Karen’s Chat about Google Earth

Recently I spoke to the author of a crime thriller set around the area I live. I asked him on social media if he came here to research. He said he didn’t, instead, he used Google Earth.

When Ilfracombe, a seaside town in Devon, was mentioned on television, I remembered holidaying there as a teenager with my family. It prompted me to take a trip down memory lane using Google Earth.

Immediately, I wondered what the statue was as it wasn’t there when I visited. Once more I turned to Google and came up with this reply.

A 66 foot stainless steel and bronze sculpture named Verity, created by world famous artist Damien Hirst, stands on the pier at the entrance to the harbour looking out over the Bristol Channel towards South Wales. It has been loaned to the town for 20 years.

https://www.visitilfracombe.co.uk/item/verity-by-damien-hirst/

We stayed around a place called Hele Bay, so that’s where I started my tour. From the beach, I moved up the road and suddenly remembered the name Watermouth Road. I had made friends with a girl my age whose family owned the local petrol station there.

She lived with her dad and her gran in the house next door, both situated at the base of a hill. Behind, there was a cultivated garden, on a slope with a paths between vegetables and flower patches. I’d never seen a garden at such an angle before.

We stayed at a caravan site nearby and although I couldn’t remember the name, I recognised it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to ground level as the Google car hadn’t ventured there.

Linda and I spent a lot of time together. She had a horse called Toby, that lived in a stable around the corner. We rode him down the lanes, and she gave me pointers on my riding skills. We mucked out and cared for him and spent endless hours chatting. It was a fun and unique time.

After two weeks, I left, but we continued our friendship with letters. A few years later my family and I returned for another holiday. They were lovely memories and Linda and I stayed in touch long after. Gradually though, over time, we stopped writing to each other.

In the late nineties, over twenty years later, I returned with my own family. I wanted to look her up and found her behind the counter, still at the petrol station.

I explained who I was and asked if she remembered me. She said she did, but didn’t appear interested. I ended up backing up awkwardly and saying well, goodbye then. It was such a disappointment.

When I looked it up on Google Earth it was kind of sad to see how much it had changed. The house was now a Premier Convenience store linked to the newly refurbished petrol station. And behind it, just a hill with no sign of any garden.

Google Earth is a great resource and people use it for all sorts of reasons. A trip down memory lane is enlightening, and it’s interesting. You should try it.