The Biggest Jellyfish I have Ever Seen!

We had a lovely day out in Exmouth, the highlight of which was seeing the biggest jellyfish ever! I literally screamed when it floated went past, even thought I was on the dock and not even in the water! It was like seeing a monster – a massive multicoloured creature, the likes of which I had no idea even existed in UK waters. We saw about 30 in all, and we spent around an hour looking for them and trying to photograph them, shrieking in delight when another one floated past! We are simple people.

The jellyfish were about 2 foot across, and 3 foot long, which is extremely big for the UK. I have seen some scary-looking jellyfish in Florida and took precautions against the super-dangerous Irukandji jellyfish in Australia. So I can imagine monsters like this living in Australia, but in the UK?! Wow. I took photos and looked it up afterwards, and apparently they were Dustbin-Lid Jellyfish, the biggest jellyfish in UK waters. They can grow up to 90cm across, but their sting is only like a nettle so they are fairly harmless. Still – I wouldn’t want to come face-to-face with one of these while swimming!

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Ooo Devon is a Place on Earth!

We wanted to have a short break in North Devon and opted for Westward Ho! I’ll be honest – I have avoided this in the past as who has an exclamation mark in their name?! It seemed faintly ridiculous, but to Westward Ho! we went. And Wow! We loved Westward Ho! A beach of endless sand, a simple seaside holiday with fish and chips and ice cream – it was just when we needed.

The beach itself was the piece de resistance – at low tide it stretched on, beautiful flat sand. I couldn’t believe we were in the UK – it seemed more like New Zealand!

10 Things I Love About Exeter

I have fond memories of Exeter from my childhood but as a teenager I kinda hated its small-town feel. I was a “youth” then and as such I was I thought I was far too cool for Devon (!). As a result of this, I am still guilty of being dismissive towards the South-West of England. So after a recent visit (which was lovely!) I feel compelled to set the record straight and celebrate all the good things about Exeter!

1: The Cathedral Green

The Cathedral Green is the area of grass around the Cathedral, surprisingly enough. In the summer this is packed with everyone from office workers to students

A Re-education in Devon Beaches

I spent many a school holiday exploring parts of Devon as a kid, with my family. However we never really explored the beaches. My family are not really “beach people” so our holidays would never revolve around a beach. Plus I remember horror stories of syringes being found on the beach. I have no doubt this was true, but upon reflection it was definitely the exception rather than the rule.

As a fully fledged adult I spent much time fleeing these shores in search of nicer beaches, until lack of funds meant I looked closer to home again. And I was surprised about what I found. From sandy beaches in North Devon to pebbles and red cliffs of South Devon, I really enjoyed exploring this area.

Feeling like Famous Five on Burgh Island

I was once casually reading a list of top islands to get married on (as you do…) and alongside the Carribeans, the Maldives, the Bora Boras of this world, there was Burgh Island, Devon, England. I was intrigued. I didn’t know there were any islands off Devon, let alone any cute enough to make the top 10 list for wedding venues. So track it down and visit I did.

But I’m getting ahead of myself – in order to have a lovely day here I first had to do some maths. Crunch some numbers, if you will.