I have just returned from my first-ever camping trip with my family-in-laws in Devon!
I had been to Devon a number of times in the past when visiting my husband's grandparents, but never been much further than Exmoor, so I was very looking forward to this trip! We stayed at Stoke Barton Farm & Campsite, close to the coast of North Devon, in Bideford. I had underestimated how windy and cold it would be right by the coast! But the salty sea air and the coastal view was so refreshing and stunning, and made it all worth it.
The photos really don't do them justice:
Top: Hartland Quay ; Bottom left: Speke's Mill Mouth Waterfall; Bottom right: St Catherine's Tor
I felt inspired by the new scenery and experience that I felt I had to sketch them with my new mini sketchbook!
This one is of the Hartland Quay at Bideford, done using fountain pen and watercolour:
This one is of the campsite we were staying at, done using brush pen and watercolour:
And this one is of my husband and I sweating though the night in our sleeping bag, done using fineliner and colour pencils:
Might I just add that our Eurohike Gaia III Eco tent is amazing? For a two-person tent it has ample headroom, it has good value for the sheet material, AND it's made from recycled bottles!
We were also lucky to be just in time for the local Hartland Farmer's Market, which only happens on the first Sunday of each month in Hartland. I found a beautiful ceramic seashell necklace made by the Devon-based artist Jessie O'Farrell which perfectly encapsulated the the coastal scenery of Devon in my mind, as well as a book titled The Postman Poet written by Liz Shakespeare. The book had caught my eye because as a postcard-writing enthusiast it was fascinating to me to know what it feels like to work as a postman, to be handling and transporting letters and packages in the 1800s, when the UK's postal network began to expand and became available to everyone.
I met the author herself, so naturally I had to get my book signed, and take a photo with her!
Now, I don't know if it's because of this confirmational bias, but I have been thoroughly enjoying this book! To me it is an educational snapshot of the life of the working class in the 1800s, and it has also made me see poetry in a new light. I'm also super grateful to be able to have a full-time job when Edward was making 7 shillings a week as a postman and having to support his wife and child when he was at my age.
Comments