On the bus I happened to mention that I wanted to visit the charity shops of Pinhoe. As it was raining, the suggestion was that I should take another bus out there. I walked up Exeter main street in the rain, stopped to look at the work John Lewis' were doing to the old Debenhams shop, and thought 'blow it, I'll walk!' and strode purposefully down Paris Street. What an important decision I made there, as it was Heavitree I wanted to visit and so would have been mightily disappointed if I'd got on a bus to Pinhoe.
It was striding up Heavitree Road, out of town that gave me this revelation. I've been up and down that road innumerable times on the bus but I don't think I've ever walked it. Past the baths, up to where Waitrose now occupies the hospital site, passed lovely old houses. All in beautiful Devon rain. True! There is a quality to the rainfall in Devon that has to be experienced. Rain soaked, rain bathed, rain kissed. Even in January I enjoyed my walk in the rain.
Dropping down into Heavitree I began to trawl the charity shops - I found three, there may be more, My favourite was the Force Cancer Charity which had taken over a whole house and every room had more and varied delights. My current fad is wool, and I'm sure the puce 4ply I've acquired will come in very handy.
I decided to return to Exeter centre, via Magdalen Road - nice looking coffee shops there too, ditto houses, ditto posh schools. The old Eye Infirmary was covered in scaffolding which makes me think it may no longer be the Hotel Barcelona and about to acquire a new identity. I turned into Southernhay with a nod to the old Maternity Hospital aka Dean Clarke House (place of my birth) and, glimpsing the cathedral, was reminded of my mother telling me she looked out over that during her stay in the maternity ward.
I headed through the cathedral close back to the main street. How many miles? No idea, can't find a pedometer anywhere!
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