The two men peered under the Jag. Joe pointed out that Ralph’s model had in-line braking fitted to the back axle and that it would take him about an hour to check it out. That suited Katie fine; she was eager to explore the quaint old town and take a look at the famous cliff railway. She also wanted to try and find the farmer’s market that Mary Richardson had talked about.
“That’s fine, Joe. We’d like to take a look around the town and maybe get a coffee.”
“Nice day for it. Lots of antique shops down the side road by the church," said Joe as he jacked the car up and dragged out a sliding trolley. With a grunt he slid under the car. They heard him start to whistle as he got to work.
As they strolled along, Katie stopped outside a jeweler’s shop that had a display of antique estate pieces.
“I’ve been looking for a chain for that pendant you gave me for my birthday, Ralph. What do you think about that silver chain? None of the ones I have are heavy enough.”
They went in. The place was filled with wall clocks of every description including an ornate full-case grandfather by the far wall; the loud ticking bombarded their ears. They had just turned to make a quick exit when the proprietor emerged from behind a beaded curtain that separated the shop from his office.
“Afternoon. Just feel free to browse around. Most of the pieces are Victorian and Edwardian, but I have a few new engagement and wedding rings in the case here.” He looked at Ralph.
It was the same whenever they went into a jewellery shop. Once the person behind the counter noticed that they were not sporting rings, he or she assumed that that was why they were there. He had a slightly disappointed look on his face when Katie told him that she was only interested in the chain in the window. When he went to retrieve it, she and Ralph exchanged looks, and it was all they could do to keep from laughing.
“Madam” the proprietor said as he handed it to Katie. “It’s late Victorian, 1900 according to the hallmark.”
Katie held it up. The owner eyed her uncomfortably as she held it against a steel scale along the front of the counter. Customers usually asked him to do that.
“Is it the right length?” Ralph asked.
“Just about perfect,” Katie said. “A birthday surprise?” She laughed.
Ralph asked the man to wrap it while Katie went to look more closely at the long case clock.
“Now that’s the way I like to shop,” Ralph said as they walked out into the sunshine. No hassle, and a memento of our day out. Now all we need to do is stroll around the town and see what Lynton has to offer in the way of a coffee or tea shop. With a bit of luck the car’ll be ready by the time we have a cup of tea. I must give Bob Wyman a call and thank him for putting me on to Joe.”
Lynton was the quintessential English seaside town. Being situated at the top of the cliffs above Lynmouth Harbour, anyone without transportation either had a pretty strenuous hike or else they had to use the Victorian cliff railway. Walking along the steep narrow road was both dangerous and exhausting.
Ralph and Katie strolled through the town and looked down at the sea far below. A crowd of holiday-makers waited patiently in line to purchase a ticket to visit the town and harbor below. Those emerging from the carriage smiled at the people waiting in the queue. Parents told kids to behave or there would be no ice-cream. A few hardy souls tackled the path which zig-zagged along the side of the cliff face. Some of them were a good deal older than Ralph and seemed pretty fit. It reminded him that he needed to increase his daily mileage if he expected to be in top shape for the next triathlon.
“I should be able to keep myself as fit as those buggers for another twenty years,” Ralph said to a slightly amused Katie.
“How do you suppose that thing works?” Katie asked Ralph and waved in the direction of the train. “I can’t hear an engine running.”
“I cheated and read the leaflet last time I was here,” Ralph admitted. “The Victorians built it. They used water-power to raise the two carriages up that cliff face. One counterbalances the other. To be truthful I’m not 100% clear how it works even after having read the leaflet, but those cogs and that cable must be incredibly strong to pull that lot up. The pamphlet said it’s been in daily use for 120 years.”
“Let’s go on it, Ralph. We’ve got plenty of time.”
They joined the throng of day-trippers and their children as the carriage made its way silently down the steep cliff. When it reached the bottom, the bell in the carriage clanged, the gates at the bottom opened and they were out onto the harbor front.
“Let’s see if we can find an ice cream and have a look at the boats before we go back,” said Ralph. There was something relaxing about the tranquility of the small harbor and watching the fishing boats straining at their moorings on an ebbing tide.
They walked along the front and shared an ice cream between them. They passed a small museum and a white painted pub with a thatched roof. Outside along the seafront, holidaymakers drank their beers or lemonades and fussed over their children to stay away from the road. And there was the ever pervasive seaside smell of seaweed and fish and chips that mingled with that of the freshly baked Devon meat pies and pasties that wafted from one of the side streets where families could stroll around and look in the quaint shops. Across a small bridge over a roaring stream, some children chased each other and
