Friday, July 3, 2015

Sunny brunch in Cockington, Devon. . . . . . . .



Cockington, known the world over, is a preserved village of stone and color washed 
walls under thatched roofs and is tucked away in a secluded wooded valley at the heart 
of the English Riviera. People have lived here for many centuries. 
Mentioned in the Doomsday Book of William the Conqueror, 
it is clear that a Saxon village was already in existence before that time.

On another perfect morning, we walked to the harbor and took the scenic 
double-decker bus ride along the seafront.

Walking into the village from the area of the arrow (in first pic), we followed the
 'water meadows' with raised walkways over the dancing stream and shallow ponds. 
Rife with swathes of Cow Parsley (Queen Anne's Lace), dragonflies and birds, 
these meadows run alongside the narrow lane into the village. It was a leisurely 
half hour saunter which we all enjoyed.

Soon we reached the farm cottages, some of which have been turned 
into shops, cafes, even a small exclusive hotel



Here I must tell you that Cockington was my 'childhood playground'.
My home was close by, a walk up and down a few steep hills, or sometimes the 
short route through the fields of grazing dairy cows and, with a clamber over a stile, 
it brought me out close to a smelly but always exciting farmyard. 
When the teenage years arrived becoming a farmer's wife was probably 
my dream back then - I certainly never thought about emigrating to America 
and working in Washington, D.C. a few years on!
At the beautiful Rose Cottage Tea Rooms, in the center of the village, we stopped
 for brunch. Bob and Jasmin ordered the 'full English' breakfast (he had been longing 
for one since we arrived in Devon - Jasmin went along with the idea but didn't manage
 to eat much of her loaded plate!). I had the tuna jacket potato with a crunchy side 
salad - everything was very good. . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . and how could it not be when the setting was so lovely and the 
pianist played some great tunes for us.



The gardens surrounding the tea rooms were beautiful. I was thrilled to find the 
property so well cared for, especially as some years back when visiting during the 
recession I had found it looking rather untidy and unloved. Someone must have come 
along and put a lot of work and money into bringing it back.  

More about this lovely historic village coming later. . . . . . 
including the ever wonderful Devon Cream Tea!


11 comments:

  1. Why is everything so pretty over their. Nothing or nowhere here compares.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a pretty place. Love all the thatched house. How not been even though I am only in Cornwall. Must visit.
    Rosezeeta.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a gorgeous place to visit!!! I loved every photo!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Mary - I am so pleased that you had a memorable trip back to your childhood home with blue skies all the way. It must have been really lovely sharing it all with your granddaughter Jasmin - a visit that will have left indelible memories for her of the happy time she spent with you both.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a beautiful town! It is really gorgeous with all the thatched roof homes and the gardens. It would be wonderful to visit there and roam the streets and shops and have a nice meal. Just lovely. Happy July 4th to you.
    xx Pam

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just idylllic! What a beautiful place and you were so lucky to have such a wonderful place on your doorstep when you lived there. The light in Devon and Cornwall is a whole different thing, it really picks up the beauty of the place. Have a wonderful Sunday xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mary, what lovely, lovely photos!! You grew up in such a beautiful place!! I especially love the field full of Queen's Anne Lace-one of my favorite flowers even though some call them weeds! They are just gorgeous!! We used to pick them as children and fill glass full of water and food color and they would take up the dye water and the lace would change colors!! Thank you for sharing your lovely photos with us!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such a beautiful village and lovely photo's of your daughter!

    Madelief x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Madelief - I did have a lovely 'playground' as a child! Jasmin is our granddaughter - she's 18, has just graduated from high school and will study nursing with hopes of becoming a psychiatric nurse-practitioner.

      Mary -

      Delete
  9. What a lovely post! I love the cottages and the old stocks. Beautiful
    Blessings
    Jacqui

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh wow... That place will be on my list of places to visit the next time I am in theUK beautiful. I have to admit I never really cared for that full English breakfast. The Irish do the same thing! I'll skip those meats and eat the tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete

I would enjoy reading your comment - thanks so much for stopping by.