Where we stayed

We arrived at Croyde Bay at 6.30 in the evening having left Wells just before 11.00 am. We used the satnav that I received as my Christmas present from the girls. Until now I had only used it around Norfolk in areas in which I was quite familiar. I hadn't realised the setting it was on until we started travelling up some real country lanes. It was on shortest route avoiding motorways and so the route was reasonably direct but didn't even take us onto a dual carriageway, anyway I reset the satnav and an hour was removed from our journey. After this we made very good headway, travelling A14/M5.

On arrival and booking in we were told that dinner was served from 6.00 p.m. until 7.15 p.m. and we might like to get our dinner first. We were shown to a table and realised that it was being run on a carvery system. On reading the menu the starters were either soup or salad bar! I was surprised that a salad bar should be seen as a starter, then there was a choice of four main courses, a roast (which was on every night) lamb curry and a vegetarian curry and I cannot remember what else. Mike had roast and I had curry. I should have either had the vegetarian curry or the roast which was nicer than my lamb curry. Sweet was either a hot sweet which was changed nightly. roly poly, crumble, brad and butter pudding etc, all very traditional, or a slice of gateau with either artificial cream or clotted cream.

What struck me on the first night was that we were about twenty years younger than everybody else in the room and that there did not appear to be any fresh vegetables. The salad was very tasteless tomatoes, cucumber, iceberg lettuce various pots of additions from a salad bar in a supermarket and plenty of sliced ham. There was a choice of dressings but no mayonnaise.

There was tea and coffee but only pots of UHT milk on offer.

After dinner we found the accommodation we had been allocated, a family room as there were no double rooms available. I had had the foresight to put in a small fan, thank goodness as the room was like a little oven. The furniture was hotel style wardrobes and drawers which were rather big for the room and the same in the 'en-suite' bathroom. The double bed was very comfortable and the bunk beds behind a partition were of the same make and so I imagine they were equally so, there was a little fridge also four mugs and a kettle to make drinks, the bathroom was entrance through a folding four foot door and although I accept I am possibly bigger than many everything was very 'tight' an industrial toilet roll holder which was rather large was on the wall near the toilet which made access to the loo difficult but the shower was amazing, again a very tight space 2' 6" by 2' , not a lot of room for movement and it was a good job neither of us was 6' because I don't think we could have got in. I was not particularly annoyed but amazed. We had booked for Dinner Bed and Breakfast and the accommodation was described as hotel style!!

Anyway once we had sorted ourselves out, familiarized ourselves with the facilities etc we were ready for bed and once the room cooled down both slept well.

Things looked different in the morning. Breakfast was served between 8.00 and 9.15 a.m. a choice of fruit juice, cereal (incuding all bran) yoghurt, stewed fruit, full english breakfast with beans or/and tomatoes, toast with jam or/and marmalade. Everything was self service just as it was the night before and you could have real milk in your drinks because there was real milk for the cereal and of course although I nearly forgot, there was porridge.