We spent a day in Dartmouth, a beautiful place I remembered sailing into in 1984 at dawn on my 35' sailboat. It was only the second time I'd ever cruised through the night and it was an impressive way to greet the new day.
Dartmouth is an important harbor - the Pilgrims left here in 1620 for the New World on the Mayflower and the Speedwell. In much, much more recent history, the river was a staging area for hundreds of vessels that invaded the Normandy beaches on D-Day in 1944.
Here are some photos, unfortunately in not very sequential order :-)
The castle at the mouth of the River Dart
The coast along the narrow entrance from the English Channel is quite rocky and steep
Pretty cottages and lanes with colors reminiscent of places with much warmer climates. This part of England has a different microclimate - warmer weather, more tropical vegetation, greener water.
A woman in a bookstore there makes objects out of old books - each opens like a fan. Very clever.
Fish and chips - lunch sitting on the wall overlooking the harbor and a little beach
This is Dittisham, upriver from Dartmouth. It is opposite the summer home and gardens of Agatha Christy, a place that we visited by ferry.
The waterfront in Dartmouth near the ferry quay.
We also took a little boat to the mouth of the Dart River where the castle overlooks the harbor entrance. Along the shore there were lots of beautiful boats and homes.
This is Julian who ferried us in his little open boat from the quayside to the castle.
The church near the castle - see how the water is a different color?
A little cove we passed while walking back from the castle
The ferries that transport vehicles from one side of the river to the other - Dartmouth to Kingswear.
Across the harbor from Dartmouth are many pretty homes in pastel colors in Kingswear.
Small boats in an inner harbor that dries out completely at low tide
People playing croquet on Agatha Christie's lawn at Greenway, her summer home on the River Dart.
More views from the water...
Castle with a sailboat headed out to the English Channel.
Palm-like and tropical vegetation in Dartmouth
Further up river near Agatha Christie's home the green fields slope gently down to the water
On her property, dogs are very welcome (as they are in most places in England). And there are chairs to lounge in on a sunny summer day.
So there you have it - Dartmouth!
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