Totnes is a little town in the South Hams where a friend, alluding to it’s alternative population, once said  you can see the haze of the wacky baccy floating above as you approach. The name sign on the road from Dartington says it’s twinned with Narnia. Totnes is packed with little hippy shops, second hand bookshops, wholefoods, and  cafes to suit everyone, it’s a super place for a pootle. Every alternative therapy known to man can be sampled, needless to say it’s on a ley line.

Before leaving the town centre I had  a chat with a lady who runs a geisha house http://www.sarasvati-arts.co.uk/hachisu/index.html she was dressed in a beautiful kimono. One of the alternative therapies on offer is ‘gonging’, where you sit close to one of these and  you are immersed in its sound. Excuse the reflections on this photo, but I had to share it, click to open and read about a Pastor offering an unusual service!

Walking down the town we reached the River Dart and had a short walk on the Access for all ‘ path. We met a couple in their 80’s you were having trip down memory lane. They had grown up in Totnes and said that as children their parents had warned them away from the river because they would drown. Needless to say that didn’t stop them from jumping in and swimming around the weir. They weren’t swimming this time, or walking – they had cycled, only around eight miles, not their usual distance of up to thirty!

Further along I took these photos of a canoeist who looked like he was having a great time. On the walk back we found him on the river bank with his canoe deflated. He had parked in Totnes, caught the steam train up to Buckfastleigh, about seven miles, boat in backpack and then paddled downstream. We envied him, it sounds idyllic,  but no doubt I, if not friend, would have drowned. I hope you like the sound of Totnes, for further posts about the area click on Dartington in my category cloud and if you click on the first photo a slide show will appear!