No 1A : Potter On To Otterton
Like Julian, Ann, Dick, their cousin George(ina) and Timmy (the dog), fbb has been on a summer adventure. As adventures go, it was rather feeble, but appropriate as your aged blogger has suffered from a touch of the feebles as he recovers from his gastric event of many weeks ago.
As an aside, a first edition of the above book could cost you £500!
So, accompanied by Mrs fbb, you recuperating reporter is off to Otterton Mill.
It was a top deck seat on Stagecoach's finest ...
... which left Seaton Underfleet on time at 1004.
The route skirts the town centre ...
... before making its way via Harepath Road to join the main A3052 on the western edge of Colyford.
There is very little intermediate traffic until Sidford is reached. This community grew up around a ford across the River Sid (surprise!). It is now a large residential area contiguous with Sidmouth ...
... but does retain something of its ancient character if you keep your architectural eyes open.
You would guess that the pub is old, standing guard at the village crossroads.
We turn left at the pub and traffic lights to drop down to Sidmouth.
Sidmouth spread inland in Victorian times which leaves the remains of a small 'suburban' shopping centre now reduced to a very few trading premises and a lot converted into residential use.
We approach the town centre passing the splendid independent Radway Cinema ...
... before turning right just short of the main shopping street ...
... still with a smattering of independent traders including a bookshop and an excellent green grocer's. The White Horse chippy (sit in or take away) is down there, occasional suppliers of a pensioners' nosh to the fbbs.
Once again, there are plenty of examples of old Sidmouth and posh Sidmouth to observe.
Woodlands is appropriately ancient!
We will meet Walt again soon.
The fbbs alighted at the Sidmouth Triangle 'terminus' where much was happening.
A Stagecoach bus was busted ...
... with man and van in attendance. The engine turned over happily on the starter motor but without that essential roar of combustion. It sounded like a lack of fuel. The van man (was he called Dan?) got it started - eventually - and its driver took her sickly steed back to Exeter. fbb hopes she got there!
It was Sidmouth Folk Fortnight so everywhere was very busy. fbb's 9A was jam packed with standing pax and only a couple of seats free upstairs. 
They had alighted pre Sidford at the Donkey Sanctuary.
There was a wait for the 157 due at 1212 ...
This gave fbb a chance to observe players on the Putting Brown ...
... to spot the arboreal dinosaur in the little oasis opposite ...
... listen to an instrumental combo performing for "folk" folk nearby - and watch the special Park'n'Ride Festival buses come (busy) and go (usually empty).
The 157 arrived ten late and left even later as Ms driver availed herself of the adjacent 'facilities'.
The eagle-eyed amongst our readers may have spotted that fbb's action shots of the journey were all taken fron top deck, near the front. This is because it was practicable for the arthritic one to heave his ancient bulk upstairs at Seaton and gently negotiate the the ancient bulk's descent at Sidmouth without delaying the journey.
... which was late and busy. It is depressing when pesky passengers, wanting to get on or even get off are so inconsiderate as to impede accurate time keeping.
Such temporal excess would not be available at Otterton, so fbb and Mrs remained on the bottom shelf of a Stagecoach decker in the now abandoned motorway maintenance livery..
The new town on the pebble ford ...
... offers a pleasant main street, preceded by where the railway station isn't.
The line closed in 1967 and fbb well remembers the camping coach from passing by in approx 1955.
The village has plenty of memories of its bucolic past including these properties near the turn off for Budleigh Salterton.
And so to Colaton Raleigh. 
It's that Walt again; although the sainted Wikipedia has nothing to say about any genuine links between the village and its globe-trotting namesake.
Our bus passes the driveway of Bicton House ...
... grand home of an Agricultural College; and Bicton Park ...
... home to Botanical Gardens and a splendid miniature railway.
Sadly, it is powered by an internal combustion engine, not steam, but offers a pleasant trundle amongst terraces and trees.
And so to Otterton Mill ...
... where fbb has a cautionary tale to tell!
More tomorrow.
Next Otter blog : Tuesday 11th August
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