Adventures in Devon

Adventures in Devon

So I asked the driver where we’re going next…

Beyond The Van

Devon, he barked.

Beyond

So off we went. Richard & Ted’s adventure to Devon… Off to East Dartmoor.

Woodbury Common

Via Woodbury Common, near Exeter.

We stopped here for the night but didn’t pick the best car park. It seemed to be a popular dogging spot.

Now, I do believe in live and let live. But if you’re going to go dogging please turn your engines off.

Some of us are trying to kip!

 

IMG_0006

For our second night, we thought we’d hit the jackpot! A back garden like this? Just outside Bovey Tracey.

No, I don’t miss the bricks!!

This was a delightful little lay-by and provided the best sleep in a long while!

Devon

The next morning, we set off on our long distance trip… 200 yards up the road.

We spotted this stunning, tucked away area.

Well, it’d be rude not to stop here for a night… or two!

Wild Ponies Dartmoor

We had neighhhh-bours. Love these kind of neighbours.

Richard and Ted

Neither do we…

Dartmoor Sunshine

I think I can just about cope with this weather!

Cooking in a van

I even cooked… sort of. Stir fry. But that’s good for me!

Fire wood

We (and I do mean we) gathered firewood ready to move on tomorrow…

Woodburner

Well, you never know in England, it might just snow tomorrow!

Rich and Ted

In the morning, we headed off…

But there was a problem.

The van had started using copious amounts of diesel! 200 miles per tank, down from over 350??

I had noticed on the drive down that it was drinking fuel.

Let’s inspect…

Dirty air Filter

The air filter was, well, not filtering, that’s for sure!

Off to find a motor factors in Torquay…

Devon

We’ll be back to 20+ MPG very soon…

New air filter

Quick swap of the air filter… and we’re good to go!

Well, while we’re here, why not a quick beach visit….?

Dog on Beach

Oh. That’s why not. How ridiculous.

Ted on Beach

It was ok though, we found a beach area further along where there was no Ted discrimination!

Time for Ted to do what he loves best… Splash!

Richard

We didn’t stay long though.

25 percent hill

We headed back to Dartmoor.

Hope the brakes aren’t as bad as the air filter was!

Venford Reservoir

A stunning place to park up, beside Venford Reservoir.

Dartmoor Ponies

More delightful neighbours!

Dartmoor Pony

Not in the slightest bit phased by Ted’s barks!

Venford Reservoir

Such a quiet, delightful place. Even if it did rain lots!

Dartmoor

Ted soon got the idea that wild horses won’t eat him.

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In the evening, I heard what I assumed to be thunder. When I looked out though, I saw literally a hundred horses galloping past my door!

Horses

We stayed here for one night and decided to move on the following morning to Bodmin Moor.

On the way, we spotted something worth stopping for…

River Beach

An absolutely lovely river and river beach! Guess who will love this…

Ted

Need I say more?

Ted River

This would be a cracking spot for the night… Maybe next time?!

Bodmin Moor

I continued, complete with soggy dog, to Bodmin Moor. Found a lovely place to stay, right next to a lake. Perfect…

Ted

East Dartmoor. Loved it… Time to go back!

Ted

Ted concurs with the description of Dartmoor being awesome… Lots of off-lead running space here!

We spent a week around Dartmoor, moving around and enjoying the beauty.

The van was clearly in need of a service. It’s amazing how much sooner it needs looking at after driving many dusty miles in Portugal.

We headed for home soil…

Service LDV

A good service was very much in order!

Transit 2.5

Got to love the simplicity and reliability of the 2.5 Litre Turbo Transit engine! Better known as the Ford Banana engine.

Beyond’s engine was fully rebuilt only 7,000 miles ago (after I hydro locked it with washer bottle water whilst fitting the Hydrogen fuel cell). Well worth the rebuild investment, even if it didn’t seem so at the time!

Beyond

“Can we go away again now please?”

Elan Valley

That afternoon, we headed off on our travels again! Freshly serviced, running a treat.

Elan Valley, one of my absolute favourite places.

Water Dog

You guessed it, water dog was straight back at it again!

Elan Valley

During the evening, we watched a local farmer and his dog rounding the sheep up.

Well, his dog rounded the sheep up, the farmer stood whistling! Really amazing to watch though!

I asked him if he’d like to train Ted to do as he’s asked… he didn’t seem too keen!

On that note, Ted chewed through his lead three times that evening so he could sniff a wider area!

We stayed in Elan Valley for a couple of nights before heading home.

The van has work to be done now… new windows to be fitted, cab to be sound proofed, rain water tank filling system to be designed…

Where next?

I love Elan Valley and will have plenty of short breaks there. Portugal however is calling me! September………..

Time to get the van ready, this time it’s going to be a long trip!

More fun…

I’ve bought a GoPro. This can only mean one thing…. Video Blogs! (vlogs?)! Coming right up!

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19 Comments on “Adventures in Devon

  1. Pleased to see Ted is fitting in well and enjoying him self!,a great travel companion,the van looks grate, so take care and keep out the rays,enjoy your travels where ever the wheels take you two,best regards Alf and Marianne.

  2. My heart breaks for all of humanity. I am too sensitive to handle this plight of life on earth. I do get relief from my symptoms, using a menagerie of supplements and therapies and feel like my symptoms are regressing. I do believe this is an allergy of the most heinous kind and can be turned around. I don’t think it has to be a permanent diagnosis. I take ten or 12 supplements, wear a Casio Resin band watch with battery and second hand and use a still point inducer by John Updike, daily. Also grounding sheet, often. I drink Moringa tea leaf powder in my morning tea and use a Sun Warrior protein shake. I slept in a hotel for two nights this past weekend, with minimal 24 hour delay symptoms. I am feeling the best I have in 3 years now and almost normal. Just wish my joy were better, but the reality of life for humans hurts my soul and I find laughing, a commodity. I try, though. Lord, knows, I try. I love your blog and the places you have been to find respite. I was upstate in New York and feel much better in the mountains, for sure. Stay positive, but to know that this can be reversed. Our brains have the capacity to change and rewire, believe me. Susan

    • Thank you Susan, I hope you’re right. It’s getting harder and harder to find safe places. The world’s gone wirelessly mad! Take care and best wishes, Richard.

  3. My daughter lives in Buckfastliegh and the mobile and digital reception is diabolical and now definite word on any improvement,so enjoy it while you can!
    It is beyond me why people always need to be connected,may be for fear of missing anything. Mobiles are now a fashion item especially with females who can’t put them in their handbags or pockets. The rudest thing anyone can do to me is to put their phone on the table while having a meal-I am really that boring.
    I worked in telecomms when they were introducing PCM this emitted a barely audible sound which mad a lot of us nauseous.
    They took no notice of our reports even though it was a pilot scheme.

    • Hi Will,
      Buckfastleigh sounds perfect! I will have to pay it a visit next time I’m in Devon.
      People don’t seem to be able to leave their phones alone for two minutes anymore, it’s so incredibly rude. As well as an addiction, they have become a fashion accessory. Nobody takes any notice of anything until it’s too late, then they scream about how they didn’t know!
      Keep in touch, best wishes, Richard.

  4. Some brill pictures there Rich. Glad to see you ‘boys’are out and about. We live in such a beautiful country, don’t we and so much of its ours or free. Take care. Xx

  5. Hi Richard!
    Glad you are enjoying life!
    I had a nasty ‘do’ on saturday-put a whole new light on the song by the ‘Lancashire Hotpots’. https://youtu.be/aNcaaehKaC8
    I went into Ikea which in Belfast is next to the airport.
    Mega esmog and Radar-bad combo.
    Wanted to lay down on the bedroom furniture display/run out screaming/cry/gasp for air all at once and generally have what felt like a panic attack!
    Sensitivity is cumulative so I realise I had overdone things in the last 4 weeks.
    Ikea was the last straw.
    Keep up the good work! xx

  6. I’m good now thanks Richard!
    Just printed off you EHS story to hand around to friends.
    Hoping that your experience gets them to examine their own lifestyle and possible effects they are feeling. Many friends complain of sleep problems. Memory problems. Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I see the symptoms in many people all around me, I would suggest many of the symptoms are EHS exacerbating underlying health problems. There strong evidence to support this. Work done by Prof Trevor Marshall https://youtu.be/37j2jDN8IVo
    He is working with autoimmune diseases and this link is his lecture on ‘How Radio Waves Make You Sicker’ I have received one of his microwave ‘sniffers’. The video explains how very sensitive our cells are to EMF’s.
    A friend just sent a very interesting article about switched polarities.
    Its quite long..I can send a printed copy to you. I know how hard it is reading long articles on a screen-I usually print off and then read.
    I could send it to your shop? xx

    • I am interested in the idea of EMF’s and RF’s worsening other disorders. I have had systemic candida for 20 years on and off. When I lived in the bush in NZ for 8 years with no mobile signal (and after a lot of detoxing) my health was so amazing. Landing back here in 2010 I could literally feel the buzziness energy draining me again and my old symptoms returned quite swiftly. I found myself so ill with vertigo, tinnitus, headaches, chronic fatigue etc etc. Then came chemical sensitivity and shocks up my arm just holding my ipad. I quit the iphone and wired everything in a year ago. Since April I have been on a mission to further support my health since just quitting wireless in my home has not been enough. Out and about bombards my system. So my theory is to raise my cell voltage/pH daily as much as I can. This goes along with what Richard has found works: walking barefoot -earthing, swims in nature, lots of alkaline foods and fish (in portugal), healthy water (I use a Pureaire jug which alkalises water), and I take a whole bunch of supplements which alkalise and detox. These I mix into a water bottle and shake up to drink first thing. I take fulvic minerals and also other things to support adrenals, thyroid and my gut. My skin had chronic rosacea 12 weeks ago and was aging, my hair was falling out and I was exhausted. Now I look ten years younger, perfect skin, hair fuller and I have energy! I do get zapped in the city centre but it means to recover I just need a small nap the next day not wiped out with symptoms for the rest of the week. I am passionate about healing through raising the body’s own vibration and voltage. Cancer and Candida thrive when the voltage is low. So many things in life lower it:stress, emfs, acid foods etc. Spread the word about how to raise it and re-nourish the body with alkaline gut-supporting foods and drinks and we can survive this digital age unscathed. It is a daily battle for me but I am finally getting somewhere. Emma

  7. Oh, my stomping ground, so happy you visited Devon! Are you still around? Are you able to do a show and tell for interested folks like me to help spread the word on EHS and so we can see how you set up your van? I am a mum at the Steiner Academy Exeter, I reckon a few others would be interested to meet you. Dartmoor is very hit and miss as they have Tetra masts which are awful, A30 and A38 is peppered with masts too. Its like its fenced in. Can you list the ‘clean’ areas and ‘dirty’ ones for us Devon folks so we know which spots are ok? Emma x

    • Hi Lynn, it is indeed true. It’s very saddening, but it’s the end of an era which of course means the start of a new one! Who knows what direction I’ll go next, but it’ll be interesting to say the least!!! Hope you’re well! Best wishes, Richard.

  8. Hi Richard
    Sorry for you.
    I had to make some huge changes in my life but I have come a long way and learnt so much because of EHS.
    The silver lining in the cloud.
    Skint like! But alive! Thats a bonus.
    I am well and re-training as an Herbalist and Bioresonance practitioner.
    It was the Biores practitioner where I first heard about E-smog.
    Didn’t realise at the time the impact it was going to have on my life!
    Take care and keep up the blog.
    Following you on this site-hate facebook or twitface as a friend calls it. Lynn