To Devon and Beyond

View of the Yealm Valley

Travelling in hot weather with a dog and a car full of camping equipment is not a good idea. And, if you're travelling to an area you're not familiar with, it's even worse.

There we were, riding in our car from Verwood in Hampshire to Yealmpton in Devon with Jessie our trusty Border Terrier. We hadn't been on the road ten minutes when I navigated us away from the A31, which was where we wanted to go, to somewhere completely different, which cost us some time. It had rained overnight and the tent was wet when we packed it up. We needed to get to our destination in plenty of time to dry it out.

After a while, feeling thirsty and needing a toilet break, we decided to stop at a well known service area to meet our needs. To say that stop was a disaster is probably an understatement. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. One of the staff there had just told the boss he was leaving in two days. The atmosphere was bad and the service torturous. And the beginnings of a black mood began to develop for both of us.

Then I made the mistake of asking to stop at the Exeter Service area to use their facilities - on a Saturday afternoon - with someone who hates crowds - nightmare! This was coupled with the fact that Alan, who was doing the driving and was tired and hot, felt my directions were a bit slow in coming. Bad enough - but then things went from bad to worse.

Tempers were getting frayed.The driving speed was going up. Although the weather was hot, the atmosphere in the car was icy. Jessie was making her feelings felt by ensuring she had a lion's share of my seat, which meant that I was now sitting at an angle. I felt sorry for her as there was really nowhere else to sit, the rest of the car being filled with camping equipment.

I mentally breathed a sigh of relief when we turned off the A38 and started to make our way to Yealmpton. But I had reckoned without the slightly vague directions that we had received to find the location for the next seven days, Yealm Cabin.

As we drove up a hill on a single lane road, we looked in vain for the allotted place. Then came those magic words, "You've got us lost". I had been quite calm up till then, but something inside me snapped. With the words, "I'll get out and find it then", I exited the car, slamming the door as hard as I could and went marching up the road to the nearest property.

Now, Alan just cannot stand slammed doors at the best of times and I could hear him swearing at volume as I walked off. By the time I had received directions and turned back, the car had disappeared. My first thought, I'm ashamed to admit, was that he had gone home, which led to the thought "well, let him", as my overheated temper was totally in control and getting the better of me.

Making my way to the house where the owner of the log cabin's lived, I knocked and introduced myself. It was not really surprising, but she did look a bit bemused to be confronted by one person, with no luggage and not a car in sight.

At that point Alan arrived. The small time away had allowed both of us to regain our cool (although I was still angry inside - flaming even). How was the week in the cabin going to go, I wondered?

Drying Out the Tent!