The Valley of Rocks
A Goat Adventure (with missing kids)
The north Devon coast is only about 80 miles away from where we live in south Devon, but because of the intricate maze of Devon’s narrow, winding lanes, it takes around two and a half hours to get there.
It has been half-term this week and we were planning a day trip to the Valley of Rocks and a walk through Lynton and Lynmouth up the valley to Watersmeet. It was a route we had walked two years ago during a family holiday, when we spent four nights in a static caravan near Lynmouth. Layla had such good memories of the area that she’d been asking if we could return ever since.
Leo and Kitty did not share Layla’s enthusiasm.
‘Why do we have to drive for two and a half hours to do a stupid massive walk that we’ve done before?’ argued Leo the day before. ‘And then drive two and a half stupid hours home?’
‘Because it will be fun,’ I said.
‘No it won’t. It will be horrible. I don’t understand why you would make us do that.’
Negotiating with teenagers about things like this is tough. Rachel and I know that days out walking with their family is not how they would choose to spend their time. We also know that not only would it be good for them, but they would also most likely enjoy it.
But it got to the stage that Layla was getting upset about the prospect of Leo and Kitty ruining the day for everyone with their incessant moaning.
‘Fine. Don’t come then,’ said Rachel. ‘You two can stay at home.’
‘You HATE me! See, you don’t want me to come anyway.’
We couldn’t win. In the end, Leo and Kitty did stay home, and Rachel, Layla, Ludo and I set off for north Devon last Tuesday.
The Valley of Rocks had been the highlight of our previous holiday in north Devon. As you might imagine, it’s a valley… full of rocks. It is a dramatic stretch of coastline, sitting between the wilds of Exmoor and the Bristol Channel. Each evening of that trip, we’d clambered up the rocks high above the sea to watch the sunset.
The Valley of Rocks is also famous for its herd of wild goats, which have been local residents for centuries (they are even mentioned in the Domesday Book).
