Walkies around Torquay

To get from here to anywhere else in Torquay, we pretty much have to go back to the main road first - and the main roads are often choked with traffic. So places that are very close by "as the crow flies" are quite a distance away by road.



So this afternoon we decided to leave our car sitting where it is, and try walking along some of the public bridle paths and footpaths through the woodland areas.



Some paths have gravel, concrete, or bitumen, sometimes there are steps or stiles to climb over.



At the bottom of our hill we came across this Gatekeeper's Cottage. It was closed, but through the dusty windows we could see someone sitting at a writing desk ... a dummy for the displays that are open in summer.



There were several small lakes - ponds, really - and lots of these very unfriendly plants with massive (prickly) leaves.

The ducks seemed very glad to see us, all twenty or so of them came across the water at us like exocet missiles - but we had nothing to offer.



This little robin hung around like he was trying to get our attention - in all the stories you are supposed to follow the robin ... but when he headed into a dark corner behind the big prickly leaves we decided we weren't in the stories.



And then the path led right through this house, with the gate that is closed at dusk - these days that would be around 3pm.



Then we came to Cockington Village. I gather in the summer this place is a tourist Mecca. Everything closes between September and Easter.



It's certainly very rustic. We had been walking about an hour, it was 3-ish and it was getting dark - time to head back up the hill to our place.

Torquay in Autumn

Torquay is very beautiful. And this part of England is generally warmer than the rest. Here we have a bright, sunny Autumn day.



Even the ducks like a bit of sun now and then.



It seems like the trees are doing their best to outdo the colourful ducks.

We have autumn in Australia, too, but not like this. In Oz we have a lot of Eucalypts (gum trees) and a lot of those are not deciduous - they don't drop their leaves. There's not a whole lot of leaf-dropping going on in Oz in Autumn.



And if I found a pile of leaves like this in Oz I certainly wouldn't go kicking though it like this, because who knows what might fly out at me (not to mention the dust!).



Despite the delightful weather, Torquay is pretty quiet this time of year - imagine what this parkland is like in summer!

Except, of course, for the squirrels.



They have so much to get done.

All that twitching and switching and jumping about.

Nuts to find, nuts to hide ...

...games to play maybe ...



things to look out for.

As for us people, when we are not out kicking leaves, there are some great walks around Torquay. That's another thing we don't generally have in Oz - Public Foot Paths, they are all over the place and you can do some great hiking or even just gentle strolls.



In the summer a lot of people come to Torquay for the beaches.



Yes, I know, they are not a patch on Australian (especially West Australian) beaches.



And that red sand would take a bit of getting used to. But, hey - this isn't Oz (or anywhere else). This is TORQUAY, and it's kinda nice, isn't it?