1-day trip to Exeter

Exeter, the historic city in Devon, is a very good place to go for a day trip. It is only 1h30min away from Bristol (70 miles southwest) and there are many interesting things to see over there. The city is on the River Exe. Historically, its lowest bridging point was at Exeter, though there is now a viaduct for the M5 motorway about 3 kilometres south of the city centre.

HOW TO GET THERE?

National Railway connects Bristol with Exeter in a one-hour journey. The tickets normally vary, although you can buy a return ticket for 10 pounds if you book it in advance. National Express also connects Bristol with Exeter although the journey takes 2 hours and the timetable on weekends does not give many options (last coach back is at 6pm on Saturdays, for example). By car, the M5 takes you directly from Bristol to Exeter in one hour, through Bridgwater and Wellington. 

WHAT TO DO THERE?

Our visit to Exeter was the first stop on a roadtrip around Devon and Cornwall. We started the tour around the city at the quay right after we checked in on the B&B we were staying. We stayed on St Andrew's on Alphington Road (feedback about the hostel at the end of the post) and we went towards The Quay.

Such a glorious day we had! Blue sky, sun shinning... a perfect Easter day, indeed! There is a walking and cycling path on both sides of the river Exe, and the receptionist at the Inn told us The Quay was the closest and nicest place to grab something to eat.

We stopped at The Malt House, at the south side of the river. They have a very nice terrace where we had our burger to eat outside under the sun. They have an interesting deal which included a main, unlimited salad buffet, unlimited soft drink and an ice-cream for 9.99 pounds. For the record, the three of us loved the burger; good ingredients and the grilled chicken/beef was very tasty. It is a very attractive deal although I must mention that most of the waiters were not very attentive.

After lunch, we carried on our way to The Quay along the River Exe. The river gives the name to the city and the word derives from the Celtic word Isca meaning "water". Due to the fabulous weather, there were many people on The Quay, all small shops were open and everybody was sitting at the riverside, the same we do in Bristol's Harbourside(read here). 

We checked as many shop we could at the waterfront. Some of them were already closing, which surprised us very much. It was probably around 3pm on a Saturday... Nevertheless, we got enough time to buy some souvenirs and little presents from them.

We then continued the way up to the city centre. After a couple of uphill roads and following the signs, you easily get to Exeter Cathedral. It was founded in the early 12th century, became Anglican at the time of the 16th-century Reformation. It was founded when the bishop's seat was moved from the nearby town of Crediton because Exeter's Roman walls offered better protection against "pirates" (meaning probably "vikings").
I suggest you stand facing the main entrance of the Cathedral, it is impressive!
If you liked Bristol Cathedral, you should also visit the interiors of this Cathedral. The stained glass windows are like I have never seen before: apart from designs of Saints, Kings and other religious characters, which you can find in any church, Exeter Cathedral has nurses, doctors militars and other professions on the glass windows, which I find quite unique. There is also an astronomical clock whose the main dial is the oldest part of the clock. The "fleu de lys" (representing the sun) hand indicates the time on a 24-hour analogic dial. The upper dial shows the minutes. Read here for more information.

Then, we headed to the main pedestrian street in Exeter, High Street. However, before we even got there, we came across some ruins: St Catherine's Almshouses. Along with much of central Exeter, these were bombed in 1942 and the ruins are dedicated as a memorial to those who lost their lives in Exeter during WWII. The almshouses, which were founded in mid 15th century, were intented to accommodate 13 poor men of "good character", preferably with connections to the Cathedral. 



In high street, I saw what I thought it was a modern Christmas tree who lost the track of time, which to my surprise, it ended up being a quite beautiful piece of art and a source of knowledge. The triangular tree-shaped sculpture made of stainless-steel is apparently the latest addition to Exeter High Street. It has been made by Michael Fairfax and each "side" of the tree has verses from the Exeter Riddles. The Exeter Riddles date from the circa 960AD, Exeter Book, which is the earliest known example of Anglo-Saxon poetry in existence. The funny part is that you won't be able to read the poems as where they are written but on their reflex at the opposite wing (I am not sure if I make myself clear here, just click on the picture and see what I mean! LOL).

If you wanna go shopping, the High Street is the best place. However, it will be impossible to overlook the giant graffiti-like face on the wall. It is not really a graffiti, as the drawing is carved into the wall. Very impressive artwork!

Then, we looked at the map for a mili-second and a very helpful woman asked if we needed help. We were not lost, we just needed some advice on what to visit and she suggested we should go to Exeter Castle.

"Wow, A CASTLE!" That's what I thought, "I didn't know there was a castle here!". I suggest you don't imagine a wonderfully conserved fairytale castle because you will not find anything like that. Formally called Rougemont Castle is the historical castle of the city built shortly after 1068. The castle is named after the red stone found in the hill it stands on, and was used in the construction of the original buildings. It is surrounded by gardens, which were surprisingly opened at 6pm. The castle was closed, though. :(

Our last stop was at the "House that Moved". Yes, you read it right! Apparently, the house in the picture is one historic building in Exeter was first built in another location. The house was in the way of a new road and was scheduled for demolition. It dated from about 1500 although some thought it might be from the 14th century. As it was in such a poor state, it didn't seem that important a loss. However, some archaeologists pressured to conserve historically such important building and the demolition was halted and the City Council decided the best option was to move the house out of the way. On 9th December 1961, the move started. The house was raised, moved up the hill on Edmund Street until the bottom of West Street, where the house is nowadays. The whole move took around 4-5 days. Such a good story!

Then, we came back to St Andrew's Hotel, which I recommend if you are planning to stay in Exeter. We had a triple bedroom with ensuite bathroom and we found a pretty good deal online with breakfast included (Continental or English Breakfast to choose). Well location, good service and free parking at the rear. Anything you can ask for!

INTERESTING LINKS

Exeter Council: http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10126
The Malt House (Exeter): http://www.harvester.co.uk/themalthouseexeter/ourmenus/
The House that Moved: http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/em/housethatmoved.php
St Andrew's Hotel: http://www.st-andrews-hotel.com/

OTHER 1-DAY TRIPS TO...
Bath http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.com.es/2013/12/1-day-trip-to-bath.html
Wells and Chew Valley Lake http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.com.es/2013/12/1-day-trip-to-bath.html
Weston-super-Mare http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/1-day-trip-weston-super-mare.html
Cardiffhttp://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/1-day-trip-cardiff.html
Cheddarhttp://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/1-day-trip-cheddar.html