We have just returned from a week’s holiday in Ilfracombe, North Devon. Our holiday flat was in a grand Victorian terrace, in a house dating from 1872 with stunning views of the harbour and the rocky coastline. We were also lucky to have a solid week of good weather and this made for a wonderful trip.

A week away involves choosing which writing tools to bring. I had my usual inner debate on whether to bring a selection or travel light and just bring one. As usual, I came down on the side of bringing a selection. The final tally amounted to five fountain pens, three roller balls, two ballpoint pens (one being a multi-pen) and one mechanical pencil. I also brought too many notebooks: A Leuchtturm A5 for holiday journaling, a Stalogy 365, A5 in a leather notebook cover for when out and about, a new Moderno (WHSmiths) A5 notebook for any creative writing (which I did not open all week!), a little red Silvine pocket memo book which I carry everywhere and an A5 Ryman’s sketchbook and a small set of watercolours.

To this, I added a square notepad bought at the RNLI shop near the harbour, little changed from their notepads that I used to get on family holidays some 50 years ago.

It transpired that I used only one of the five fountain pens, a newly acquired Lamy Nexx, purchased for its striking Neon Orange cap. I had not been a particularly big fan of the Lamy Nexx, with its rubber faceted grip but on giving it another chance and some sustained daily use, I found it very comfortable and it performed faultlessly. The bright orange cap shouts holiday vibes.

I used the blue Lamy cartridge that came with the pen. Writing each day in the Leuchtturm journal using a medium nib, the cartridge lasted for a respectable 38 pages.

When the Lamy finally ran dry, I switched to a Jacques Herbin clear demonstrator roller ball pen, (model 22500T) which uses standard international cartridges. I had bought this a few weeks earlier, at Pens Plus of Oxford and like it a lot, far in excess of its modest price-point. It has become my shirt-pocket pen, great for short notes or longer writing sessions too.

I did not discover any fountain pen shops, either in Ilfracombe or any other places we visited, not that I was in need of anything! But I thoroughly enjoyed my quiet time spent with my notebooks and pens, and watching the harbour activity from our windows.

With little more to report as to the performance of either the Lamy or the Jacques Herbin pen, there was some other, off-topic, “product testing” of some recently acquired items. First, I had picked up some lightweight, inexpensive Quechua, fabric waterproof hiking boots from Decathlon, and was glad of the chance to try these out in the hilly coast paths. There are lovely walks on Hillsborough Hill, (known as “The Elephant’s Head”) which we could see from our flat and this was a good testing ground for the boots.

Unlike my leather Karrimor boots, the Quechuas are extremely light and comfortable and as soft as slippers, yet provide a tough, grippy sole. On my first hill walk I found that having opted for a larger size for the added width, my feet slid around a little inside the boots on descents. However, on my next walk, I solved this simply by lacing the boots more tightly.

Another feature of the boots is their claim to being waterproof. In dry, summer conditions there was not the scope to try these for a long walk in heavy rain. However they stood up well to wading through shallow rockpools on the beach, keeping my socks and feet dry. Being so light, they would not provide enough support and protection for very rugged terrain. Having read mixed reviews of these, I am keen to see how they fare over the next 12 months or so.

Another recent acquisition immediately prior to the holiday, was a Casio G-Shock wristwatch, bought chiefly for its 20 bar water resistance (equivalent to approximately 200 metres) for swimming in the sea.

Being lightweight, comfortable and easy to read with its white hands on a black dial, I enjoyed wearing this all week. My only complaint would be that the digital readouts in the lower right quadrant are too small and dark (unless viewed in line with a light source), but in practice, it is better that these are not too prominent and distracting as, nine times out of ten, I just want to read the time.

Finally, back from my week away, I tested my other inked pens for hard starts. All did well. Only the Parker 51 Vacumatic needed a moment and a light moistening of the nib, but for a 1940’s pen, this is entirely understandable.