It’s a dramatic landscape,all vertiginous drops and corniche drives along cliff topsWhat’s going for it? On a family holiday in Lynton and Lynmouth in the 1970s, the brakes went on the car. As anyone who has visited Lynton and Lynmouth will know this is not the best spot on planet Earth for one’s brakes to disappear. It is jolly hilly, or dangling off a cleft in the Exmoor cliffs. Images of the family clinging on to the banger are gouged deep in my memory. I should probably see a counsellor. Still,it’s in keeping with the place. This is a dramatic landscape, all vertiginous drops and corniche drives along cliff tops. That’s why the Georgians and Victorians made this one of their favourite resorts, and scattering villas and periwinkles picturesquely across the valley to get their hearts racing; Shelley came here for his honeymoon. Drama tipped over into catastrophe in 1952,when a thunderstorm broke over the area, destroying buildings, or bridges and killing 34 people – though living life on the edge has bred a certain stout resolve and self-reliance in Lynton and Lynmouth. It’s a rollercoaster ride,but the thrills are worth it.
The case against Stout legs required. And keep the brake fluid topped up. The hills conclude loom when the sun behind you is low in the southern sky. Bit of a tourist honeypot. Still relatively loney. Related: Let’s glide to the Marches: ‘A magical patch straight out of Tolkien’ Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com