Walk to Dartington

The start of our walk in the rain to Dartington hall.
These periwinkles were so vibrant and blooming at the beginning  of the walk along  the banks of the Dart to the Hall.
Dartington Hall was established in 1925 by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst,visionaries, as an experiment in
rural regeneration. The gardens are serene and inspiring and the Hall is home to many exciting courses and of  the Literary Festival.

It was drizzling with Autumn rain when we walked beside the river which was high . Little whirlpools sucked in the fallen leaves and the water was rising.We saw coots and swans and heard skenes of geese as they flew
overhead.

The colour of the trees , gold, red and yellow was stunning .

As we walked we heard the old steam train that runs from Totnes to Buckfastliegh puffing out steam and the shrill whistle as it made its way along the banks of the Dart.It was like something out of Agatha Christie's novels.She lived near Dartmouth and it is possible to visit her house.

The oak leaves were changing colour .

The ancient trees reminded me so much of Tolkien with their gnarled bark and  and branches.

The sloes were abundant and ready for a good bottle of gin!

The cyclamen,.so delicate and marvellous blooming at this time of the year when other plants are drawing back to wait for next spring blossomed at the foot of a gnarled tree.

We had coffee at the White Hart Pub in front of a smoky wood fire and talked about the exhibition of Kurt Jackson  I had recently seen in Truro  where he had explored the banks of the Dart in  paint . Then we retraced our steps  to our friends house for one of Brenda's legendary Sunday lunches,her roast potatoes are the ambrosia of the potato world!!!