Quirky shops and new towns

One of my favourite things about the past couple of weeks has been exploring our new Devon home.

We’re currently living in a rented place, while we go through the whole house buying process (I don’t want to write anything about that yet for fear of tempting fate).

Our rented home is in a little town called Ashburton, nestled against the edge of beautiful Dartmoor, a 20 minute drive from the coast. Ashburton is a pretty place, full of independent shops and bunting. It’s a town, but feels more like a village really.

It’s funny how quickly somewhere can feel like home, even if it won’t necessarily be home for very long. Already the butchers and grocery shop feel familiar. As do the flurry of antique shops in the town (I’ve never seen so many antique shops in such a small vicinity).

There are a few cafes, but one in particular that I love. Full of teacups and tea saucers, shabby chic decor and glossy magazines, Tea at Taylors is the kind of place that feels utterly indulgent. And the cake is AMAZING.

If you like the kind of shop you can get lost in, rifling through vintage treasures, then Ashburton has an abundance of these.

This one is my particular favourite.

On the other side of the road there’s a charity shop which is BRILLIANT. I got two dresses for Frog for the princely sum of £3.25 for both. One’s a yellow cord number for the autumn and the other’s a pretty little summery one that she already loves.

There’s also an Artisan Bakery (I’ve yet to venture in there but I believe it does particularly posh bread), two delicatessans and a specialist “wine merchants”. It’s a foodie heaven.

All in all, Ashburton’s a lovely place, even if it is just for a few months.