Travel – Food Love and a Van

Dartmouth is a picturesque boating town. It’s a place I love to visit – it’s been the destination of my annual girls’ holiday with Mum for the past 3 years and for the last 2, it’s the place where I’ve spent my birthday. In fact, last time we were only there for a day and a half. But sometimes that is all you need to enjoy this beautiful town.

So, with that in mind I thought I would share my top 6 things to do in Dartmouth.

Breakfast at Café Alfresco – this cosy café can get quite busy so I’d say it’s worth waking up early to ensure you get a table, but here you can get the best bacon and smashed avocado our sourdough toast with an egg on top. Never have I been disappointed with my breakfast and the outside makes for a great photo.

Coffee at Bula – I love this café. Mum and I first discovered it as we were walking into town from the holiday cottage where we were staying. At the time, it was in a small shop with just 3 tables and a window bench. However, they’ve recently expanded. Just 1 door down, their new space is bigger, lighter and sees half of it hosting a range of gorgeous home interiors. Their coffee is delicious, care goes into the milk designs on top and if you’re looking for a treat, then I recommend the brownies.

Boat trip – you can’t come to Dartmouth and not get on a boat, even if you just use the ferry to travel across the River Dart to get to Kingswear for a pint in the pub. There are many boat rides to choose from, some are more taxis, but if you’re looking for a bit of information on Dartmouth there are some informative cruises too. Just make sure you look up the times and plan it into your day.

Galleries – there are lots of shops, some unique and others more mainstream, but if you like art then there are a few galleries that you can lose yourself in for a morning or an afternoon. (Excuse the old picture, it was taken last December).

Dinner at The Angel – now this is a treat! I could recommend a few places to eat in Dartmouth, but honestly, I loved it here. The chef was a runner up in the 2016 Professional Masterchef, so you know the food will be good, but the restaurant itself is across the road from the River Dart, it’s a light space, with wooden tables. The food is beautifully presented and tastes great. Everything just works together and even after nibbles and 2 courses, I still couldn’t turn down a dessert because I knew I would have been missing out.

Fish & chips from Rockfish – you can’t visit a town like this without sitting on a bench watching the boats and eating fish and chips out of paper. Currently Rockfish is closed, including their takeaway shop, but trust me, when they reopen they are worth the visit. Our friends went to their restaurant in Exeter before lockdown and said the same thing! The batter is light and perfectly golden and if you eat in, who can say no to unlimited chips.

My first proper camping experience – because apparently a tent in the back garden when I was 10 doesn’t count – was in a vintage VW camper called Daisy. The men were in Portugal playing golf and drinking into the late hours of the night, so Kate and I packed up the van and along with her beautiful boxer Lola, and we set off down to Bredy Farm.

We pootled down on Friday afternoon listening to some 80s hits and the occasional static from the authentic cassette player.

When we arrived at Bredy Farm, our first job was to set up the awning. Neither of us really knew how to do this, but thanks to WhatsApp, the men were able to tell us we did an alright job and a celebratory cider was in order. Our second task was to cook. Being an experienced camper, Kate had precooked a tasty chilli for us to heat up on the portable stove and while she tended to that and the rice, I sat on a picnic chair grating cheese into a white enamel dish.

After dinner it was time to explore the campsite and see what was on offer. Unknowingly, we picked a quiet weekend for this adults only campsite, but we made friends with fellow campers and toasted to a girly weekend away over some sweet Jesus cider in the cider barn. Come 2am when the fire was dwindling, we headed back to Daisy. Clothes and fluffy socks on, we climbed into our sleeping bags, settled Lola on her bed in front of us and got our heads down for a good nights sleep. I slept well, as if I was in my bed back home, but the crisp morning air was a shock to the system compared to my usual routine.

The Saturday was quite chilled, we had a classic campers fry up for breakfast, showered in the block just up the gravel drive from our pitch and then headed to Hive beach for a coffee and cake while Lola frolicked with a pug puppy.

After our trip to the beach, we returned to the awning to cook fajitas before heading back to the cider barn to listen to some awesome live music. Maybe it was the band or the cider, or the artistic backdrop to the stage, but I was loving it. Once the music stopped, we carried the party on back at the van raiding our snacks of crisps and chocolate raisins and had another late night around the campfire.

Come Sunday, it was time to pack up. We bundled the pots and pans back into the van and attempted to neatly fold away the awning ready for the next adventure.

That was it, my first camping experience. I couldn’t have asked for better – there was a toilet and shower block meaning I didn’t have to face my fears of the compostable loo on the pitch, there was entertainment and I managed to sleep even without the recommended ear plugs and eye mask that I had been advised to get. Plus it was just a nice, first campsite to visit and one that we agreed we should take the men to at some point.