Today it is my stop on the Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage Blog Tour.
This is the 10th novel set in Talyton St George and I loved returning to this fabulous fictional village.
Cathy Woodman is joining us today to tell us about Five of
the Best Places to Visit in East Devon in the Spring
Hello Rea
Thank you
for welcoming me to your wonderful blog.
I loved
revisiting Talyton St George in my new book ‘Springtime at Cherry Tree
Cottage’. As it has a springtime theme and is set in East Devon, I
thought I’d introduce you to five of the best places to visit here at this time
of year.
I’m
also pleased to tell you that I’ve recently moved back to the ‘Talyton St
George’ area in real life, so the other weekend I was eating ice cream on the
beach at Sidmouth. I can thoroughly recommend the Salcombe salted caramel
flavour!
Sidmouth
Sidmouth
is a seaside town set below green hills and the red sandstone cliffs of the
Jurassic coast, a World Heritage site. It is beautiful at any time of year, but
in spring you can enjoy walking along the Esplanade where the row of fine
Regency buildings looks out across the sea. If you are feeling more
adventurous, you can walk the coastal path to Beer and Branscombe to the east.
Connaught Gardens are well worth a visit to see the collection of temperate
plants and bulbs that are in flower in the spring. And while you’re there, stop
at the Clock Tower Café for an enormous slice of cake.
The
Donkey Sanctuary
If you
are in Sidmouth, drop in to the Donkey Sanctuary where you can hug a donkey
like Timmy, the one in the photo. It’s a working farm, so it’s important to
dress up for the spring weather and wear suitable footwear. For more
information, visit their website at https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/visit-us/sidmouth
South
West Coast Path - Budleigh Salterton to Otterton
The
walk starts at the Limekiln car park at the mouth of the River Otter in
Budleigh Salterton which has a pebble beach. You follow the estuary then
continue along the river where you can see the signs of spring.
I based
my description of the River Taly that runs through Talyton St George on the
River Otter, so while you are there, looking at the scenery, I hope you will be
able to imagine Flick and Robbie from ‘Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage’
riding their horses along the riverbank.
I would
recommend a stop at Otterton Mill, a water mill from the mid-19th
century, where you can have lunch, buy fresh bread and buy works by local
artists and craftspeople. It’s very popular so it can get busy.
Follow
the link here to check parking and accessibility: https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/walksdb/7/#
Killerton
House
Killerton
House is a National Trust property. It is an eighteenth century house with
landscaped gardens surrounded by beautiful parkland. Inside, there is a
historical fashion collection. It is particularly renowned for its collection
of spring flowers, including cyclamen, celandine, bluebells, snowdrops,
crocuses, daffodils, camellias and magnolias.
For
more information on opening times and admission prices, see http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton
Exmouth
Beach
Exmouth
is situated on the Exe estuary at the western limit of the Jurassic Coast. It
has two miles of sandy beaches where you can walk and look for shells or paddle,
when it’s warm enough! There are cafés, lawns and displays of spring blooms
along the seafront.
In the
Talyton St George series, the seaside town of Talymouth was inspired by my
trips to Exmouth, and in ‘Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage’, Flick visits
Talysands which is loosely based on Dawlish Warren on the opposite side of the
Exe estuary.
When I
visited Exmouth the other week, much of the beach had been washed or blown up
onto the roads and pavements by one of the big storms and there was a team of
people in the process of moving it all back again.
If you
take your dog with, just check which areas of the beach they are allowed on and
when as there are restrictions as spring turns into summer.
I hope
you will enjoy some of the many attractions the area has to offer if you are
passing through, or staying here on holiday.
Happy
reading!
x Cathy
Her first job is in Talyton St George. The little cottage on the green where she is staying is idyllic, and it feels like the fresh start she needs. But she soon finds she is having to work overtime to prove her abilities to the not-so-welcoming locals.
One person very much on her side though is Robbie Salterton. He’s a bit of a local celebrity – a handsome stunt rider who does charity work in his spare time – and he seems to be going out of his way to look out for Flick. But is he just being friendly or does he see Flick as something more?
Despite swearing off men, Flick can’t help wanting to find out . . .
Cathy Woodman’s books are all set in the idyllic village of
Talyton St George and every time she releases another book in the series I
cannot wait to revisit the Village and the familiar characters. Cathy Woodman’s
latest release is her 10th book set in Talyton St George and the
cover of Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage is just as inviting as the storyline
it holds inside.
Flick is new to Talyton St George, a qualified blacksmith
she is covering for the village’s Farrier Mel whilst he has surgery but his
clients are not all thrilled with the thought of not only a new Farrier but a
lady Farrier at that, Flick has a hard task of proving her skills and winning
their trust. Luckily one of the clients the handsome Robbie is more than happy
with Flick and with the pair of them both being horse mad they have a great
connection but does he just see Flick as one of the lads?
I was so absorbed by this storyline that I couldn’t put it
down and as I found myself flying through the pages enjoying my return to
Talyton St George I then didn’t want to reach the end as I hate leaving the
characters we meet in these books behind. Ten books have been set in this
village and there is still a great appeal to the books and it is great that we
get to see snippets of the characters from the previous books to see how they
are doing too.
Flick was another hardworking and friendly character who I
loved from the first chapter and she was determined to be self-sufficient and
prove to herself as well as overs that she can do things alone and she can do
things well too. Robbie was our typical charmer who, like most of the women in
the village, can’t help but swoon over.
I still feel like Cathy Woodman’s books do not get the
justice the recognition they deserve, she has such a wonderful flow to her
writing and you can see how much knowledge and research she puts into her
storylines. This book can easily be read as a standalone so if you have never
read one of Cathy Woodman’s books then pick this one up and please shout about
to friends and family as they are such wonderful books you are missing out on.
This is a charming and quaint read that is uplifting and
entertaining, yes ok the romance side of the book is rather predictable but
that really didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. This book gets a big thumbs
up from me and I cannot wait for the next trip to Talyton St George.
Paperback Kindle
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