Bus Trip to Tavistock, Devon

“When you see someone putting on his big boots, you can be pretty sure that an adventure is going to happen.” – Winnie the Pooh

It was supposed to be a very gentle adventure – walk up the road, catch the bus to Tavistock, and come back in a few hours time. But it didn’t happen quite like that. And perhaps a true adventure always contains a few mishaps along the way.

Lesson number one: never trust transit directions from someone who never takes the bus! I got to the bus stop in plenty of time and watched the bus sail right past me. Now what? I decided the bus stop down the hill by the train station would be more reliable. Rather than wait a full hour for the next bus to Tavistock, I’d take a scenic tour by going to Callington at the other end of the line.

All well and good, but the bus didn’t turn around immediately, so I had an hour and a half to spend in Callington. Callington’s high street was a rather sad affair. There was a bakery, a fair trade store, and a grocery store, but that was about it. I sat on a bench in front of the church to eat a pasty while watching a scattering of people walk past. Callington does have a healthy economy – Cornwall Bakery has a huge facility and a large Tesco superstore on the outskirts of town employs 200 people –that’s where I expect most of the people were. The town’s one tourism draw is its murals, and there were lots of them. This was one of my favorites.

My bus arrived and I left for Tavistock. It was a lovely ride (at the front of the upper floor of a double-decker bus) up high on the moors and then swooping downhill through Gunnislake, across its ancient bridge (a Civil War battle took place on the so-called new bridge in 1644), and then up through the woods and fields to Tavistock.

Tavistock was the complete opposite of Callington. The high street (and neighbouring streets) were full of shoppers enjoying a wide range of independent stores as well as some of the standard chains. I counted at least 4 organic grocery stores, an independent bookstore, lots of tea shops, and craft stores.

In addition, the Panier Market is surrounded by more independent stores, including a really lovely cheese store – who knew there were so many British cheeses! There is a walk along the Tavy River beside the ruined abbey which leads to a large park with a skate park and a sensory garden. You can be certain that I’ll be on the lookout for housesits in Tavistock in future!

The bus ride back was uneventful, but it was such a steep climb up the hill from the train station and then another mile before I was back in Chilsworthy. I gave my legs a rest the following day!