South Hams, Devon, UK

South of Dartmoor, roughly bordered by a triangle with Totnes in the north, Plymouth in the west and Dartmouth in the east, lies an area of outstanding natural beauty called the South Hams. Extremely pretty, undulating countryside with beautiful, historic towns and villages, thatched cottages by the hundreds and some of the best pubs in the South West. If that wasn't enough, the area enjoys the most glorious, rugged coastline with amazing views, all of which is accessible and offers probably some of the finest walking in the country. I lived in the area for thirty years before venturing over to Canada. So if you want to know the inside track on where to stay, places to see, things to do, waters to sail, I'm your man! Email me.

Dartmoor, Devon, UK

Being a UK citizen resident in Canada, requires at least a once a year visit back to the old country to see friends and family. This time, it was over Christmas and the New Year.
It's quite a trek to fly the British Airways over-night to Heathrow, pick up a train bound for Plymouth (in Devon) and be sober and awake enough to pick up a hire car, having been on the go for over twenty-four hours. So we decided to recover for a couple of nights at a quaint hotel on Dartmoor. The Two Bridges Hotel is the place to stay. A lovely old country house with raoring log fires, simple but comfortable bedrooms and excellent food. Good value, too. Its claim to fame is that it was once the preferred hide-away for the actress Vivien Leigh whenever she was visitng the area. The best room in the house to book is The Vivien Leigh Suite.
If you're visitng England, Dartmoor is one of the 'must-do's', not least because it's one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain.