Cal spoke for many of us after the trip: "What an uplifting and rejuvenating weekend! So many hilarious antics to savour, I can't stop grinning! Totally worth driving for 5 hours to relocate myself 25 miles. Pencilling-in June '27 already." Her thanks went further still: "Every person makes BTO what it is - a very precious social circle."
We also ran the sand dunes Parkrun at Woolacombe, then on the second day played rounders on the beach until sunset. Last year's game at Lyme had been cold and wine-fuelled; this one had proper North Devon light hanging on as long as it could.
Near the campsite we did Tai Chi and QiGong in the woods beside the ponds. Charlie took one look at the greenery and reflections and said, "Wow, all that greenery and reflection - it looks magical, n'est-ce pas." Andrew was equally taken with where we stayed: "A great venue and good to support a place which seems to do a lot of community stuff."
Photos poured in afterwards. Charlie spotted "the sun glowing on everyone's faces," Jim shared more thanks to Sue behind the camera, and Ed uploaded the high-res set to the drive so people could print the keepers. Katie loved one alternative group shot especially: "That's so lovely"
A practical note followed the fun. After walks through waist-high bracken to the beach, Cal issued a tick alert, Jim found one on Sue's foot "the size of a pinhead," and Megan shared the government's tick-awareness leaflet so everyone knew how to remove them safely. Looking out for each other is very BathTub.
Some of us squeezed in a last day of Devon fun; others paused at the Depot Café on the way into Ilfracombe, once a Knill family filling station with an old motorbike and petrol pump inside. Sue and Jim headed home still glowing from "our wonderful weekend."
