Suddenly it's good to be British!

Good reasons for being British today

The Olympics 2008

Crikey who would have thought it? Ever the pessimist, Britain is actually doing rather well - no lets rephrase that 'Bloody brilliantly'. How many medals - 4 golds and 2 silvers today - but hey who's counting now? Once the gold-ometer shot past the magic number of 15 (Antwerp, 1920), there seemed little point. Excluding London in 1908, when the Games dragged on for six months and Britain provided half of the competitors and 56 golds, Beijing is our most successful Olympics.

Spare a thought for Sebastian Coe. The chairman of the London Organising Committee stood in front of the podium for the women's 400 metres medal ceremony with a look on his face that said: 'How do I follow this?' At opening ceromony I turned round to my husband and said ' There is no way on Earth the London Olympics are going to be anywhere near as awesome as this!'
Behind him with a gold number 16 around her neck was Christine Ohuruogu, born and bred not a mile from the Stratford nucleus of 2012. A delicious omen, not a burden, we hope.
In the weeks leading up to Beijing, officials at Team GB downgraded medal expectations from 40-plus to 35. When Ohuruogu left the stadium, the total had hit 33. Five days of competition remain. Who knows where this will end?
In Atlanta only 12 years ago, Sirs Redgrave and Pinsent won Britain's only gold of the Games. Now the world is a different place. The iron curtain has gone, taking the Soviet Union and all her medals with it. Russia languishes on a mere ten gold medals. Who'd have thought it, Britain thrashing the Kremlin? So at long last we can stand tall and be proud of our Olympic success.

Not only as a nation are we basking in the glory of Olympic success we are suddenly and rather unexpectedly basking in glorious bright sunshine, a delight we now as a nation fear has abandoned our shores and is just as likely as any success in Beijing ! There is nothing greater than England on a summer's day with a gentle breeze rustling through the trees and hedgerows, lifting the soul of the land, the grass every shade of lustrous green rippling softly under the gaze of the sun overhead in the cornflour blue hue of the sky. And there is nowhere better than gazing across Dartmoor, taking in this spectacular panoramic view from the perimeters of your luxury four star self-catering cottage and fishing here in South Devon at Newbarn Farm. Probably one of the best fishing in Devon locations and one of the best Devon Fishing Holiday to be had in the South West.

Trains & Boats & Planes & Fishing in Devon

August the month of the Regatta & so much more
Spectacular entertainment for sailors and non-sailors alike - let's not forget the guys fishing in Devon – and the appearance of some familiar visitors overhead!

Ocean BMW Torbay Week 2008. Friday 22nd – Wednesday 27th August 2008

This is an exciting NEW event replacing the three existing Torbay regatta’s (Torquay, Brixham & Paignton). That means lots of good racing and plenty of shorebased excitement for visitors and spectators too! The setting couldn’t be better either, with the large sheltered bay providing fantastic sailing conditions in a climate that is noted as being much warmer than the rest of the UK. (I guess that's why most of you have chosen a devon Fishing Holiday).There will be plenty of live music at the Harbourside, including the Beach Boys Tribute Band, ‘Good Vibrations’. An all day Pirate day on Bank Holiday Monday promises to provide fun for all the family, organised by the Brixham Buccaneers ending with a fantastic firework display at Corbyn Head, Torquay and finally The Red Arrows will close the event with a stunning air display.

Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta. Thursday 28th – Saturday 30th August 2008

The Dartmouth Regatta provides probably the most enjoyable entertainment throughout South Devon’s calendar! In a glorious setting over 200 crafts from Yachts to Dinghies compete in over 15 sailing events, local rowing clubs compete in Eights, Fours and Pairs fighting it out over the testing course. The Regatta committee have managed to put together one of the best public air displays in Europe – The Red Arrows will be performing on Saturday, The Typhoon, Lynx Pair, Merlin and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will all be putting on shows through the week. Plus Treasure Hunts, Regatta Rock, Crab Fishing Competitions, Children’s Fancy Dress Competition, Firework Displays, Tug of War and so much more! An ever popular event make it stress free by taking the Steam Train from Paignton Station to Kingswear where you’ll pick up the passenger ferry for the short cruise to Dartmouth passing the HMS Argyll, a Type 23 Frigate, the Regatta Guardship. Crikey so much to do but I bet the keen fishermaen amongst you will still set up a rig for a late evening fish when back at your self-catering cottage and fishing back at Newbarn Farm!

And for a spot of light entertainment……..Open-air cinema Hairspray. Thursday 21st August 2008

Skylight cinema is screening Hairspray on the beach! Enjoy this iconic movie under the stars. Get Ready for something big! Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show. Come with your friends, or the whole family. Half the fun is bringing your own seating ... so relax on your bean-bag, picnic blanket, deckchair, pillow or even a hammock! Arrive from 20.40, film starts at 21.00 on Blackpool Sands. A great night's entertainment - exhausted from your hectic day of relaxing what better than heading back to your perfect holiday cottage (and fishing if you feel like it!) - Newbarn Farm!

All the above events are within easy reach of Newbarn Farm Cottages.

And now for some really good news…… we have availability for week commencing 23rd August 2008


Buzzards Bough – 2 bedrooms – sleeps 3 - £725
Dartmoor View – 3 bedrooms – sleeps 6 - £1200

Newbarn Farm - the best fishing in Devon (probably), the best Devon Fishing Holiday (probably) and the best Self-catering cottages and fishing ( you've guessed it - probably). But we believe it! So come and give us a try - you will have a ball - you not the fish!

The Perfect Holiday Now & Way Back Then!

Come to Devon

Back in the mid thirties this great thick tome was produced, titled The Come to Devon Guide it had some 400 pages or so packed with information, photographs, maps and everything else that may help a holidaymaker ....price 6d (92p in today's money). Eileen Egbeare, former mayor of Ashburton, amateur historian and preserver of Devon dialect and traditions discovered this little gem.

With no date visible on the book cover one can only assume from the pictorial and editorial content that it must have been the 1935 edition, described as 'the organ of the Come to Devon Association'. No doubt the ancestor of the present day Tourist Boards, at a time when every city, town and holiday village in the county combined to advertise their charms together.

Babbacombe was doing a UDI in those days and had its own page, inviting visitors to stand on the Downs 'and inhale to the full, the invigorating air blowing uninterrupted from the Channel'.
Torquay's list of attractions included the medical, electrical and Turkish baths with their famous sun lounge, fitted with Vita glass and complete with modern apparatus for violet ray treatment. The finest in England, it claimed.

Those were the great days of the railways. The Torbay Limited Express left Paddington at noon each weekday and did the 200-mile trip in 210 minutes. Monthly return tickets cost a penny a mile third class, with an extra half penny a mile first class.

The great Bernard Darwin reviewed the golf courses and said the view from Little Haldon — now called Teignmouth — compared with the view from Mont Agel behind Monte Carlo. There was a list of all the hunts in Devon — 13 Fox, nine Harriers, three Otter, three Foot Beagles and one Stag — with the days when they met.


Helpful tips for sun bathers who were advised to stop their ears with cotton wool coated with cold cream. Not every day was hot and sunny, even then. Another chapter advised: “If you get blue after bathing or suffer from lassitude, consult your doctor.”

The Come to Devon Association had its office in Cathedral Yard, Exeter, and offered to book accommodation for visitors at any hotel, boarding house, farm or camping site, 12 pages of them, without charge.

Well 70 years on and the Steam Railway still exists but has long ceased to ferry passengers from Paddington, sticking to the coastal tracks in and around the bay - but a great day out nonetheless. Great days to be has on the beach and not always crowded as the picture belows depicts taken only three weeks ago at Goodrington Sands - though I'm not sure I'll be stuffing my ears with cold cream and cotton wool.



For great views just two miles out of the bay at Newbarn Farm, a great self-catering cottage & fishing location, at the top of our Top Field there is a truly spectacular 180 degree panoramic view taken in far reaching Dartmoor, extending right around to the heights of Wellswood in Torquay to the blue waters of the bay. And right down in the valley before you the wonderful Fishing in Devon angling lakes sit. So no need to travel the 8 miles to Old Haldon (Teignmouth) for dramatic views!


And some of the enchanting images below - all taken on site at Newbarn Farm have certainly stood the test of time! They would in fact make great book covers - now what about a title?

A Tranquil & Peaceful Haven

Newbarn Farm's Great Devon Fishing Holiday

'Oaktree Summer Memoirs'

The Rogers account of Summer Fishing Holidays in Devon

And lastly

'Night Fishing in Devon'

an honest account of a great holiday staying in luxury holiday cottages with fishing