2014 - Day25 (Great Rissington to Launceston)

Better start with the important stuff - Launceston here is NOT pronounced as for Tasmania -- it is Lonson or if you are really local it is Lanson. So there.

Also before I get to today, I forgot to mention in the last 2 blogs about the wildlife in the Cotswolds - it was just amazing. The birds really made their presence felt - you could hear them all the time when not on a busy road (not much) - the pheasants were all through the hedgerows and would wait until you were right next to them and then decide to try and take off across your path - they don't fly very well and so they'd give you quite a fright. Also squirrels and foxes would frequently race across in front and the major roadkill around there seemed to be huge rats.

So to today - a travel day so of course we got some rain, but only a little although the clouds looked very threatening at times. Navigated well from Bourton etc, through Cirencester, onto the M4 across towards Bristol then onto the M5 to Exeter and then the A30 to Launceston. Easy trip with light traffic generally on the M's until near the major centres and then OK again. Stopped at a servo for refrshments and got the Launceston at about 2. Launceston must be one of the most confusing places around for navigation - we needed the A388 north to St Giles-on-the-heath to find Poole farm but we   found about  5 signs directing to A388 all in different directions!!! Eventually sorted it out and then had to ask at the St Giles PO for directions to Poole farm as there were no signs to it (must make that suggestion!!!)

But we've been well rewarded - it is a  beautiful B&B - sitting on the banks of the Tamar River in the middle of farmland. The Tamar is the border with Cornwall so we took a walk over the old bridge into Cornwall this afternoon and it  is SO quiet and peaceful - and we've got 5 days here! Local little pub for dinner tonight and then we'll chat with David the owner re what to do over the next few days. We have the whole place to ourselves - we booked in February and after that they decided that Diana was having an end-of-season break from this Friday so held our booking but took no more for this  period - David will look after us until Monday then join her for their break.

Headed for the local 'Pint and Post" pub for dinner - made to feel SO welcome and had a terrrific night - it was their "lasagne and pizza" night so we had lasagne (and chips!!) along with a couple of small bottles of wine, lovely garlic bread, a guiness - grand total 22 pounds! Gorgeous little 16th century pub, thatched roof, bar ceiling just above head height - I'll get a photo of it in dayllight tomorrow for facebook

Trivia: The Conservative Party Conference is on here at the moment. It is quite uncanny - the issues are exactly the same as home, only the names of the personalities are different!!! They even seem to have their own Clive Palmer!!

Cap report: more than half way and still OK!