Posted on

Lisa the LEAF goes to the locked down doctors

A photo essay on my trip to locked down Camelford earlier today for essential medical purposes, courtesy of Twitter:

As is frequently the case, a trip to see the doctor is often swiftly followed by a trip to see the chemist. Boots in this case:

There was no queue outside when I arrived. I was allowed inside this building immediately! The counter staff were protected by perspex windows. Most wore masks as well.

In the early evening a cycle ride up to Davidstow Moor was the order of the day:

I did see a few masked up folk in the street today, but many more without. Several were evidently not conforming to the social distancing measures displayed in the gate to Enfield Park. Perhaps they hadn’t been to either the park or the doctors’ surgery recently?

Posted on

What Constitutes a “Reasonable Excuse”?

This article is reproduced by kind permission of our sister website CoV-eHealth.org, for the benefit of surfers, coast path walkers and moor hikers resident in and around Camelford, North Cornwall. And elsewhere I suppose.

The United Kingdom’s National Police Chief’s Council has published new guidance on what constitutes a “reasonable excuse” to leave your residence during the current novel coronavirus lockdown. You can download a copy from:

https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/What-constitutes-a-reasonable-excuse.pdf

Of particular interest to me as a “silver surfer” is the part that states:

Exercise can come in many forms, including walks.

Exercise must involve some movement, but it is acceptable for a person to stop for a break in exercise.

It is lawful to drive for exercise.

Whilst surfing is not explicitly mentioned in the new document the current Police Commander for Cornwall has previously issued guidance on that form of exercise for the county:

According to “Cornwall’s top cop” before the new guidance was published:

Police BCU Commander for Cornwall, Temporary Chief Superintendant Ian Drummond-Smith said the recent guidance from the London-based National Police Chiefs Council was consistent with what his officers were doing on the ground but he reiterated that the public should not try and take advantage of the guidance.

He said: “Surfing has not been banned. It’s exercise and in Cornwall we know it’s a popular exercise. People can still surf. The question of driving a reasonable distance as per the NPCC guidelines, is ‘how far is reasonable’.

“The NPCC guidelines does not say whether you can or cannot drive to do your exercise. I am telling my officers people can surf and some may well drive to surf.”

Now all we denizens of the North Coast need to do is wait for the swell to be onshore and the wind to be offshore once again.

And to stay well over 2 meters away from anybody else with the same idea at the same time at the same beach!

Posted on

Bodmin Moor Arson

This morning I read the following report on the Twitter feed of Mark Hewitt, Cornwall’s Chief Fire Officer:

Hence this afternoon Kasia and I decided to use our coronavirus constrained exercise period to investigate. Here’s our initial photo report:

 

 

 

On our way back to base we spotted these lambs in a field near the Moor. Please note that according to Julie Dowton of the Bodmin Moor Commoners this spring’s lambs haven’t been moved out onto the Moor just yet, and “no livestock were harmed” by the fire. However the High Moor is a site of special scientific interest, and all sorts of wildlife will undoubtedly have been terminally harmed.

Much more to come later, including a video we hope.

P.S. I just had a detailed description of the fire across 300 acres of Bodmin Moor from Rich Gibbons, Station Manager for the Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service. There are now lots more words to follow, but first some moving pictures from the middle of the Moor.

The only way to put the blaze out was to walk across the Moor to the fire front and use a traditional beater.

Something I hadn’t realised before is that soon after the fire on the Moor was ultimately extinguished another fire started in a building on Davidstow Airfield. Hence the confident use of the word “arson” in the title of this article. Here’s the site of the second attack:

Watch this space!

Posted on

Coronavirus Pandemic Mutual Support

Davidstow Parish Council have issued the following notice regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic:

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

DO YOU NEED HELP? CAN YOU HELP?

The spread of Coronavirus is likely to have a significant impact on our community in Davidstow. Many individuals will have to self-isolate to keep themselves and others free from harm.

As a community we need to look out for and support our vulnerable neighbours and fellow residents. This may include:
• Shopping for essentials;
• Picking up prescriptions;
• Acting as a point of contact if they want advice, support or just a chat.

If you can help this initiative by acting as a volunteer, please let us know by using either of the contact points below.

If you need help, please also contact us and we will do what we can to assist you.

IMPORTANT: If you need medical help, remember to contact NHS 111 if you need advice. If possible, contact the NHS on-line on 111.nhs.uk. Call 999 if it is an emergency / life threatening condition.

Contact points:Telephone 07859 419519

Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required

Davidstow Parish Council

Posted on

Spring Has Arrived?

February 1st finally brought an end to the wet (and often windy) weather.

Cycling around the local lanes I discovered this evidence that Spring is in the air at Trevivian:

Posted on

February Parish Council Meeting

Following the cancellation of January’s meeting of Davidstow Parish Council the agenda for the meeting at the Tremail Methodist Hall at 19:00 on February 3rd has been posted on the Parish Council web site.

It’s not very long, but it is very interesting. To yours truly at least!

1.  Planning

PA20/00526 | Extension to the existing housing development providing continuation and completion with a detached three bedroom dwelling. | Plot 9, Kittows View, Hallworthy, Camelford, Cornwall PL32 9SH

2. Cornwall Governance Review

a) To decide on consultation arrangements for the proposed transfer of the remaining parts of Hallworthy into the Parish of Davidstow.
b) To review the decision to request an increase in the number of Parish Councillors.

3. Saputo Update

4. Feedback from the Camelford Network meeting

All Welcome

 

I discovered about this week’s Camelford Community Network meeting just too late:

Maybe I’ll be able to discover what was said last Monday in the Methodist Hall next Monday?

Maybe I’ll also be able to discover why there was still a powerful pong when I cycled past Inny Vale earlier in the week, after Saputo (nee Dairy Crest) had allegedly already installed their new aeration system?

Posted on

My Journey in a Nissan LEAF

Having heard so much about electric cars, I was excited to get the opportunity to go for a longer journey in the 30 kWh version of the Nissan LEAF (range 120 miles):

Lisa, the V2G EVSE Limited vehicle-to-grid R&D Nissan LEAF
Lisa, the V2G EVSE Limited vehicle-to-grid R&D Nissan LEAF

We started the journey in Tremail, heading for IKEA in Exeter. Once we reached the A30, the car was cruising gently all the way to Exeter. The cruise control was activated at 60 miles per hour, leaving us free to chat during a relaxing journey. Once at IKEA, we headed for the electric vehicle charging point, where we met a fellow electric car fan:

Battery state of charge after our trip from Tremail
Battery state of charge after our trip from Tremail

He was enthusiastic about his Nissan LEAF but also told us that he had recently had a test drive in an electric MG (range 200 miles) which he said was a fantastic experience. He was in the process of charging his car and was kind enough to finish his charging session early to allow us to start charging ours, before we headed for IKEA:

Battery state of charge after charging at Exeter IKEA
Battery state of charge after charging at Exeter IKEA

The journey home was equally pleasant and I arrived back in Tremail a convert.

The future is electric!

Posted on

Davidstow Electric Car Hire

At Monday’s meeting of Davidstow Parish Council the chair asked if there was any other business to be added to the agenda. I raised my hand to announce the birth of Davidstow Electric Car Hire, which was duly discussed towards the end of the meeting.

As a pilot for the Camelford Electric Car Club project V2G EVSE Limited are making two of their research and development electric vehicles available for hire by residents of and visitors to the Davidstow area.

Lisa the Nissan LEAF and Zoe the Renault ZOE are now available for hire by the hour, day or week via HiyaCar.co.uk:

If you have never experienced the joys of driving a 100% electric powered vehicle now is your chance to do so at remarkably little cost.

Here’s an extract from a recent Top Gear review of the Nissan LEAF:

The real joy of the Leaf isn’t the money, it’s the motor, and its charming grace. For the way most people drive (if not, literally, for petrolheads), it’s simply a better source of motion.

and here is Top Gear’s opinion of the Renault ZOE:

It’s not for everyone – power can be a little bit reserved, something you’ll notice more if your range-anxiety is under control and you’re brave enough to tackle motorway stints – but for more regular urban use this is more than good enough as an entry to the EV world.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, using the space provided for that purpose below.

Posted on

Surfing ex Hurricane Lorenzo’s swell at Summerleaze Beach in Bude!

As discussed in the article describing my surfing session in Newquay earlier this year, the images below are from beyond the parish of Davidstow. However Summerleaze Beach in Bude is an even easier drive from here for any visitors staying in the Davidstow area:

Not only is there surf when the wind and North Atlantic swells permit, there is also the much calmer Bude Sea Pool (almost) all day, every day:

If you’re very lucky, as I was this weekend, you may even find yourself in the midst of an art installation on your next trip up the A39 Atlantic Highway!

If you’re actually in or near Bude and/or Davidstow this weekend more information about the Reflect Arts+Minds Project can be found at:

https://www.reflectaamp.org

Posted on

October Parish Council Meeting

Davidstow Parish Council is back to its regular schedule of meeting on the first Monday of each month.

As far as I can tell the agenda for the meeting on October 7th 2019 is still not available on the Parish Council web site, so I cycled to the noticeboard in Tremail and took this picture:

I shall certainly endeavour to attend the meeting, since I represented Tremail on the meeting between the Parish Council and Saputo (as Dairy Crest is now called) up at the “cheese factory” last week. Here’s a photographic record of my visit:

Earlier in the summer I also attended a meeting where Cornwall Council’s “Climate Change Action Plan” was discussed:

That plan has now been published. According to the County Council web site:

As a Council we have a leading role to play in the climate emergency, but we cannot deliver these ambitious outcomes alone, we will need support from all of our residents – from our communities, businesses, schools, public sector partners, the voluntary sector and many more. You have an important role to play in making change happen, not just as residents but in your working lives too. This is just the start of the journey; please join us in tackling the climate emergency.

On Monday evening it will be interesting to discover what the Camelford area equivalent contains. At the very least I know that Claire Hewlett, the mayor of Camelford, is interested in what the Cornwall Council’s report refers to as “mak[ing] electric vehicles a viable option for many drivers”. She recently visited our courtyard here in Tremail to examine our fleet of electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure. In the pouring rain!