Cream of Devon

I'm staying in a picturesque village tucked away in a valley on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. I'm not keen on that word, but there's really no other way to describe Lustleigh, with its babbling brooks, thatched cottages and quaint tearoom. 

Lustleigh churchyard

I'm here to visit family friends John and Sheila. John is one of my father's oldest and dearest friends, a climbing buddy from Cambridge days. I've known him all my life. He was with my dad when I was born, raising a glass to toast my arrival. Now I'm here to see how he's recovering from a rather severe stroke he suffered a few months ago.

Lunch with John and Sheila

Astonishingly well, is the answer. He is whizzing around the house on a wheelie-walker thing, and even managing the stairs. It's nothing short of a miracle, given how ill he seemed when we saw him in hospital just before Christmas. But if John's recovery is a miracle, then Sheila is the miracle worker, devotedly fighting his corner and somehow making things happen, so that now here he is back home, enjoying the spring sunshine and the beautiful camellia blooming in the front garden.

Camellia in exquisite bloom

  
I take a couple of walks during my stay – the valley and surrounding hills are a maze of primrose-lined paths and wooded bridleways that lead to pretty stone bridges and lush open pastures. 

Brightening up the woodland path

The old stone bridge over the River Bovey

Hardy-esque scene – the post stopped carts crossing the bridge

One of my walks circles back via the village and I pop into the Church of St John the Baptist. Parts of it date back to the 13th century and it's now a listed building. Sheila has recommended a look at the 20th-century pew-ends – positively contemporary – that featured in a TV programme. 

Pew-end by 19th-century wood-carver Herbert Read

Not far from here is Haytor, one of the rocky outcrops scattered across Dartmoor. I'm so pleased when Sheila takes a break so we can enjoy a quick stroll together in the late afternoon sunshine. We call in at Sheila's favourite farm shop and I'd have cheerfully spent a fortune on its tempting range of condiments and preserves, if only I'd remembered my purse. Next time…

Face of Haytor

Hilltop meadow at Hisley village