Where have all the years gone?  Ben turned 13 today so we now have a teenager in the family.

We started the morning with festive decorations and cake in bed (the knitted sort – good for travels), followed by real cake at breakfast.

The plan for the day was to visit Devon’s north coast, in particular the twin villages of Lynton and Lynmouth, separated by a mere 500 feet of elevation.  The area is known for some of the best walks in North Devon and is adjacent to Exmoor National Park.  We chose to hike the coast path, but first paid a visit to the Valley of the Rocks via Hallerday Hill – pretty striking views in all directions and dramatic clouds to boot.  We could see Wales (not whales) to the north across the Bristol Channel.

Our route took us to the sea at Lynmouth, which was a cute town in its own right, but the star attraction was the Cliff Railway, an entirely water-powered funicular that was built in 1890 and has been carrying passengers up and down the cliff ever since. 

Back in Barnstable, Ben had a small shopping trip at Marks and Spencer’s (“Marks and Sparks”, a British establishment) and the whole family went to see Jurassic World (Ben’s choice) before ending with a celebratory birthday dinner.