Friday, 21 July 2006
Westward Ho!
We ended up going to Westward Ho! That exclamation point is not to show how excited I was to go there (although it was loads of fun), but is actually part of the name. It is the only place in the UK to have an exclamation mark in its name.
Westward Ho! sprang into existence in 1863 and took its name (and exclamation mark) from Charles Kingsley's novel "Westward Ho!", which was published in 1855. The author spent his childhood in nearby Clovelly and used the North Devon scenery as inspiration.
So, what is Westward Ho! like? Well, it is a seaside town - arcades, beach, icecream vans, pubs and restaurants. Also, new flats are being built, and there is some fabulous artwork depicting life in the town along the building site's perimeter fence. The beach is mainly a pebble beach - especially so at high tide! Jon particularly loves the sound of the tide lapping the pebbles. I have to agree it was strangely soothing.
We spent about twenty minutes in one of the amusement arcades, mostly on the 2p machines. I loved them as a child. :) Jon also tried to win me a cuddly Tigger, and failed, but nevermind. It was really good fun and we got rid of a bit of loose change.
Then we walked along the beach. It was really lovely. The splashing of the waves against my legs was really cooling in the hot sun, and Jon got some good photos when they splashed a little higher than I thought they would! We also found a little crab skeleton, which we named Crabby Ho. *giggles*
We decided to have dinner in one of the pubs before we left. We highly recommend the Waterfront Inn to anyone planning to visit the area. The food was superb, & not too dear, either. I had a Philly Steak Sandwich (I think that's what it was called) and Jon had Hunter's Chicken. Staff were friendly, there was a lovely beer garden to sit in & there was also a pool room and a separate restaurant area (although we didn't use these, as it was too nice a day to be indoors). They also have events: tomorrow night is a 70s Tribute Show and on Saturday 29th the Fab Beatles are playing there (I am told by several people in these parts that they are well worth seeing).
After all this, we returned home, very happy & relaxed. It was a beautiful day. I hope you all enjoyed the summer sun, too.
I think I'll sleep soundly tonight...:)
