PLYMOUTH, Stóra-Bretland

 Hi,
Tony and I were both teachers in a local comprehensive school; we both retired several years ago. Now we both wonder how we found time to work! Tony is a golfer and I dabble in all sorts including card-making and various keep-fit activities. We also obviously enjoy travel and meeting new people, making new friends and seeing new places.
My elder daughter Katherine lives and works in Cardiff with husband Stephen, daughter Amber and son Tate. Tsara, my younger daughter lives near Tiverton with husband Stuart.  Both families are second generation Intervac exchangers!
Tony’s daughter is married and lives just outside Bristol with our two other grand-daughters and husband Paul. His son, Chris, is away in Yorkshire; and has two adopted boys.
 We have been house exchanging for over thirty years, since Katherine was three years old and we have exchanged well over eighty times! All over England, in various parts of Europe and eight times to the USA,  four times in Canada, twice in New Zealand and Australia five times. We enjoy the freedom, the number of holidays / breaks we can fit in during the year and above all the chance to make friends along the way. We are still in contact with some of our exchange families. We have also hosted five times and this again is a great way to make friends.  We can certainly provide references if necessary.
Our home is a detached house with two bedrooms (one en-suite), bathroom and toilet, kitchen/dining room, study and lounge on one floor.  There are two more bedrooms and bathroom downstairs.There is central heating for early swaps and chilly days; and the lounge has TV, DVD,  and Sky. In the study there is a further TV and CD player.
Our kitchen has most appliances including microwave, fridges, freezers and dishwasher. The utility room outside houses a washing machine.
The garden is quite large and there is a patio. There is a driveway and double garage (which also houses a freezer). On the side of the house is a small conservatory to enjoy on sunny days in all seasons. From the roof you can enjoy lovely extended views of Dartmoor.
We live about ten minutes from the centre of Plymouth and the house is ideally placed for getting into town or out into the countryside or to the coast.
Plymouth is an ideal centre for touring the West Country, the beaches, country houses, parks and little villages of Devon and Cornwall. The city has museums, theatres and other city amenities including indoor and outdoor sports. The sights around are so numerous that the box of leaflets is too heavy to lift!
Bristol and Bath are about two hours away as is South Wales -we visit Katherine in Cardiff and its about two and a half hours door to door. London is about four hours by car or by train.
Thank you for reading this and best wishes for your year,
 Tony and Lesley.