Barnstaple

History is not the past, but a map of the past drawn from a particular point of view to be useful to the modern traveler. ~Henry Glassie

Yesterday we took a short trip to the town of Barnstaple,  possibly one of the oldest boroughs in the United Kingdom.  Sadly like many towns in the U.K. with the influx of supermarkets some of the town looks a little neglected.  At the same time though it has lots of independent shops that you don't find in shopping malls which make for a more varied shopping experience.

We also came across The Albert Memorial clock which is know as the four faced liar clock due to the fact that each of the faces of the clock tell a slightly different time.

Tucked inbetween some of the shop's is St. Peter's church with it's  crooked spire.  This church dates back to the 13th century.

Barnstaple once had a castle but sadly all that remains now is the tree covered motto.  We did walk up to the top of the motte where you can imagine there would once have been magnificent views down the river Taw and the town itself.

We enjoyed lunch at The Driftwood cafe, very friendly, they allow dogs in and service and quality of food was extremely good.  If you ever go to Barnstaple I'd highly recommend them.

I picked up a couple of knitting patterns in one of the shop's which I thought I  would add to my to do list.

We are already halfway through our holiday, we have been blessed so far with mainly dry and sunny weather.  All too quickly the time is passing but it has been lovely sharing our holiday with a small part of our family.