Okay, I apologise to Budleigh Salterton

Well, I am sorry about this, it is a tad embarrassing and all, but oh dear. Would it help if I gave my defence first, and say that I have thwarted the crime?

This, Budleigh Salterton, is Squirrel's attempt to stash your beach in the back of our car.


I said, Squirrel, you cannot nick all the pebbles from this beach! People like them here! What's more, this site is specially protected to stop crims like us coming down and nicking it. We must be responsible.

Well, you should all know that as far as a life of crime can be measured, I am an amateur compared to her. She has developed masterful strategies. When her pockets are filled to bursting, she will take off her trousers and tie up the leg ends to make bags. Then she can walk about in her underwear while making off with your pebbly treasures.

Here she is, in the act of taking off her shoes.


Do not think she is ridding her shoe of a tiny sharp pebble, irkling its annoying way under her big toe. No, she is in the act of putting pebbles in, thanks to her technique of lodging rocks in her toe-ends. (This technique was perfected back here.)

Be kind on her. She may be your future geologist. And her enthusiasm is understandable. Have you seen these beauties? Our guide book explains how these gorgeous wonders might be 440 million years, and counting!


Of course I made her tip out her stolen stash from her clothing. She has probably slipped some by me, stowing them in her knickers. But if I find any about her person, be assured they will be cherished. They will grace our geology display. This fine display is on the stairs leading to the bedrooms, and has been added especially to exhibit proceeds of our rock theft*. (Some of those rocks even have labels! How dedicated can we be?)

We finally depart Budleigh Salterton with our responsibilities and dignities intact. Admittedly with a somewhat grumpy Squirrel, but at least the Gritmobile does not sound like two hundredweight of walnuts being smashed with a giant hammer every time we roll over a speed bump (and believe me in the past it certainly has).

So we make our way forward to the red desert landscapes of the Triassic coast and the fantastic rocks of Ladram Bay.

Here I go a bit weepy, sad and nostalgic, so am simply putting up pictures to drool over later, in secret.












For the educational record and the completeness of our day's geological tour, I should also note that we toured the quarry at Beer.

(very dark)

Then returned to the van for supper and a history lesson on the Georgians. (That is, watching Blackadder 3, Ink and Incapability, but in my book it amounts to the same thing.)


I have been asked already how you find out the full tour along this Dorset-Devon coastline. Well, excellent guides exist down here. I bought one.

I also bought this book to read as we travel, but the children complain that it sounds ripped out from the tourist information panels with a few jokes added. Ahem. Sorry about that, Mr Vince. I link to this by way of compensation.

I am also reading bits of this site: geology-speak but with lots of rock porn pictures and it does make us wonder about words, so that is good. Thank you Southampton University for assisting our wandering education again. Who knows, one day Squirrel could be sitting at your benches. She has form for that as well.


* I may add a photograph of the stair-wise geology at some point, so everyone around Britain can spot their rock that Squirrel has nicked. Please form an orderly line to prosecute us.