was a pleasure to walk around and had a small harbour off the main river. There were tiers of brightly coloured houses built on the cliffs leading down to the river on both sides. We sat and ate our Belgium cake then walked towards the castle near the entrance to the river. Everywhere was very quiet and the weather was dull but still and not cold. Parts of the castle date from the 14
th century and was built to defend the town by invasion from the sea.
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| Ferry across River Dart |
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Chay Bligh`s boat `British Steel` First man and boat to sail around
the world from east to west....... Moored at Dartmouth |
We walked back to the town, but instead of crossing the river again we caught the 179 bus to Totness where we changed to one going to Torquay. Prior to our journey, we found a local café that was famous for its pasties, but at a cost of £4 each. We thought this price was too high so chose not to partake, but instead enjoyed a hot beverage and took the opportunity to catch up with our messages using our tablets and the café's internet. At this time of the year there are only 8 hours of daylight and with our late start we probably only had 6 hours. We reached Torquay after dark and walked up the hill to the hotel only just in time for the evening meal, having managed to get lost and this added about two miles to our return journey.
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| David and Keith at Dartmouth |
Later we walked to a pub in town where there was Karaoke where we spent an hour before returning again to the hotel. We were coerced into taking part in the Karaoke even if our voices were more like crows than larks. I accompanied a lady called Dawn and performed a spirited rendering of Neil Diamond's `Sweet Caroline` Keith performed with a lady called Chris but got hopelessly lost and had to give up.
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| Karaoke night |
Thursday 18
th December 2014.......... (
New Years Day)
After breakfast, we caught a 62 bus from the hotel to Torquay seafront, then had to wait for the same bus to return to the hotel, back to the seafront where we boarded it for the second time and it took us to Cockington which is a pretty little Devonshire village. We wandered around the area and eventually found our way into a chocolate making shop. Keith asked for a free sample but the girl was unable to provide one. There were two ladies buying chocolate in the shop and one of them gave us both a taste of the chocolate. They were also from the Isle of Wight but staying in another hotel. They kindly also gave us a lift back to Torquay in their car after we missed our bus and pleaded with them.
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| The pretty village of Cockington |
We boarded a bus to Totness and from there jumped aboard a bus for Buckfast Abbey where we wandered through the abbey grounds and looked around the Benedictine Abbey itself. I bought a bottle of tonic wine in the shop. It was expensive but as it was made by the abbey monks, I suppose I thought it was holy might cure everything. We also gratefully sampled many varieties of fudge made by the monks. Keith felt obliged to purchase some of the vanilla/walnut variety. As yet it still remains in his sweet larder. It was soon raining and getting dark so we retraced our steps and bused back to Torquay, walked up the hill to the hotel for New Year Eve's dinner and entertainment.
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| Buckfast Abbey |
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| Stained glass in the Abbey |
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| Keith and Rita the Portuguese waitress |
Friday 19
th December 2014......... (
Time to go home)
We were scheduled for an early start so breakfast was at 8am. Bags were packed, labelled with destination and left by the main entrance. The coach driver loaded our bags and at 9am we were all on board and on our way to Portsmouth. On the way back the coach stopped at Dorchester for 30 minutes for a toilet break. The next stop was Fareham where the coach was delayed because a couple could not find their third bag in the coach's luggage compartment. It took ages searching but in vain. They had not labelled the bag. Because of the delay, we missed the ferry at Portsmouth but boarded the 2 pm. At Fishbourne, we drove off the boat and our first stop was Ryde. Although our destination was Newport, Keith and I left the coach and boarded the number 9 bus. We couldn't bear to leave Bert whom we owed for so many extra breakfasts. It was quicker than staying on the coach for all the drop off places before the coach reached Newport.
I think congratulations are due to Daish`s Holidays for making holidays affordable and convenient especially for older less mobile persons. (that`s not us) We both decided we'd consider future trips, perhaps to other venues.
The End
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