A lovely day in Devon

Four hours west of London is the beautiful countryside of Devon county..a place I grew very fond of while working for a non-profit near the town of Barnstaple nearly 10 years ago.  There were many highs and lows for me that year, but the charming rural backdrop and fantastic seaside left their mark and I was anxious to return with Josh and the kids for a little trip down memory lane.  

My sweet friend Toni still lives just outside of Barnstaple and she was kind enough to clear her schedule to spend the day as our tour guide so we had the chance to visit a few of my favorite spots.  

Pubs and pasties and clotted cream, oh my!  What could be better than hiking and snacking our way through the day?!? 

One of my favorite places in all the world...what a treat it was to watch my sweet family enjoy it so much.

Next stop: Watersmeet - another picture perfect spot nestled just inland in a valley along the river.  I'm not sure if it's the quaint hike or the cream tea that put it on the top of my list of favorites, but either way...it was well worth the trip!

Just lovely.

** Josh said I used the word "lovely" too much in the this post, but I'm afraid I just can't help myself...