The British Countryside: Exeter, Devon

I’m currently sat on the porch in my Parents-in-law’s Devon home and the sun is shining on my face, I have my glass of rosé, my husband is a few feet away and I could not be happier.

Now let’s rewind.

Since we were not leaving the country for the Bank Holiday weekend, we made a decision to leave the city and head south. Mr E’s parents live in Devon and were eagerly expecting us; after a 3 and half hour drive, we arrived in Exeter.

Exeter is the 2nd most populous town in Devon and is located on the River Exe, southwest of England. It is home to one of the best universities in the country, University of Exeter – St Luke’s Campus and Streatham Campus, its history is quite rich as this ancient city dates back to the arrival of the Romans in AD50. It is surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery and its quay is a must visit!

The best thing about the countryside is the air. It is so crisp and fresh and even though my allergies were acting up the whole time (damn this hay fever life!), I enjoyed the walks and al fresco lunches. My theme for the weekend was to relax! Food, sleep, some more sleep and some more sleep. We spent the rest of Friday evening catching up and planning our weekend itinerary.

Saturday

We headed to Exmouth Beach. It is still so weird that there is a beach in England. When I think beaches, I think outside the country so imagine my excitement when my father in law suggested a beach day out. After our afternoon nap, we took a 20-minute drive to the beach. It was not as crowded as I expected. It was quite chill and peaceful and families were out there barbecuing and enjoying the sun on the beach.

There were surfers, jet skiers, kids swimming under the watchful eye of their parents and dogs running around.

We contemplated waiting around to watch the sunset on the beach but we were quite tired and decided to head home at about 7pm.

Sunday

It was Easter day so first things first, Mass! We headed to Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart for the 11am Mass. The church is so pretty and big; the Altar is one of the finest I’ve seen. Mass was really lovely and the Priest’s sermon started with some lines from Dolly Parton’s classic hit “He’s Alive” I thought he was well cool for that haha!

Afterwards, we headed to Exeter Quay for Brunch. It was busy but we were able to walk around the River Exe and my father-in-law gave us a little history about the quay, its surrounding restaurants and the wharf.

After a few minutes, we found a cute smoke and ale house, Samuel Jones and sat on the terrace to enjoy the sunshine. We ordered some food and drinks, sat there and enjoyed the serenity.

Monday

We took it really slow as we knew we were heading back to London in the afternoon. After the longest lie in, we had breakfast and decided to take a quiet walk. We walked for about an hour just around the neighbouring streets, climbing hills and discovering hidden floral walls.

"....constantly drawn to flowers as they remind me of the beauty of life, renewal of hope, positivity, happiness and that all good things will come" - Bugo 2019

1500hrs

It was time to head back into London.

I’m thankful that we have this essential option of tranquility where we can just disappear to and relax from the hustle and bustle of city life. I really wanted to go to Torquay as it holds a special place in our hearts (another gorgeous seaside town in Devon) for the insane sunset but we chose to rest and spend time with family instead.

Fun fact: my first holiday with Mr E was to Torquay. We were students and wanted to go away but were broke so he worked all summer and surprised me with a weekend away to Torquay. It was so cute and romantic!

Thankful for these little experiences and thankful that I’m able to share them with you. I guess I’m in thanksgiving mode lol so yes, thank you!!

Until next time….

..Bisous, ‘Bugo x