A couple who missed their Salcombe honeymoon 50 years ago are trying again to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary.

Gill and Wyn Davies live in Wales, and when they married on January 1, 1968, they booked three nights at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel for their honeymoon. Sadly, car trouble prevented them from ever making it, and they had to spend it in Bristol instead.

Now, 50 years later, their children have secretly booked a trip for them to the Salcombe Harbour Hotel to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary, giving them the “honeymoon they deserve”.

Gill told her daughter Ceri that they “wanted the honeymoon to be special”.

She told her: “Our wedding was wonderful and all went smoothly, despite the cold, crisp weather you would expect on January 1. Wyn had acquired his first car for £50, after five years of working for the Bank.

“It didn’t really cross our mind that perhaps in 1968 asking a Hillman Manx to drive to Salcombe from Swansea on January 2 would be a little much to ask.

“So off we set with the usual farewell, a full tank of petrol and a case packed. The weather was bright but cold, so coats and hats kept on in the car and tried to avoid steaming up the windscreen.

“All was going smoothly until we came to Totnes and without warning the car decided to take a rest, as it turned out a permanent one, and no matter what we did, it wouldn’t start. So what do you do?

“Back then, thumbing a lift was common place and we managed to get to Penzance from Plymouth the previous year, so Wyn sent me off to hitch a ride with one of the few passing lorries. It was cold but dry, and we were trying to work out where to go.

“Our only choice was Wyn’s digs in the YMCA in Plymouth so we eventually we managed to stop a lorry and, after switching lifts a few times, ended up there around midnight!

“We sidled in, knowing that women were not allowed to stay over and we didn’t want to wake the landlady, exhausted, cold and hungry but importantly we were together.

“To top it off we were woken by a loud shriek the following morning as the landlady came in to clean the room, expecting it to be empty, only to find two bodies asleep in a single bed!

“What an adventure! So 50 years on, we are planning to eventually make it to Salcombe for a long weekend which our family has provided as a gift for our anniversary. Let’s only hope we get there this time.”

Anna Sirba, Front of House Manager at Salcombe Harbour Hotel said: “We are so pleased to finally welcome Gill and Wyn to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary. Their story is so special and we’re honoured to be a part of their fond memories. We hope their journey is this time smooth-sailing and they make it in time for Gin O’Clock.”