Walking the South West Coast Path from Beer to Beer Head and towards Branscombe

I've just enjoyed a week away from doing dentistry and now my batteries are feeling fully recharged. The weather has been pretty good for the end of April and early may with rain only affecting a couple of days.

Yesterday I decided to explore a part of Devon I had never been to, I decided to take a hike along the SW coast path and explore the coastline between Branscombe and Beer. Both are lovely villages with plenty of character, driving there was a bit hairy travelling along country lanes but we arrived pretty much without incident. The walk was lovely, the scenery amazing, definitely a bit of the Jurassic Coast worth exploring.

This is the map of the walk I took with the dog.

Here are some photographs, the scenery was lovely and there plenty of places in either village to stop for a break if it takes your fancy.

More information on the S W Coast Path can be found here

Some Dental Reading and websites you may find interesting

It's been a while since I have written on anything dental. In keeping up with my commitments to lifelong learning I'd like to share some books. websites and even podcasts that I have found interesting the last few months.

First up, I'd like to share two blogs by dental business coach Chris Barrow, Chris describes himself as a marmite character either loved or hated by the dental profession. I fall into the former category, I find his writings and presentations to be both thought provoking and challenging. His two blogs can be found on the 7connections website and his personal blog "letters from an imperfectionist" here.

Second, I would like to recommend a book by Ashley Latter. The book is called "You are Worth It." I read this book earlier in the year, it is an easy read and packed with tips and knowledge to help dentists become more confident and to achieve the fees their skill reflects.

This is how Ashley describes his book:-

"Do you sometimes reduce the price of your treatments in your head because you feel your patients cannot afford them? Does talking of money in your surgery make you feel uncomfortable? Are you worried about quoting a price due to the fear you might get a negative response from your patient? Do you feel your services are worth more than you get paid for them? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then I promise you will enjoy reading this book."

You kind find a link to Ashley's site here. 

Now two other websites I recommend, first Mark Oborn, Mark offers Dental Marketing, website and SEO consulting for dental practices, he also blogs on this too. His blog can be found here. Also I would like to take the time to recommend Kevin Rose. He is a business coach and writes about business leadership in dentistry, his blog can be found here.

Finally I'd like to write about a podcast, I discovered at the end of last year. The Thriving Dentist Show is broadcast weekly and can be downloaded to your MP3 device. It is presented by American Dental Coach Gary Takacs. It's usual format is that Gary will have an interview with someone who is an expert or respected opinion in a particular area of dentistry. Despite being slightly biased to an American audience, he often has British contributors on the podcast. It's worth a listen and is available here.

Easter Sunday Walk

I love going for  walk in town on Easter Sunday. It's always interesting because it is the one day each year all the shops close. Town was pretty much deserted , so I walked through Princesshay and the Cathedral Green with my camera and dog Woody in tow. Here are some photographs taken today.

It was a bit grey and cold after two days of bright sunshine but still was worth the visit. A chance to reflect and enjoy some peace and calm on Easter Sunday morning.

A Walk in Sidmouth

I think I can say with some conviction that Spring 2014 may have arrived. My parents visited for the weekend and we decided to take a day-trip to Sidmouth. The day dawned with a little early morning mist that quickly burned off and we were left with a beautiful sunny day. It was well worth the trip

The Calm after the Storm

Last week's weather conditions were horrendous, culminating with a massive storm with hurricane force winds on Friday night. Fortunately, Exeter wasn't too badly affected, obviously the river levels were high and some roads blocked by fallen branches and undrained water, but compared to some of the country we have been lucky.

Today, dawned bright, warm and sunny, so I took the chance to go to Exmouth. During last weeks storms I had seen You Tube videos of Exmouth seafront getting battered by waves. My biggest surprise was to see the sand dunes had been almost washed away by the tidal surges.

With a day of winter sun, the beach and town were packed with walkers but as always Devon can be glorious on a sunny day!

Sunday sun, and a walk in Budleigh

After a stormy and very wet January. I walk up this morning to be greeted by a bright and sunny winter's morning. Once again January broke weather records, this one being one of the wettest on record, with flooding affecting many areas across the South West. This was a typical weather map we were greeted with over the month, Atlantic storm after storm.

Anyway, I felt I should take advantage of the fine weather and take the dog for a walk a log the pebble beach at Budleigh Salterton. It was bright and breezy but lovely for a Sunday morning walk.

New Opening Hours at The Spicer Road Dental Practice

Starting on 3rd  February 2014 our opening times are changing, we will be opening for longer hours on a Monday and Thursday.

These are our new hours:

• Monday        08:30-17:00
• Tuesday       08:30-17:00
• Wednesday  08:30-17:00
• Thursday     08:30-18:30
• Friday         08:30-16:30

We changed our opening times in response to you our patients to make more surgery time available outside normal office hours. We hope that these changes will be useful for  you.

If you are a new or existing patient, contact our reception team on 01392 272408 to schedule an appointment.

To find out more about us, visit our website here.

Or alternatively you can like us on Facebook here.