Non-motoring > Exeter Miscellaneous
Thread Author: legacylad Replies: 17
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 09:53 
 Exeter - legacylad
Sailing out of Plymouth ( again) end September , Sunday @ 16:45. 335 miles from home so I normally drive down to Devon or Somerset the day before, and on the day of sailing explore a new area.

I’ve only passed through on the train so Exeter is potentially my overnight B & B this time. Any thoughts or alternatives please ?
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 11:41 
 Exeter - tyrednemotional
Exeter's a pleasant place to spend a bit of time exploring.

The Quay is a good place to relax (and have a pint at Topsham Brewery).

Daughter used to live there. (Not the Topsham Brewery! - oh, just a minute....).

For somewhere a bit smaller, but with an interesting "vibe", Totnes might suit you.
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 12:10 
 Exeter - Zero
Not a huge fan of Exeter, the Quay just staggers into Ok, Cathedral Square is nice, the rest? Nah

Yes I know it well, ex girlfriend territory, and work time at the Met office.

Edit, oh and exeter central station was fab to watch steam charters struggle up the hill from Exter St Davids.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 28 Jun 26 at 12:13
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 12:38 
 Exeter - Andrew-T
>> ... to watch steam charters struggle up the hill from Exeter St Davids. <<

That was a notorious climb to St.Thomas station in steam days, 1 in 36 IIRC ?

Last time I was there (2018) was to collect a 306 Garros from a relentless collector of Peugeots, mostly 205s and 306s. Just now he is selling several 306 Garros autos, a special edition from 1994.
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 13:01 
 Exeter - Zero
The great climbs for steam tours down south are

Martin Mill (Deal to Dover through a forest with very poor grip levels) Hemerdon (Plymouth to Ivybridge), Exeter St Davids to Exeter Central*. and the little known climb Branksome - Poole to Bornemouth.

Many a steam loco come to grief on all of them.

*Vicious vicous that one, has a speed limit at the bottom so no run up, and a sharpe curve to cause maximum drag on the consist.

Plenty on the Settle to Carlisle of course, but good run-ups and minimum congestion means little trouble.

The Infamous Daddy of them all is of course is "The Lickey". Bromsgrove to Birmingham. Used to have banker locos in steam at the bottom, not been a steam tour up there for a few years. Finest sound I ever heard was a Deltic hauling 12 mk1s unbanked up that.

Last edited by: Zero on Sun 28 Jun 26 at 13:03
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 13:10 
 Exeter - Robin O'Reliant
They used to have a banking loco to help the steamers on the climb out of Fishguard Harbour back in the day. Fishguard used to be a busy port with services direct to Paddington, twin lines and multiple sidings and goods yards. Now just a single track with DMU's running no further than Cardiff.
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 22:27 
 Exeter - Ted

>> The Infamous Daddy of them all is of course is "The Lickey". Bromsgrove to Birmingham.
>> Used to have banker locos in steam at the bottom, not been a steam tour
>> up there for a few years. Finest sound I ever heard was a Deltic hauling
>> 12 mk1s unbanked up that.
>>
>>
>> .....and don't forget Big Bertha, the unique Midland Railway ten coupled tender loco. She spent her whole life pushing trains up the Lickey from Bromsgrove from 1919 to 1956. apart from a few experimental runs from Toton to Brent with coal trains and visits to Derby for maintenance. A clear case for preservation in our more enlightened times but her cylinders have been preserved. Photos and even film on-line.

Ted
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 13:07 
 Exeter - Zero

>> Last time I was there (2018) was to collect a 306 Garros from a relentless
>> collector of Peugeots, mostly 205s and 306s. Just now he is selling several 306 Garros
>> autos, a special edition from 1994.

I would love to get my hands on a Renault Fuego GTx
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 19:40 
 Exeter - CGNorwich
Last time I was there was I believe 1965 when I attended a Cadet Corp summer camp at Okehampton camp (is it still there?). The station was I believe St David’s. The train was hauled by a steam loco. I’m sure Zero can tell what model that would have been :-)


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New Sun 28 Jun 26 18:16 
 Exeter - Andrew-T
>> Last time I was there (2018) was to collect a 306 Garros from a relentless collector of Peugeots, mostly 205s and 306s. >>

Correction - I just realised that was from Taunton, not Exeter. Exeter was in 2013, when I collected a 205 Garros soft-top from a place near Crediton. Another nice car.
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 19:27 
 Exeter - Duncan
>> Not a huge fan of Exeter, the Quay just staggers into Ok, Cathedral Square is
>> nice, the rest? Nah

Good selection of 'spoons.

tinyurl.com/h6pavx4x
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New Sun 28 Jun 26 19:36 
 Exeter - bathtub tom
>>Good selection of 'spoons.

One of them's got a wonderful orangery IIRC.
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New Tue 30 Jun 26 07:39 
 Exeter - sherlock47
Cathedral Square - potentially nice, but like many cathedral towns gets more than its fair share of dogs looking after plastic bags and owners. Maybe this only a winter phenomenon?

Lived there in 1970 and often used the old quay area. Not sure the re-invented version is an improvement.

Totnes would get my vote. Still traces of the 1960s hippy revival (2nd and 3rd generation) movement.
Last edited by: sherlock47 on Tue 30 Jun 26 at 07:40
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New Tue 14 Jul 26 11:06 
 Exeter - legacylad
Totnes…sounds interesting but unfortunately it’s a Saturday night for a Sunday afternoon sailing, and after being stationary on the M5 for 2 hours last month I’m not risking driving down the same day as I sail.
Cheapest B & B on Booking.com in Totnes is £103 , solo occupancy. Thats 3x what I pay for my hotel B & B in the Picos (€40pn).
I shall widen the search, but Torquay doesn’t appeal.
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New Tue 14 Jul 26 11:43 
 Exeter - Robin O'Reliant
I remember being at the ticket office at Waterloo some years ago and standing in front of me was a Dalek. When he got to the window, the clerk asked him where he wanted to go and he said "Exeter mate, Exeter mate"
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New Tue 14 Jul 26 12:49 
 Exeter - Dog
You live like a monk, so why not try: www.buckfast.org.uk/northgate-hotel/

And have a glass of Buckfast 'tonic' wine while you're at it.

:)

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New Tue 14 Jul 26 13:31 
 Exeter - Bromptonaut
>> And have a glass of Buckfast 'tonic' wine while you're at it.

Coatbridge table wine......
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New Tue 14 Jul 26 16:15 
 Exeter - legacylad
:) £130 cheapest with a continental breakfast, although i much prefer a continental brekkie these days.
How times change.
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