Synopsis: A trip out with Mum. A drive along the coast road taking the ferry from Kingswear to Dartmouth. Then on to Torcross for a brief walk and lunch. We then visited Overbecks (NT) at Salcombe.
About this time last year Mum and I had a nice trip out to Overbeck’s (NT), Salcombe, and I thought that it would be nice to do a repeat visit.
I took the coast road from Teignmouth to Kingswear, stopping briefly at Torquay harbour for a choc-chip cookie and lemonade; naughty, but nice. Our next stop was Blackpool Sands, which was looking beautiful in the hazy sun filtering through the sea mist. I had thought about eating there, but there wasn’t a much of a food selection at the cafe, mostly burgers, so we drove on. The next convenient stop was Torcross, where we chose the smart Seabreeze cafe for lunch. The food was simple, but very nicely prepared, and this is a place I would recommend. To be honest, there’s not a lot of competition in Torcross.
We then followed the narrow and winding road through pretty Devon villages till we arrived at Salcombe, and climbed the steep hill to Overbeck’s. This time I had the sense to drive to the top of the hill where there was space to park in the car park adjacent the entrance gate; last year I made Mum walk the hill, which no doubt was better for her, but perhaps something to avoid from a personal comfort perspective.
Overbeck's (NT), Salcombe - view across the front of the house
Overbeck’s is a relatively small house, but very charming, and beautifully situated on a bluff overlooking the Kingsbridge Estuary, with views back to Salcombe. We first looked around the house and all its eccentricities. I love Otto Overbeck’s patented Rejuvenator. This is nothing more than a device to send an electric current through people. Completely bonkers of course, but hey, if it sells, don’t knock it. If eBay had been around at the time, Otto would no doubt have made a mint.
Overbeck's (NT), Salcombe - magnolia, lit up in the sun
Overbeck’s is famed for a magnolia that it has in its garden, a Magnolia Campbelii, which I understand is a unique specimen, noted for its strong colour. The National Trust is propagating from it to ensure its continuation. Oddly the flowers this year were all but over and yet on our visit of last year, slightly later than this year’s visit, we saw it in bloom. And strange that the other magnolias around about were all in full bloom.
Overbeck's (NT), Salcombe - display of old photos of magnolia campbellii
Last year I overheard two conversations that struck me as very amusing, but unfortunately this year passed without a single comical utterance. I did however have the sense to arrive earlier than last year, thus affording us the time for tea and cake in the cafe, which is a grand wood-panelled stylish room, befitting such a house. Photos of our previous trip can be found in set 125 Overbecks, Salcombe and a brief blog entry can be found at 5th April 2010, Overbecks, Salcombe. Please note that I did make one mistake in my blog of last year in that I had thought that Otto Overbeck stood in front of his Magnolia Campbelii in an old photo of 1920, but this obviously could not be him, as he didn’t acquire the house till 1928. So who the old gentleman is in this photo (see photo set on Flickr) I’ve no idea, probably a gardener.
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