The English Riviera

Woke up this morning to find another six inches of snow had fallen overnight. We turned on the TV news to hear that one of the main roads through the county had been closed overnight due to snow, and that hundreds of motorists had been stranded. Police were recommending that where possible, journeys were delayed and said extreme care should be taken on local roads. We went down to breakfast and heard from the waitress that her partner, who is the chef at the pub next door, was having to work the breakfast shift as the staff could not get into the village due to the state of the local roads, that some of those working last night hadn't been able to get home so had stayed over, and that there were a few new guests in the B&B who had checked in late having abandoned their journeys. We were due to go home today as we had something on in London tomorrow but I really didn't think it was sensible to set off so managed to rearrange it, and decided to stay an extra night here.

We walked over the estuary bridge and into Teignmouth where we decided to get a train to Torquay. It appeared to be closed. Few shops were open, blaming staff not being able to get in. This kiosk promoting boat rides was understandably closed, and the only places appearing to do any trade were the coffee shops and pubs.

This village is not a bad place to be stranded, and having warmed up through the day the snow is starting to go. We'll have no problem getting home tomorrow but W will certainly remember this birthday weekend away for a long time to come!