travel

A weekend in Malmö

12th May 2019 by Regula 10 Comments

**In payed collaboration with Malmö town.

The city of Malmö kindly invited my husband and me to come and explore the town for 2,5 days. I had visited before because I have friends in town who persuaded me to come over to Parabere Forum, a conference for women in gastronomy whose aim it is to fight for gender equality, that is if you get in because although I was invited to join the conference as press last year, this year suddenly my application to join – yes you’re reading this well, you have to apply to be allowed to pay to come to this conference – was turned down… so far for equality.

Back to Malmö a town where equality is also important, yet it is less about gender and more about general equality which I think is incredibly important as a first step. Malmö used to have a bad reputation, it stood in the shadow of bright and buzzing Copenhagen which is only 30 minutes across the Øresund bridge – known from the tv series – from Malmö. I’ve visited Copenhagen just for one day but can firmly say I prefer Malmö because it is smaller and more quaint.

You arrive in Malmö by the train station and walk across the river with the majestic Savoy hotel towering over you. A small street takes you to one of the most beautiful large town squares of Malmö. The first thing I notice is the cool advertising on the side of the building of an old apothecary, a well restored ghost sign you’ll see a couple more of around town. Malmö is calm, there aren’t many cars and the locals are incredibly chill and friendly. I think you would have a hard time upsetting a Malmonian….

Ghent, the rock ‘n’ roll alternative to Bruges in Belgium

3rd August 2018 by Regula 15 Comments

Nearly everyone I know abroad who visited Belgium tells me they only went to Bruges… Such a shame! I usually exclaim because Ghent is just as beautiful! Don’t get me wrong, I love Bruges but Ghent is Bruges rock’n’roll sister, the badass of the family, full of subcultures, underground music scenes and home to ‘Vooruit’ one of the most incredible music halls located in an old socialist arts centre – the place where I saw my first show at 16. On top of that, Ghent has all Bruges has to offer architecture-wise minus the annoying hordes of tourists and unimaginative souvenirs shops selling lace from anywhere but Flanders.

Ghent is constantly reinventing itself, people are friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. You can have a good glass of Belgian beer on nearly every street corner but the last few years exciting new places have been opening all over the town. Ghent has been reputed being the vegetarian capital of Europe and that is something I had to be told by a friend who is vegan and visited Ghent a few months ago.

Ghent has been our nearest town for the last 12 years and with our move a few months ago we hardly ever visited because life has just been to busy and we no longer live a 20 minute drive away. But I find I look at Ghent with different eyes now when we do manage to carve out some time to travel there. We no longer pop over for lunch at our favourite Italian (Trattoria Della Mamma), but venture further into the city to try other things, stay longer to have dessert or afternoon tea (Huset), or an ice cold glass of Belgian style.

If shopping is what you are after, Ghent has it all. You have your highstreet chains in de Veldstraat but if small independent shops is your thing – it sure is for me – you have an array of little shops dotted around town.…

Latvian Rye Trifle and a visit to Riga

8th December 2017 by Regula 16 Comments

In februari last year I went on a backpacking trip to Latvia, I was doing some research for one of my projects and with it met up with a woman I had met at the Oxford Symposium.

One of the most memorable things I ate while in Latvia was a Rye bread trifle with cranberries on lingonberries they call ‘Rupjmaizes kārtojums’. It is made by grating the iconic sweet Rye bread and lightly frying the crumbs then layering it with cream and curd cheese and the tart red cranberries they use so often in their cuisine. It was offered to me by the host in ‘Zaku Krogs’ a most wonderful Jamaica Inn-like ex-rabbit hunters Inn in Jurkalne which is about an 2,5 hour drive from Riga. The drive there takes you through forests which are laden with berry shrubs and strange small villages with Soviet-style blocks of flats.

On our way to Jurkalne we visited Ildze’s friend who works in the office of a sprat canning factory where all the people from the surrounding villages work. It was a unique insight to how this works, the sprats are delivered daily and extremely fresh and processed that same day. Processing means they are sorted by size and arranged on hooks by a group of women, then they are smoked – no artificial dye here – and then another group of women sorts the sprats neatly in their tins like braided hair. Then the sprats get a generous blob of salt on them, rapeseed oil and the tins are closed and finally pasteurised….

It all starts with fire. How Pure Food Camp in Sweden opened up my eyes to nature

3rd October 2017 by Regula 8 Comments

I didn’t really know what to expect when I stepped on a plane with final destination Sweden in what was possibly one of the most dreadful moments of my life. My heart was pounding in my throat because I just left my gravely ill and much beloved 15 year old cat in the very loving hands of my husband. I sat on the Copenhagen station platform waiting for a train to Malmo in Sweden, I felt utterly alone and I just wanted to be home.

But suddenly I looked up and there I saw the wonderful smile of Sarah from Vienna. Like me she had a huge backpack, accompanied by a small one, dressed in outdoorsy clothing but in a far better mood than I was. Excited she asked if I was traveling to the food camp and we started talking, trying to figure out delayed and cancelled trains and word by word I was letting go of the overpowering sadness and worry.

We boarded a train and then a taxi which brought us to a beech forest in Skane. We were greeted by Lotta Ranert, creator of Pure Food Camp and one of the two women who brought us all together here and Camilla, the owner. There was cheese to welcome us, cheese made by Cecilia Timner, 20 footsteps from where we were standing, made with the milk of the pale creamy fudge-coloured cows we heard mooing in the distance.

Nothing happens in my brain here before I have made sure we have this fire and it’s going and we can make food and tea.

The camp existed out of a couple of yurts and a big mother-yurt which was the heart of the site. In the centre of that yurt was a warming wood fired stove with water boiler that created a spectacular display of steam, there were pots, pans, crockery and a couple of essentials. Each of our own yurts had a sweet little blue door, painted with illustrations. Two little beds with a duvet and woolly blanket in each yurt, a water container, oil lamps, matches, a kerosene fire and a bowl to hold water to wash ourselves. It was a simple set up but yet it felt like luxury.
Our outdoor loo was of the glamorous sort with a see through roof, wooden walls and an actual toilet seat. Much more than I was expecting but very welcome indeed on moments when going behind a big tree wasn’t an option.

After talking us through how to tend to the oil lamps and kerosene fire, loo and a few other practicalities we were expected up a gentle hill where a large table was set with vintage teacups and plates ready for “Fika”. Fika can be compared to a simple afternoon tea yet less formal and it can happen several times a day. One of the Swedes told us in many Swedish companies Fika is even a big thing, Fika is serious business and should not be skipped.

The kanelbullar (cinnamon swirl buns, see my recipe here), almondbullar and chocolatabullar (balls made of butter, cacao and oats) were passed around the table laughing as if we were at day 5 not hour 2 into the camp week. Tea and coffee came from tall sturdy steel teapots who hung from the smoking open fires. It was supposed to be raining I remembered, but instead here we were, outside, drinking hot drinks and eating all kinds of bullar while secretly gazing around us, taking in the details of the forest, savouring this unique moment in our lives.

The sun was lowering on the sky and Camilla, the owner of the Nyrups Naturhotel that was our yurt camp introduced us to the menu of the dinner we would be cooking on the fires. Two vegetable starters, a main and a pudding, each in a basket, just the ingredients and the suggestion of what to do with them. Sarah from Vienna and I teamed up and went for the main. In our basket we found locally caught perch, potatoes, cavollo nero, a selection of forest mushrooms and a couple of carrots. Sarah did potatoes and pickled carrots while I fried the cavollo nero and the mushrooms in plenty of butter and a touch of fire in a pan I’d love to call my own. When it was time for the fish I thought of a recipe I learned to make a week before by a friend in England, cooked in clay, straight onto the embers. Lacking clay we used every bit of newspaper we could find – although it was meant for starting fires – rubbed the fish with lemony wood sorrel we quickly foraged in the last evening light, a bit of thyme, juniper berries and a healthy doze of pepper, salt and a good knob of butter or two. The fish we wrapped in baking parchment because we did not have a large leaf at hand, then we wrapped each parcel in the soaking wet newspaper. Everyone went in to start dinner while a couple of us stayed behind to cover all the open fires with pans of fish parcels.

By the time we had finished our starters: cauliflower, bacon and potato by Gabriella from Spain, Emily from England and Helen from Germany and beetroot & Swedish halloumi by Kerstin also from England we gathered the parcels and removed the now charred newspaper. The perch was to my great amusement perfectly done, not too far, pearly white and very moist. Everyone got a parcel and as a side the kale and mushrooms I had fried on the fire earlier, parts of the kale slightly crisp because fire tends to lick the inside of your pan. Fire adds a seasoning you can’t recreate, because it’s also the smoke in your eyes, the heat on your hands and arms that add to the taste of cooking food in the wild.The wood sorrel is definitely a new favourite leaf to use, I wonder if I can make it grow in my wild garden at home… Fair haired Titti Qvarnström – our other host and the first female head chef in Sweden to receive a Michelin star – was sitting next to me at dinner and she approved of the fish so that’s good enough for me!

Pudding was just that, a delightful cake skilfully baked in a tin on the open fire by former UK Masterchef winner Keri. The darker bits were the best, we had seconds, drowned in a custard she made from scratch and on a temperamental fire, no mean feat.
By now I bless myself and the stars to be here. This is already an unforgettable trip and were only just started our journey. I realise however that we are all so out of touch with nature. When you have no electricity things become simple and difficult at the same time.

Image by Torbjorn Lagerwall edited

After this feast accompanied by excellent local Swedish wine and beer the last ones standing toast with a traditional herb liqueur Sarah kindly brought us from Austria. Then it suddenly it hits me when I go outside to find a big tree… it’s incredibly dark. Kerstin comes with me because I am a wimp. We head back to our yurts, armed with all the oil lamps we can find because I managed to scare the group with my own fears about zombies in the forest. We all have a laugh but secretly hold to that lamp with a passion.
First night in a yurth, in the middle of the woods, with someone we only just met a few hours ago… My yurt-mate Keri and I decided to keep the oil lamp on while we try to sleep… we can’t face the complete darkness just yet.

The next morning my insomniac self awaited dawn eager to cook breakfast on the fires. I looked out of our yurt, the sky is red, beautiful. I decide a simple bun in my hair instead of my intricate hairdos and no make-up are in order, because we don’t have a mirror, and we’re in the middle of a forest, who cares! I do, but still I go with the bun.

…

Prague – Reliving my early childhood travels

11th January 2017 by Regula 12 Comments

In the late 1980’s when I was just a little girl, my parents and I traveled around Hungary and Czechoslovakia just like so many other Belgians did during that time. It was affordable, it was different and there were Balkan travel clubs with meetings where you could get your information much like we get it from Google today. We had the ‘Balkan Club’ bumper sticker and from time to time would bump into people on the road with the same sticker stuck to their car. Travel advise was then exchanged and we would part saying we might meet each other on one of the Balkan Club slideshow evenings. This was pre-internet socializing, using the sticker meant you were from the same group, it opened the door to a conversation….

The Irish Midlands

5th April 2015 by Regula 5 Comments

Leap Castle, Ireland’s most haunted castle

Last week Bruno and I were invited by Mid-Ireland tourism to come over for a weekend to explore what the Irish Midlands has to offer. It was going to be our first visit to Ireland and we were looking forward to it for a month. We both had one of the busiest times since a very long time, for me it was finishing the English manuscript of my book, for him it were hundred and one things.
It was a relief to step on that airplane – though with the disaster of the German plane crash from a week earlier in the back of our heads – knowing that we were able to take these four days away from our work. We came back revived and full of creative energy. Let me share our highlights with you.

Bellefield Gardens

The first day of our trip we visited the Birr Theatre where regular plays are offered but also workshops for kids, when we were there to assemble for tea, kids were learning to do stop-motion films. So great to get the kids to do creative things.

Home away from home

We then drove off to go and see the beautiful gardens by Garden designer Angela Jupe at Bellefield Gardens. Angela is a garden designer after my own heart. The gardens look very rustic and not at all staged. She works with salvaged materials and creates new things with it. She restored the farmhouse and all the cottages surrounding its courtyard. You can hire them, they each have a cosy log burner, a kitchen and a private little garden. A real treat if you want to get away from the rat race and spend some time walking around the beautiful surroundings and cooking up amazing food to enjoy by the fireplace. I wish I had just 1% of Angela Jupe’s gardening talent. The whole estate is truly enchanting.

Fairytale garden

Back in the buss we went to see Fancroft Mill just over the border in Tipperary. The owners bought this derelict mill, garden and millhouse from Angela Jupe who had designed the garden and then sold it because the derelict mill was an enormous project to take on. The new owners restored the watermill, which is housed in a very tall building than can be seen from a distance in the rolling countryside. They accidentally became millers with it. The gardens are – like Bellefield Gardens – immaculately rustic and the little tower makes it look like a fairytale setting. I could sit in this garden for hours, and in fact the owners tell me that that is what they tell visitors, to take their time exploring and sitting in the garden.

Haunted as hell

The next stop is Ireland’s most haunted castle – a real treat for Bruno who is a fan of horror movies and other gothic things. Leap Castle is a ruin, but it is lived in by Sean Ryan and his family. It must have looked imposing in its heyday, and scary too because if you committed a crime on these lands, which could have been poaching a rabbit, you were read your last prayer on the top floor of the castle where the ‘Bloody chapel’ is – or was – and then thrown into a hole which was lined with spikes on the bottom – yikes.
The castle was built in the 1500’s and originally named ‘Leim Ui Bhanain’ meaning ’Leap of the O’Bannons’. The O’Carrolls, the clan who owned the castle, were a fierce and brutal people. They were known for their cruel tactics, killing those that came on their path. The ‘Bloody chapel’ has an ‘oubliette’, a narrow room, more like a hole where people where in the 1930’s three cartloads of human bones were removed. The grandfather of our bus driver was one of the workmen on the job. Sean, the owner of the castle told us about the spirits in his home but ensures us they are not evil, but that they are there. Constant murdering had been going on in the castle up until the 18th century. And at one time one of the owners was so involved with the occult that she summoned a dark spirit that thankfully has remained quiet but is still in the castle. Leap castle was looted and burnt by IRA militants in 1922 during an uprising when it was owned by English aristocracy. Stories say that the villagers from the surroundings stood there laughing when the castle went up in flames. But they did spare the life of the caretaker and his wife and child. The English family who owned was not present when the castle got reduced to the ruin it is today. Did I see a ghost? No, but I can’t help but wander what I felt as you go into the cold castle knowing it is haunted, and aware of all the monstrous murders that have happened there.

Lough Boora Parkland was next on our trip but required more time than we had. This is a location to spend a day or an afternoon walking, riding bikes and eating cake at the end of the day. Its surroundings are impressive with ancient bog- and wetland. There is also a nice collection of fauna and flora to admire as well as artwork which is placed in the park without disturbing it.

Birr Castle was the end to our first day and is an impressive castle and estate, it houses a Science museum, Telescope and some fun for the kids too. Mind you I would have gone on the jumping air bed if it wasn’t for the rain! For those who are as geeky as I, the grounds of the estate also have an ice house. But you have to ask where it is. We were treated to a tour of the castle itself which is still a private home. It was a privilege to be shown around there and to see an actual living home rather than a museum. The castle has a couple of secret passageways which we explored and I could already imagine the fun you could have as a child growing up in such a place. Allow at least half a day here as there is lots to be seen.

Birr Castle, sadly no pictures from the inside as it is a private home.

Spinners hotel and restaurant – right opposite Birr Castle

The next day were invited for tea, scones and cakes at Memory Antiques who were very excited to show us all their auction room and bits and bobs. It is conveniently located opposite the entrance of Birr Castle and just round the corner of our hotel. Full with tea and divine lemon syrup cake, off we went for a little cruise on the river Shannon with Silver line cruisers. When we arrived Dublin we carpooled in our taxi with a German family on their way to hire a boat there for two weeks. Apparently the river Shannon is full of fish and therefore people love to boat around and fish for their supper. The surroundings of the river Shannon were tranquil with some rough landscape. Nice to see only nature and an occasional house or ruined barn.

Tea and cakes for us at Memory Antiques. Lots of Guinness stuff, sadly sold!

Sadly they were sold, I’d been looking out for a vintage Guinness poster, especially the one with the bird!

Silver line cruise on the river Shannon

Alfie from Mid Ireland Tourism – also pig farmer at Olde Farm

We only had two days in the Midlands but you could spread this to a week and thoroughly explore. I would go back for a walk around Leap Castle, and another visit to the castle itself. I would also like to stay at Bellefield Gardens to cook with the local produce and enjoy the little garden that comes with each little cottage. Birr castle is a day trip, rounded off with a visit to memory antiques and a dinner at Spinners. And Lough Boora parkland is definitely the place for a day of walking. It was a real treat to get a taster of Irish culture, which is similar to the English but oh so very different as well. I definitely want to explore more of Ireland! Thank you Alfie from Mid Ireland Tourism and Margaret from Olde Farm, this husband and wife team, who I have known for a couple of years now, have done a fabulous job organising this trip. Thank you so much! x

Food and lodgings

Spinners on Castle Street, Birr
We flew to Dublin and from there it was about one hour and forty-five minutes to drive to Birr, a small town in the Midlands. Margaret, the fire behind this trip had booked us into Spinners in Birr, a beautiful old stone building opposite Birr Castle. Spinners is a place with a big potential to become a foodie destination in the Midlands. Its location is central, its surroundings are beautiful, the food is the best we have tasted in the Midlands and Birr is apparently one of the favourite towns in the area.
Jordan who owns Spinners is very passionate about his business and I hope his hotel and restaurant will thrive. The Irish breakfast was fantastic, with tasty bacon and one of the best bangers I’ve ever tasted. The next day he had gone out for the best local black pudding, and I have to agree, it was very good indeed. We had dinner there on the first evening of our stay and the place was packed, so it was on the next day. It looks like Spinners is no longer a secret!

Olde Farm
Margaret and Alfie have an Air Bnb room in their lovely pig farm just outside Birr. If you prefer to stay at a B&B this is your thing. You will get a brekkie cooked with home reared produce and a nice chat. Margaret and Alfie know heaps about these surroundings so can point you to the best places to go.

Bellefield Gardens, the home of Angela Jupe. “In 1987 she established and ran the first specialist garden shop in Ireland – “The Garden Furnishing Co.” and set up the Traditional Gardening Co. which specialised in garden design and construction.”
She now lives at Bellefield Gardens, where she lovingly looks after her garden and holiday cottages. She is passionate about Irish snowdrops and has a wide variety of them in her grounds.

Mossfield Organic farm cheese
The organic shop, Mainstreet, Birr
This shop sells Mossfield organic farm cheese, truly wonderful cheeses from the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

Killeen farmhouse cheese
A very creamy parmesan style hard goats cheese, available in some shops

Bo Bristle brewery
Absolutely loved the IPA, a very easy drinker and lovely with food

To see and do in the Midlands

Gardens – Houses

Bellefield Gardens
Gardens designed by Angela Jupe, hope of the Irish snowdrops

Leap Castle, north of Roscrea on the R421
Open to visitors but you have to contact the owner Sean Ryan first. Entry fee goes to restoring the castle

Birr Castle, Birr, Castle street
An impressive castle and estate, a Science museum, Telescope and some fun for the kids too. For those who are as geeky as I, the grounds of the estate also have an ice house. But you have to ask where it is.

Fancroft Mill
Gardens designed by Angela Jupe and an impressive water mill.
Tea and cakes can be enjoyed in the café

Walking – Biking – boating

Lough Boora Parkland
An ancient Bog land with tranquil nature to walk or ride a bike in. A café is there for necessary cups of tea and cake after outdoor exercise

Silver Line Cruisers
Boat hire on the River Shannon, you can get off and pick-nick in the beautiful countryside.

Culture

Birr Theatre
for plays, exhibitions and workshops

Antiques

Memory Lane
antiques and auctions, opposite the entrance of Birr Castle, Birr

Birr Theatre – moody skies

I was invited by my Mid Ireland Tourism, my views are my own. I was not payed to write a review, I blog whatever I want so you know that when you read something here, it is always coming from me and me alone.

A weekend away in Britain: Dartmoor and Exeter by train

17th April 2014 by Regula 12 Comments

Ditch the car for a long weekend
This online space of mine has always been about my love for Britain, not only British food. Traveling around the country, exploring regional dishes, wandering around small villages and heritage sites is what I love to do most.
So what would I do on this long weekend ahead of us? I would venture out to Dartmoor, the weather is going to be splendid for walking and having a lovely pub lunch outside. And what if you’re stuck in traffic with your car every day, or don’t have a car, don’t know how to drive or just want to get away without your car, just because you want to.
This is a weekend away to Dartmoor and Exeter, without a car, but with plenty of fun.

Day 1: A dinner on a train to Devon
The weekend starts on a friday evening at Padding station in London, we’ve already spent the day in London browsing book shops and munching our way through Borough Market but the real trip is starting when the train to Devon leaves the platform this evening.
We have a booking on the First Great Western Pullman service, which will wine and dine us until we arrive in Exeter. They journey should have brought us to Cornwall but nature took over in the West Country a couple of weeks ago and the train track at Dawlish got consumed by the sea. Our plans had to change so we decided on a weekend of walking and pub meals in Dartmoor.

I’ve always had a thing for dining trains, it just oozes Victorian charm and I can just imagine how it used to be on the older and more charming train carriages. We board the train around six and as dinner service is shorter temporary, we are taking our place at our table while we leave the station. It’s a full house, or should I say full train to Exeter and dinner service commences with a quick pace. The team on board serving us is professional and witty, it is clear that we have some regulars dining with us today. I heard the Somerset steak has a good reputation so I had to try it and for my starter I chose the Dartmouth salmon with Blackmore Vale Dairy cream cheese. That’s the thing with this Pullman dining service, they have sourced the produce from the land and the waters we are travelling past on the train. The menu has been created by Mitch Tonks of the Seahorse in Dartmouth, as is the wine list which is sadly lacking a British wine. I sipped my pint of Tribute when we were approaching Reading, the salmon was delicate in flavour and the cheese a definitely good match, the steak really was devine and cooked medium rare as I asked. The sun was setting and a short while before Taunton we received our dessert, a cheese platter for us as we don’t have a sweet tooth. All British cheeses which were at the right temperature, a soft Helford white, a smoky Devon Blue and a Keens Cheddar served with a quince jelly that was so good I finished Bruno’s as well.
By the time we left Taunton, we were full and happy and ready to turn in for the night at our hotel in Exeter.

The lady chef of the Pullman dinner service

We were so tired after walking around London all day and enjoying such lovely food on the train, that we had an early night, ready to take the twelve O clock bus to Dartmoor.

Day two: To the Moors
Busses to Dartmoor leave from the coach station in Exeter, after a walk around town with our backpacks we made a quick stop at the Real Food Store for a piece of cake – which was moist and full of dark chocolate and left us pining for more. The bus trip to Moretonhampstead is about an hour and with plenty of pretty views along the way and locals having a chat with you, it is over and done with in no time. We arrive in Moretonhampstead and start the search for our 13th century farmhouse B&B.
The farmhouse is situated a 20 minute walk out of the village, it’s a nice scenic walk and as the weather was so warm for the time of the year, we enjoyed it.
As I had seen on the website, the farmhouse was gorgeous. It is a gem, and unspoiled treasure. If you like flowery wallpaper and curtains like I do, this is your B&B. No modern additions except for the bathroom which makes this stay all the more relaxing. The sun tries to enter the room through the bay window in our room and we both make it ourselves cosy and comfortable in the armchairs which have a warm woolen upholstery. No rest for the wicked, after less than an hour we are out the door again, this time with bikes we conveniently rented from the B&B. We drove back to Moretonhampstead with a hungry tummy and thirst for a local ale. After a visit to the local butcher for a pork pie and to the greengrocer across the street for apples, we were ready for a picnic with friends we know in the area. It was my birthday, and although we planned to do some walking that day, we just had too much fun outside in the sun, savouring Devon delights and catching up with friends.
Dinner was booked at the White Heart and as we were with the bikes we opted to eat early at six. The food was great and quite fine for a pub, the pudding sticky and sweet and the ale local. A good evening and day all round and we start our return trip to the farmhouse in pitch black. I must admit I was scared at times, my imagination always gets the better of me and soon I was seeing the hound of the Baskerville in the light of my cell phone. Street lighting is none existing so take a torch with you, we didn’t.

The moss, very Tim Burton

The shivering cross

A sheep

A Tor

The ruins of a house that was still a home 50 years ago

Day three: big fry up and fried shoes
The next morning we were woken by the song of birds and beams of sunlight peeping through our flower print curtains. We had a full English in the quaint farmhouse breakfast room, which is full of vintage Staffordshire pottery and other kitchenalia. As was to be expected, the breakfast was fabulous with their own fresh eggs, local bacon, great sausages and freshly made yoghurt. All washed down with a nice cup of Earl Grey we put on our walking boots, and were greeted by the door in a ray of sunshine by Inga, our guide to Dartmoor today.
As we only had one full day on Dartmoor and we were without a car, we opted to do a guided walk with Inga. There are no extra busses that drive up the Moors, if you don’t have a car, you will not get there so Inga is catering for people who are on foot like we were. A few minutes drive with Inga brings us to the Moors and we embark on a eight or nine mile walk.
Soon it becomes clear that my boots, old army boots, have had their best years and are not waterproof. We are walking on a path that looks more like a stream of water, but as the scenery is so breathtaking, I just don’t mind the water getting in and get on with it.

I am happy we went on a walk with Inga as she not only knows where to go in this National Park that hates putting signs up for walkers, she also knows quite a few things about the history of the Moors.
The romantic rough rolling landscape of Dartmoor appears to be a wonder of nature but it is mankind who shaped the land for millennia. The people who lived and worked on Dartmoor for centuries have left their mark and pierced through the the hills to get to the precious tin. From as far back as the 12th century, tin miners created gullies to follow the veins of tin ore back into the hillside. You can still see where the large water wheels were positioned at the tin mills. The tin was rinsed from the stone and melted down. The mills have long gone, as are the wheels, just leaving behind deep wounds in the hills and small mounds of waste spoil of earlier digging works. When you look closely at the hills around Challacombe farm you can see a round circle of stones on the hillside. This is a bronze-age village called Grimspound. Around 3500 years ago the village was built by celtic settlers who grazed their stock out on the hills to take them in to the enclosure at night to keep them safe from the undomesticated wild animals like wolves, at night. From this settlement where all that remains are a few round circles where the round houses used to be, you can see burial mounds on Hameldown and a stone row that is believed to be badly ‘renovated’ by the Victorians. On the other side of the hill the side appears to have been terraced. They were probably created by Medieval farmers in a time when the climate in Dartmoor was much warmer and drier. They must have used the strip fields for growing cereal crops. We passed a large stone wall which Inga told us used to be a rabbit warren, as rabbits used to be farmed for their meat here, centuries ago. It reminds me of the Roman Hare gardens which declined after they left Britain.
If were would have been walking on our own, we wouldn’t have noticed quite a few things.
We passed at ruined farm which Inga told us was still a home 50 years ago, opposite the ruin we found remains of an old Diesel mill which was active during the war when resource were scarce. After the war it was closed and never re-opened. By the look of the ruins, there must have been a real community up on the Moors. Now there are only a handful of houses left, most of them working farms. The first written mention of people living in the area at Challacombe farm appeares in the Domesday Book and you can still see the remains of 7 medieval dwellings of which one Dartmoor Longhouse where animals and people shared the same building to keep warm.
According to Challacombe farm there were 5 tenements at Challacombe in 1613 and they were in use until 1880. One of the buildings was a cider house to serve the many miners and farmers working the land. In fact there used to be a lot of pubs on the Moors.
After four hours of walking and a welcome slice of lemon cake from our lovely guide Inga, we make our way back.

Settlements from 1613, one of them a cider barn

Stonerow, renovated by the Victorians

Celtic round house

The outer enclosure of the Celtic village

a bit of stairs

We skipped lunch as the sweet fresh air has left us without an appetite. We decided to do yet another walk to North Bovey, a quaint and quiet village not far from Moretonhampstead. After a stroll around the village, the appetites are now well and truly transformed into raging hunger and we walk into The Ring Of Bells where local ale and a pub meal awaits us. After dinner we decided not to walk back to our farmhouse B&B, as were were really only ready to put on our pyjamas and take a trip to dreamland. Ask the bartender to book the cab when you arrive as there is only one, yes only one car running as a cab on the Moors.

The village people of North Bovey gathering at the pub

North Bovey, seen from the pub

Pretty village, North Bovey

Day four: The farmhouse and the curious cattle
The next morning we enjoy our room for a few hours, reading a book and gazing out of the window after a filling breakfast. Before we leave for Exeter again, we go on a walk round the farmhouse and the farms Aberdeen Angus and South Devon cows. We walk back to Moreton, and have a little walk around town again before we take the twelve O clock bus back to Exeter.

My kind of nook

The farmhouse and the curious cattle

Exeter
Back in Exeter we do a bit of window-shopping and we head down Magdalene road where a few small local food stores are. A fish monger, a butchers and a green grocers in one street. The coffee shops and small eateries are just a bonus to that. We enjoy a welcome Devon cream tea at Tea on the Green at Cathedral Close which is conveniently located near to our hotel. While visiting a few independent shops on Fore street, we get a dinner recommendation from a local girl.

Tea on the Green

The Real Food Store, good cake and freshly baked bread

A Butchers and a Fishmonger

The Fat Pig it is for dinner. We are told it is quiz night but we are kinda curious to see the event so we stay anyway. The Fat Pig is a buzzing pub which has its own smokehouse and brewery. The food is great and the home-brews are very satisfactory, the pub quiz is so funny with questions about serial killers and music that we stay until the end and enjoy a Whisky or two after our food and beer. We can you see, because we don’t have a car with us.
Cheerful
we return to our hotel, which isn’t a thirteenth century farmhouse but
still very comfortable and located on Cathedral Close – close to Tea on
the Green where we decided to have breakfast the next morning.

Chef at The Fat Pig

Smoked ribs and bangers at The Fat Pig

A little fog on Cathedral Close

Breakfast Hash on Tea on the Green – it’s a discovery, very hearty indeed

I had spotted the owners manifesto at Tea on the Green, he advocates using only small companies and local producers. Serving tea grown in England with the homemade scones and a divers selection of luncheon and breakfast dishes. I went for the small breakfast hash which was still quite large and full of juicy local sausage chunks, crunchy spuds and cheddar, topped with a fresh hens egg. Full again we are ready for a walk around town and at noon the trip back to the station where another splendid meal on the Pullman service awaits us.

Lunch service is more relaxed with only a few tables, it is tuesday after all. I had the daily fish, which was haddock with creamed leeks and the River Exe mussels which were absolutely gorgeous. I’m a mussel woman, I love mussels but I’m also very picky when it comes to mussels. These river Exe mussels had a very solid shell, unlike any other mussel, and were a large size and very meaty. I was intrigued by them I must say, my local mussels are quite small and have a very fragile shell unlike these ones from River Exe.

We have our coffee and dessert when we arrive in Reading and by the time we enter Paddington Station in London we are again, full and happy.

Conclusion
It is lovely to get away from a busy life without a car, taking the train leaves you both with the chance of reading a book, gazing out of the window or having a nice lunch or dinner while you are driven to your destination.
Would I do it again? Yes I would, Exeter has become a sweet little town with some good eateries and pubs; the last time I visited Exeter was with my parents on one of our trips, I can remember us being refused to enter a pub because I was a little girl. The town has transformed for the better with a mixture of independent shops and chains.
I would probably travel after april as there is a bus running across the Moors from may. That way you can go further without needing transport.

Practical

Getting to Dartmoor and Exeter without a car:
Take the train from Paddington station, it takes you to Exeter in just over two hours
The First Great Western Pullman lunch and dinner service requires a booking in advance if you don’t want to be disappointed
The bus to Moretonhampstead leaves from the main bus station in Exeter and runs every two hours, you can find the time table here

Where to stay
Moretonhampstead
Great Sloncombe farm B&B – a 20 minute walk from Moretonhampstead High street
They offer bike hire and when the weather is fine they can provide a BBQ and the option of buying some of their delicious meat. The rooms are traditional and comfortable
Other B&B’s: There are a few others in the village of Moretonhampstead, look here on the village website to find them

Exeter
The Royal Clarence hotel (Abode) with restaurant of Michael Caine (who we bumped into) The rooms are modern and comfortable

Walking

Walking Dartmoor with a local: Inga from ‘Dartmoor walks this way’ was amazing, highly recommended made to measure walks. She also does bike tours with electric bikes. Email her with your questions. If you’re lucky she will bring you cake!
Walking to North Bovey, in Moretonhampstead, turn in Pound Street and follow the signs
Plenty of walks and bike tours start at Moretonhampstead, that’s why the village is an ideal base. There’s a tourist information center where you can purchase maps and such.

Where to eat and drink
Dartmoor
The White Heart (Moretonhampstead): great food and local ales, good value
The White Horse (Moretonhampstead): Locals tell us they serve excellent pizza
The Gateway Tearooms (Moretonhampstead): essential Devon cream tea
The Union Inn (Moretonhampstead): pub with beer garden and local ales
The Ring of Bells (North Bovey): Pub with pleasant beer garden, local ales and pub food

Where to eat and drink
Exeter
The Fat Pig – 2 St John Street: pub, brewery and smokehouse: Great smoked meats and hand cut chips, home brewed beers and other craft ales
The Rusty Bike – 67 Howell Road: Pub from the same owners as The Fat Pig
The Real Food Store – 11 Paris street: Organic shop with cafe upstairs
Tea On the Green – Cathedral Close: Tearoom serving excellent scones, hearty breakfasts and lunches with local produce

Shops for food
The local butchers at Moretonhampstead, sell local cheeses, pork pies, meats and some other foodie delights
The Real Food Store – 11 Paris street, Exeter: Organic shop with cafe upstairs. Serving local food and baking decent bread daily
Pipers Farm Butchers – Magdalene road Exeter
Gibson’s Plaice Fish monger – Magdalene road Exeter
Infinity foods – 25 North Road Exeter

Other shops
Haberdashery: Otton’s – 111 Fore Street Exeter
Vintage clothing: divers shops also on Fore Street Exeter
Gifts: Magdalene street has plenty of gift shops

*Everything on this trip was bought and payed for by me except the train tickets who were a kind gift from First Great Western Railways. My views are my own.*

travel

**In payed collaboration with Malmö town.

Nothing happens in my brain here before I have made sure we have this fire and it’s going and we can make food and tea.

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