Thursday 10 April 2008

Watching the trains go by!


Sometimes, when we go to The Willows to do our M&S shopping, instead of coming back via Paignton, and having our sandwiches down by Meadfoot Beach, or on the top at Babbacombe, we turn left and make for Teignmouth, crossing the Teign at Shaldon.

Initially we used to do this and park in the car-park at Labrador Bay, but, like everything else, the local council decided to stop even that little pleasure by forcing us to pay 60p for the privilege of stopping there to eat our sandwich. True, for that 60p, we can stay there for 24 hours, but who the hell would want to!

So we now drive past and cross Shaldon Bridge, and make for Kingsteington. Just outside Teignmouth, there is a nice little lay-by on the left, overlooking the Teign, where you are invited to park for free, up to 2 hours.

This is, of course, nice, except that often it is completely filled with large lorries, so the private motorist can't get in. I did email the council, and ask them to ban lorries, but had no reply. Clearly they don't care about this, as there's no charge to park.

I think I might email them again, as yesterday there was a massive Jewsons lorry there and another one. Now I know that lorry drivers are entitled to stop and eat THEIR sandwiches, too, but not when this is a drive-in layby, and they take up the space of about three cars. There's even a council mobile library van there sometimes - but I didn't notice hundreds of residents changing their library books either!

Still, we found a space and ate our sandwiches, and I was able to watch a few trains go past, under the cliff, as this is the main London - Penzance line.

PS Whilst, of course I don't condone malicious damage to property, it was interesting to see that for a number of weeks, the ticket machine in Labrador Bay car park was out of action, and boarded up. It looked as if someone else, who thought having to pay was excessive money-grabbing, had decided to give it a massive smack!

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