written by Laura Dixon in The Venue Magazine in the June/July issue
Driving at top speed of 45 mph isn't normally my thing. As a repeat offender of the safety camera unit, I'm definitely a speed queen, but something strange is happening to me. I can't remember the last time I felt so happy behind the wheel - and given that the steering wheel in question is so large I can rest my elbows on it, the petrol gauge doesn't work and getting the hang of reversing is tougher than cheddar, that's something in itself.
My boyfriend and I have hired a campervan for the weekend from the Bristol Camper Company and this time, instead of burning up my car trying to get to the coast as quickly as possible, our focus is on the journey, not the destination. After a brief tutorial about how to drive it - not much to it, but given the dodgy petrol gauge, it's best to fill up as soon as possible and remember to fill up again after 150 miles - we're off.
We decide to seek out Somerset's hidden foodie delights, then drive through Exmoor to the Devon coast to have dinner by the sea, before meandering back home through the hedgerows the next day. It would be easy - and too obvious - to head straight down the M5 so we plump for the roads less travelled : the A and B roads in Somerset. And with a fridge, grill and two-hob cooker in the back, we have every excuse to visit somerset's farm shops along the way.
Our first stop is Wilkin's Cider farm in Mudgeley, where Emily Eavis buys her local brew. It's a dark and dingy barn where sticky cider drips on the floor from the large barrels and locals queue up to fill their 10-litre buckets. according to a music magazine article pasted on the wall, the late Joe Strummer loved it here too and I'm not surprised. The prices are refreshing, the service is slow, the accents are thick and the tasters are generous. We buy a couple of litres for later and jump back in the van.
Next up is Kilver Court in Shepton Mallett, which could'nt be more different. Its light, fragranced and full of designer fabrics. Inside Sharpham Park Butchery and Deli sells meat from organic and rare breeds and has a specialist butcher. We explain proudly that we've got a campervan and he suggests a nice piece of pork tenderloin for dinner and some lamb and mint sausages for breakfast, all easy to cook on the road.
Driving on towards Exmoor, we find Blackmore Farm Shop, a 15th Century manor house just outside Cannington, selling cheese, fruit and veg and homemade cakes. We load up on strawberries and asparagus nick a few leaves of sage from their herb garden for the pork and head for the sea.
It's a long slow drive down the single track roads to North Devon but it's worth it. The extra height give us views of dark ponies, white geese and pheasants perched on tree stumps and driving so slowly means that we spot honeysuckle growing in the hedgerow, not to mention the crucial passing places. And when we finally make it into Putsborough Sands, over a mug of Mudgeley cider and a view of the sunset, we resolve to make this an annual trip - next time for a week. It might have taken us a full day to get here rather than the usual two hours but it was worth every second.