Tuesday, January 3, 2017

A bird's-eye view. . . . . . . . .

Staying on top of a cliff is quite exhilarating - so high up that a couple of our visitors
 admitted to having height anxiety when they stepped out onto the balcony with
the wind whipping off the bay.

We loved it and were out there at different times of the day, me with the 
camera of course taking photos for my memory bank, having never actually 
stayed in a place immediately above Torquay's harbor with
magnificent views across Tor Bay.

Getting down to street level around the harbor and town was another thing altogether.
These were the closest steps and at Bob's count are 277 - you just see a few here,
 then turn left for the remainder! They are very old, perhaps late 1800's, slippery 
when wet (which is much of the time - this is England!), seem to tilt forward, 
and have handrails missing in places.
 At the very bottom the security cameras talk to you - scared the heck out of me
 the first time as we went down very gingerly in the dark. I never did the climb back
 up - Bob did it once and found it quite hard going - a total of 554 steps within an hour! 
Our Boxing Day plans fell apart due to friends' becoming ill, and I already had the 
beastly cold. Staying in was not an option though. With so few days to see/do
 things we bundled up and walked the steps into town despite it being quite cold
and overcast.
 After walking around the inner harbor, watching a pair of preening swans, 
and stopping for coffee, we ended up snuggled here in the oldest Torquay pub,
circa 1540, ducking our heads under those low beamed ceilings, and carefully 
walking across the easy to trip on cobbled floors, even before a drink!
A glass of sherry for me, whilst Bob imbibed a local beer. The crowd was 
lively and made up of chatty locals along with a few out of town visitors,
such as us. We always manage to find someone to talk with in a pub!
Yes, those steps were somewhat unexpected! 
Another hometown surprise - one I will steer clear of on our next visit I think!


10 comments:

  1. Oh beauty... Sorry about the cold. Good for you to keep on anyway.

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  2. What beautiful photos. Those steps look scary! Hope you cold is going away.
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  3. What beautiful photos, Mary. Magnificent, really. So enjoyed your previous post, too.

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  4. Those stairs look treacherous, especially when wet! Ah, the pubs of England...there's nothing like them. Loved ducking into the pubs while out walking around (way back in 2000). Nothing like the bars here, that's for sure!

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  5. The stairs and the view is quite beautiful, but I agree lower down might be better the next time. Yikes! I can't imagine climbing those stairs. Sitting in the very old pub sounds perfect on a winter day. Happy New Year, dear ones.

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  6. Hope your cold is easing somewhat now that you are home. What a magnificent view from your hotel! Those stairs would be quite the adventure. Tucked into a cozy pub sounds like a great alternative plan to while away a few hours.

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  7. Wonderful photos! Love the view!

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  8. I love the stairs!! And the "Hole in the Wall" reminds me of Scarborough, where there is a pub of the same name. My late husband and I stopped there for a drink a few times during our many holidays there.
    It all looks very green, not at all like Christmas!

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  9. Once a day down and up those stairs and you certainly wouldn't need to go to the gym!

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  10. Wonderful photographs Mary and you really are so good at packing so much in { even with a cold !! }
    Hope you enjoyed getting back to your roots and a belated Happy New Year to you and yours. XXXX

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