To most people, Newton Abbot is just a blip on the sat nave as they fly across the Penn Inn roundabout on the way to Torquay or Paignton.
Or it's just a short stop on the railway line from London to Plymouth.
But it is worth taking a bit more time over this historic old market town.
A good place to start is the rail station where the mainline from London to the west country splits to go off to the English Riviera of Torbay. This historic station was once part of Brunel's Great Western Railway and once home to the South Devon Locomotive Works. The current building is a bit more modern dates from the 1920s.
Carry on past the station into the Town proper you will progress up Queen Street. The bottom half of which is now home to a number of takeaways handy if you're a bit hungry after your rail journey.
\two of my particular favorites are the Gurka Chef serving traditional Nepalese dishes.
And NAZ is a modern Indian Fusion Restaurant that is bright and airy and serves excellent currys.
Opposite NAZ is the Newton Abbot war memorial which commemorates those brave souls who died fighting in both world wars from Newton Abbot.
As you carry on up the main street you will notice that not all the businesses have managed to survive the last year of lockdowns with covid and a number have unfortunately closed.
Let's hope something takes their place soon as this does make for a very depressing experience.
If you like Italian food you will love Ricca's which is IMHO the best restaurant in Newton Abbot. Great food and service.
At the heart of the Town is the old Covered Market which houses a number of local shops such as a butcher a baker a few hardware stalls and cafes. The building dates from 1930 it also houses the only Cinema in the town the Alexandra.
If you're here on a Wednesday there is also an open-air market in the square and up the pedestrian section of Courtenay street.
At the top of Courtney street is ST Leonards Tower no one really knows how old it is but it thought to date from around 1220 and be part of an old Manor chapel it now serves as the towns clock tower
This area is probably the oldest part of the Town with a number of Tudor buildings.
One thing Newton Abbot isn't short of its Pubs some of the oldest ones are along East Street.
One of the oddest is Ye Olde Cider Bar thought to one of only two remaining cider houses in the UK.
It only serves ciders, country wines, perrys, from casks and soft drinks. In side, it's very traditional and a real step back in time.
For a small market town, there are a number of green spaces including Courtney Park with its bandstand opposite the rail station where we came in.
which is also home to the Town Bowling Club. This brings me back to roughly where I started.
Well, Hivers I hope you enjoyed that short stroll around my hometown of Newton Abbot.