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Anyone who knows Devon?

place to discuss doing things round and about the UK or to ask advice about other locations
Stonge
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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#394122

Postby Stonge » March 10th, 2021, 12:25 am

Otterton, Ladram Bay, wouldn't go near, stay away, you wouldn't like it, not true that it's beautiful, that's just a lie

Honestly

DrFfybes
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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#394150

Postby DrFfybes » March 10th, 2021, 8:55 am

I did write a longish reply to this early in the thread, but it seems to have not appeared.

Anyway, we retired FROM Devon to Shropshire last year. If you retire to Devon you will never be a local - I think MrsF was accepted after about 30 years ;)

t is a lovely place, peaceful, warmer than The North, good air, and pretty much everything you could need. Also very popular with retirees, so caters well towards them in terms of healthcare.

Most of what I said was covered elsewhere, prices rise massively as you go towards the sea, some of the moorland villages are isolated and bleak in winter, several are largely only occupied in the summer by second home owners or rented as holiday lets.

Be aware how far you are from the rest of the country, people forget how big the South West is. I had people asking me out for a beer as they were working in Bristol, not realising they were nearly 3 hours away from my office in Plymouth.

It is a complete PITA if you need to get anywhere by road - the 2 roads out are the A303 and the M5, one of which is blocked at least once a week because of an accident, which means the other gets chokka too. My dad died in 2009. It was a reliable 4.5 hour drive to see mum near Oldham, and I did it every few weeks. In the last few years under 5 hours was a nice surprise, 5.5-6 the norm leaving about 6pm, and leaving 10am on a Friday morning could mean an 8-10 hour trip. On several occasions in recent years we've set off aiming to stop for a meal at Banbury or Kidderminster and found ourselves eating at Amesbury or Bristol. Avoid travelling to/from Devon Fri-Sun in summer or travel late in the evening.

The nearest useful airport is Bristol. Exeter has limited flights but the demise of Flybe has hit it. Like Plymouth airport, the Council has sold its stake, so don't be surprised to see plans for it to be converted to housing in a decade.

But don't let me put you off, there is plenty, if not everything there, but for us with ageing family elsewhere and no ties to the area any more, there was no reason to stay.

Paul

Paul

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#394325

Postby Lootman » March 10th, 2021, 4:34 pm

DrFfybes wrote:The nearest useful airport is Bristol. Exeter has limited flights but the demise of Flybe has hit it. Like Plymouth airport, the Council has sold its stake, so don't be surprised to see plans for it to be converted to housing in a decade.

Exeter airport (EXT) has been sold twice in the last 15 years. Selling to a group led by construction firm Balfour Beatty was a worrying move but it has since been resold to an aviation business, which is more promising.

I agree that the long distances and times by road or rail to destinations in the north and east are a problem. That makes Exeter airport a crucial resource. I will take cross-country trains as far as Birmingham (2.5 hours), Manchester and Liverpool (4 hours). But further afield I would fly, say Newcastle or anywhere in Scotland.

Yes, the demise of Flybe was a huge blow to EXT, although LoganAir has taken over some of their routes, and a couple of other airlines have cherry-picked the odd route. The key is going to be the return of travel post-Covid. I don't think EXT can survive just on summer charter travel. The routes to Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam were particularly useful for long-haul travel, and for avoiding Heathrow (about 3 hours at best from Exeter by rail).

And EXT airport is a joy to use. The terminal is smaller than some bus stations I have used. With no other airports between Newquay and Bristol, I believe there is a case for EXT to grow and flourish, given the popularity and affluence of its target community. Unless of course the UK government continues with its current policy of trying to kill the UK travel industry.

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#395390

Postby DrFfybes » March 14th, 2021, 10:26 am

Lootman wrote:Yes, the demise of Flybe was a huge blow to EXT, although LoganAir has taken over some of their routes, and a couple of other airlines have cherry-picked the odd route. The key is going to be the return of travel post-Covid. I don't think EXT can survive just on summer charter travel. The routes to Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam were particularly useful for long-haul travel, and for avoiding Heathrow (about 3 hours at best from Exeter by rail).

And EXT airport is a joy to use. The terminal is smaller than some bus stations I have used. With no other airports between Newquay and Bristol, I believe there is a case for EXT to grow and flourish, given the popularity and affluence of its target community. Unless of course the UK government continues with its current policy of trying to kill the UK travel industry.


I agree with that - it was a brilliant airport for us, I could leave home less than an hour before the Manchester flight departed, 15-20 min to the airport and straight through and in Manchester within 2 hours and with family 45 min later. I used it quite regularly once Plymouth closed. Then again I've arrived at Bristol under 30 min before a flight to the Isle of Man (accident on the M5 delayed us an hour) and still made the flight :) Once March was over there were some good Malaga flights at civilised times and the 3 or so hour drive over the mountains to Jerez was far prefereable to going direct from Stanstead.

As you say, the key will be the post Covid demand, which will be high this year but long term is another matter. I agree that the summer season can't keep it alive without more flights, and more "winter sun" routes (though more retirees down there will increase demand). One saing sign is the development to the East of Exeter - the Science Park as meant far more buses over a longer period, and a few closer trains at Cranbrook than there used to be.

OTOH once work demands ceased and time was less pressing, the flight choice from Bristol made the extra travel worth it, but one thing I might hae missed in this thread and of use to us was the ease of access to continental ferries, an easy ealry morning drive oer to Poole/Portsmouth, and the Plymouth routes were pricey but extremely convenient.

Paul

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#395407

Postby richfool » March 14th, 2021, 11:34 am

DrFfybes wrote:
Lootman wrote:Yes, the demise of Flybe was a huge blow to EXT, although LoganAir has taken over some of their routes, and a couple of other airlines have cherry-picked the odd route. The key is going to be the return of travel post-Covid. I don't think EXT can survive just on summer charter travel. The routes to Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam were particularly useful for long-haul travel, and for avoiding Heathrow (about 3 hours at best from Exeter by rail).

And EXT airport is a joy to use. The terminal is smaller than some bus stations I have used. With no other airports between Newquay and Bristol, I believe there is a case for EXT to grow and flourish, given the popularity and affluence of its target community. Unless of course the UK government continues with its current policy of trying to kill the UK travel industry.


I agree with that - it was a brilliant airport for us, I could leave home less than an hour before the Manchester flight departed, 15-20 min to the airport and straight through and in Manchester within 2 hours and with family 45 min later. I used it quite regularly once Plymouth closed. Then again I've arrived at Bristol under 30 min before a flight to the Isle of Man (accident on the M5 delayed us an hour) and still made the flight :) Once March was over there were some good Malaga flights at civilised times and the 3 or so hour drive over the mountains to Jerez was far prefereable to going direct from Stanstead.

As you say, the key will be the post Covid demand, which will be high this year but long term is another matter. I agree that the summer season can't keep it alive without more flights, and more "winter sun" routes (though more retirees down there will increase demand). One saing sign is the development to the East of Exeter - the Science Park as meant far more buses over a longer period, and a few closer trains at Cranbrook than there used to be.

OTOH once work demands ceased and time was less pressing, the flight choice from Bristol made the extra travel worth it, but one thing I might hae missed in this thread and of use to us was the ease of access to continental ferries, an easy ealry morning drive oer to Poole/Portsmouth, and the Plymouth routes were pricey but extremely convenient.

Paul

Yes, I very much concur with both posts above.

I often fly long haul and hate having to get to Heathrow. I live in Dorset, mid way between Exeter and Southampton. I have so often researched flights from either Exeter or Southampton (preferably the latter), into Europe and then long haul from there, but unfortunately, they never connect. The best I could find would usually necessitate something like a 20 hour stoppover in Amsterdam or Frankfurt.

When I used to live in Exeter, upon returning from overseas into Heathrow and having cause to go to NE Yorkshire for a family event, I flew Heathrow to Tees-side and then back from Leeds/Bradford to Exeter.

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#395449

Postby Lootman » March 14th, 2021, 1:58 pm

richfool wrote:I often fly long haul and hate having to get to Heathrow. I live in Dorset, mid way between Exeter and Southampton. I have so often researched flights from either Exeter or Southampton (preferably the latter), into Europe and then long haul from there, but unfortunately, they never connect. The best I could find would usually necessitate something like a 20 hour stoppover in Amsterdam or Frankfurt.

Those 20 hour layovers can be used to your advantage though, if you are not in a hurry. If you book the long-haul segment as originating in Dublin, Amsterdam or wherever, then the fare is often much cheaper than from Heathrow, not least because there is no UK air passenger tax to pay.

The only problem with dong that is the risk of missing your connection, but with a 20 hour layover that is not a problem. The saving, at least in premium cabins, easily covers the cost of an overnight stay at an airport hotel. And most airport lounges have no time restrictions so you can grab a couple of free meals there.

I have done that from Dublin to North America four times in the last 2/3 years. Dublin has two airport hotels that you can walk to from the terminals.

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410213

Postby 88V8 » May 8th, 2021, 9:46 am

DrFfybes wrote:..... prices rise massively as you go towards the sea....

If this hypothesis is correct, that may change... https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-ne ... on-3617224

...a new report showed that large parts of Devon and thousands of homes could be underwater by 2050.

Large... not that large... but still.......

And I dare say one could replicate this in other coastal areas of the UK.

V8

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410219

Postby mark88man » May 8th, 2021, 10:38 am

very enjoyable thread, rekindling some childhood memories.

I love all the tongue in cheek "don't come here it's rubbish" posts

I do agree with the need to be careful thinking through your needs - if being part of the community is important then places with part time or transient (or even strongly local) occupancy could be difficult. If happy in your own company then fine

I love small UK airports. I spent a year travelling from Oxford airport (humorously referred to as London Oxford) to Edinburgh with a Greek based airline. My best result was from touchdown at 8:30pm to being at home by 8:55pm. Often only a handful of passengers, and once just myself and one other (who I knew as this is Oxfordshire!!)

ETA: V8 rising coastal waters is looked forward to by us midland counties, as it might lift the prices a bit more from being closer to the seaside

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410313

Postby DrFfybes » May 8th, 2021, 5:08 pm

mark88man wrote:
I do agree with the need to be careful thinking through your needs - if being part of the community is important then places with part time or transient (or even strongly local) occupancy could be difficult. If happy in your own company then fine


For our relocation to Shropshire (as it ended up being) we spent a year or so visiting places from Hereford up to Whitchurch, staying a few nights, getting a feel for towns and cities, chatting to local shops about buses, doctors, etc, and getting an idea of loacl amenities and what we would need in 10-15 years. We also looked at local facebook groups, parish notes, County Council Local Plans, etc to see what areas were being pushed for development, where small villages being supported or expanded to make them sustainable or help local businesses, what areas were being earmarked for future development, etc. Look at local planning applications to see what sort of development is being applied for, or refused.

In Devon we did this, as we found a lovely property for sale on the edge of Exeter with great views, on a quiet lane, but handy for the motorway. 15 years later it is overlooking a new link road in the middle of 500 Barret boxes adjacent to a new College with a design based on a Fisher Price Activity Centre.
It was along here
https://goo.gl/maps/jbdqGjvehCb3agwr5
You can move the date slider to more recent times.

We ended up on the other side of the City on a lane leading to what is now a "Valley Park" run by a charitable Trust.

Paul

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410422

Postby 88V8 » May 8th, 2021, 11:08 pm

DrFfybes wrote:It was along here
https://goo.gl/maps/jbdqGjvehCb3agwr5
You can move the date slider to more recent times.

Speed humps.
Arrrgh.

Date slider.... errrm?

V8

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410432

Postby Howard » May 9th, 2021, 12:51 am

88V8 wrote:
DrFfybes wrote:It was along here
https://goo.gl/maps/jbdqGjvehCb3agwr5
You can move the date slider to more recent times.

Speed humps.
Arrrgh.

Date slider.... errrm?

V8


Don't want to steal Paul's thunder, but the image he's linked to was taken in 2008. If you look at the top left of the screen you'll see a small clock, click on it and you can time-travel up to 2021 and see how the road has changed.

regards

Howard

PS Admission - I only found this out a few moments ago - thanks Dr F!

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410496

Postby staffordian » May 9th, 2021, 11:18 am

Howard wrote:
88V8 wrote:
DrFfybes wrote:It was along here
https://goo.gl/maps/jbdqGjvehCb3agwr5
You can move the date slider to more recent times.

Speed humps.
Arrrgh.

Date slider.... errrm?

V8


Don't want to steal Paul's thunder, but the image he's linked to was taken in 2008. If you look at the top left of the screen you'll see a small clock, click on it and you can time-travel up to 2021 and see how the road has changed.

regards

Howard

PS Admission - I only found this out a few moments ago - thanks Dr F!

This may depend on how you view it. I'm using an Android tablet and there is no clock and no other way I can see of looking at other dates.

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410508

Postby Howard » May 9th, 2021, 12:00 pm

staffordian wrote:
Howard wrote:
88V8 wrote:Speed humps.
Arrrgh.

Date slider.... errrm?

V8


Don't want to steal Paul's thunder, but the image he's linked to was taken in 2008. If you look at the top left of the screen you'll see a small clock, click on it and you can time-travel up to 2021 and see how the road has changed.

regards

Howard

PS Admission - I only found this out a few moments ago - thanks Dr F!


This may depend on how you view it. I'm using an Android tablet and there is no clock and no other way I can see of looking at other dates.


You are right. Google maps appear to show a more comprehensive screen on a desktop and on a Chromebook. Mrs H's tablet shows a simpler screen with less options.

Paul's link shows the lane in 2008. To jump to 2021 on our android tablet one has to select the split screen and click on the map at roughly the same place and it jumps to a 2021 shot showing the Barratt estate in all its glory. :)

regards

Howard

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Re: Anyone who knows Devon?

#410574

Postby DrFfybes » May 9th, 2021, 4:36 pm

Howard wrote:
Don't want to steal Paul's thunder, but the image he's linked to was taken in 2008. If you look at the top left of the screen you'll see a small clock, click on it and you can time-travel up to 2021 and see how the road has changed.

regards

Howard

PS Admission - I only found this out a few moments ago - thanks Dr F!


No worries - I didn't realise it only worked on PCs.

FWIW this has been very useful for Local Authorities over the last few years - you'd be amazed how many claims for recent damage can be refuted by showing it has been like that for 6 years, and similarly Planning depts can use it to show something hasn't been there for a decade after all.

Paul


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