Admiring Tavistock on the last leg of my journey
And here I find myself on a flight out of Exeter en route to Philadelphia via Dublin. Did I really climb 17,000 feet and 215 miles around Devon in five days? Sunday’s fifth and final leg out of Tavistock contained a humdinger in the form of a six mile/1500 foot quad-buster climb up to the moor and the highest point of the week.
A sharp descent followed and then, a few miles later, the most horrific climb of all, an 18% ramp, that left me awash in pain. Cars strained as they passed and another cyclist, unburdened by 30 lbs. of gear, slowly ground past me exclaiming “blimey, you are doing this with all those bags!” I managed to cough out: “don’t really have a choice.” And then suddenly there I was, at the top, followed soon after by the first sign of home.
Ashburton is a special place: striking and full of history. For all its beauty, it isn’t twee, nor is it overrun with gas stations or industrial parks. You can get an excellent turmeric latte at Café Latino, but North Street isn’t lined with astrologers and Wiccan paraphernalia. You can wait on line outside for a loaf of sourdough at Briar or grab a lamb sausage at Dartmoor butchers. Maybe you need an 8mm Allen key from Church’s so you can remove your bike pedal or you need a suggestion for a boutique rosé from Jaded Palates. Ashburton is real, a place to live, occupying a kind of Goldilocks spot between not too small (although it is very small) and not too large. At the center of it all is the Arts Center, a living mark of the vitality of a town that culturally punches way above its weight. You’ve good reason to be fiercely proud.
Thirty-minutes later, descending from the moor, I rolled up tired and sweaty to the Arts Center and was greeted by a group of friends who burst into applause, making my heart go all fuzzy. I hope this trip raised exposure for the festival and added to the coffers some desperately-needed funds to pay the musicians a fair wage so we can continue to attract world-class artists. Tonight I sleep in my own bed while counting Devon sheep.
Bahhhh!
Thank you. Thank you for your written notes and your donations on the Crowdfunder page. Thank you to all of you who sent me words of encouragement. Thank you to Heather, Sarah, Gabi, Pip, Deborah, and so many others for all your hard work and support and friendship. And thank you to Andy for answering a random email from Philadelphia seven years ago.
David Yang, Artistic Director, Ashburton Chamber Music Festival
If you would like to support the Ashburton Chamber Music Festival, the crowdfunder is open for at least a few more days. No donation is too small.
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