Karen’s Chat – A Walk Through Google Earth

Prolific crime writer, Conrad Jones researches the area he sets his novels in using Google Earth. This really is a great resource for looking up anything.

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 saw a stature that wasn’t there when I visited in the seventies. . Google had the answer.

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. 

More Information on the statue

We stayed at Hele Bay, so that’s where I began my tour. From the beach, I moved on towards Watermouth Road. During my holidays there, I made a friend called Linda. Her family owned the local petrol station there and lived in the house next to it, both at the base of a hill.

Linda with lived her dad and her gran and and I remember her gran grew vegetables and flowers on the slope. 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, who lived in a nearby stable. We rode him down the lanes, and she gave me pointers on my riding skills. We mucked out and groomed him spending endless hours chatting together. 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, over time, we stopped writing and lost touch.

In the late nineties, I returned with my own family. I wanted to look her up and found her still serving at the petrol station.

I told her who I was, and she didn’t react. I asked if she remembered me. She said she did, but unfortunately didn’t appear interested. I backed up awkwardly bidding her goodbye. I was so disappointed.

On Google Earth, I reached Watermouth Road and the petrol station and it was sad to see how much the it had changed. The house was Premier Convenience store linked to the newly refurbished petrol station. And behind that, just a hill with no sign of a garden ever being there.

Google Earth is a great resource and people use it for all sorts of reasons. My trip down memory lane was fascinating and I remembered things I had long forgotten.

You should try it.