Time off in Totnes

We were staying in the middle of Totnes, which is a very busy and pretty small town. When you live in a village, as we do, I always think that it's extra-exciting to holiday in a town. And this is a lovely one. There are lots of independent shops, a small market place with a busy Friday and Saturday market, galleries and book shops, health food stores and a tolerant, laid back kind of atmosphere. 

And yes, there was quite a bit of vintage and handmade in evidence. I particularly enjoyed the Friday vintage market. I arrived at about 9am, and spent a wonderful hour just rootling around the stalls in the sun. First of all I headed straight to Shabby Chick, having read about this lovely pitch on a number of blogs.

Pretty gorgeous isn't it? Amanda is the lovely lady who owns the stall, and she has such a great selection of carefully chosen florals and chintz at very reasonable prices. I think we need to see a bit more...

More?

Eventually, I did manage to tear myself away, having made a purchase. I didn't manage to photograph my buys today, but I will do it tomorrow. Here is a snap of the rest of the market....

I found the most delightful shelf here, and I will show it as soon as I can. There were lots of other things to see and buy though, local honey and bread, cheese, and an organic cut flower stall which was doing a roaring trade in pretty bunches.

I had three 50th birthday presents to buy and you could not find a better place to do it. This shop was a real favourite, and it was just a few minutes away from where we were staying. Its name was Inspired Buys.

It had a really eclectic mix of things. I bought the vintage hotel poster in the window...

So much to explore:

I had to pop out one evening to take pictures as the streets were so busy during the day.

To get into town, we had to walk over the river bridge.... gorgeous.

I've showed you one of the walks we took which started on the river bank in my last post. On our last day, my son and I took the house bicycles and rode a mile or two out of town in the other direction, to Dartington Hall. After a very waspy cup of tea in the excellent Venus Cafe, we went to explore the gardens.
I am sooo glad we did (it was a bit stormy by now and we almost headed home). 

It was a very special place. Free to go in and wander.

This hobbity little house was empty, but there were signs of life. A pair of hobnail boots and a mug on the sink. Very intriguing. We sheltered under the roof while the storm passed. The paths were glistening.

And then it was time to cycle home again

So there are some very happy memories of Devon. 

Last instalment tomorrow, just to show you a few finds...