Hold very tight please, ding ding.

I got the chance to take a bus into town, they run one bus a day from Chulmleigh to Barnstaple, and one back so we had to make sure we were not late for either :-) but we did have fun.

The bus runs through a load of small villages which wind round the hills and take around 50 minutes to do a 30 minute drive on the straight road but as I said it winds. I had forgotten how isolating the villages can be, and how a bus is a valuable link, the bus never filled totally but there were quite a number traveling. It was very much a local link, with most people greeting each other as they got in and the driver was welcoming and helpful.

There used to be buses every hour and back and my mum would go into town on it go to her bank and get the same bus home again, she only needed a quick stop. now we had 3 hours between arriving and departing. That was enough to get a few things done and a good wander in.

In London many years ago I used buses all the time and at the drop of the hat, but the bus at home runs quite a distance away and at quiet a high cost. This was a pleasant change and took me back to my student days.