Another place on my list: Dartmouth. Somewhere in the bloggy mists I’ve mentioned that we once lived in Hanover, New Hampshire, home to Dartmouth College. So a visit to the original Dartmouth in Devon was a must-do. Without much time to visit, we made good use of our English Heritage pass and spent the afternoon at Dartmouth Castle.
Dartmouth was an interesting maritime town — traffic back and forth through town includes a ferry ride! The Britannia Royal Naval College is in the background.
A crazy-making drive through small winding streets brings to mind the tight quarters of a ship. Even the cemetery slides up and down hills and holds tight where it can.
The parish church by the Castle has a simple ship-shape elegance.
Within the Castle, one can tour the original battlements, set to defend the mouth of the Dart.
Inside and out, there’s not an overwhelming amount to explore, but it is all well preserved and there are many kid-friendly touch-and-learn stations for extra enrichment, and benches for tired parents to sit while the kids run up and down … and up and down … and up and down … (You might want to download and print ahead the Step Inside guide.)
There’s a pretty-ish view of Dartmouth from here, as well.
It’s a beautiful place to indulge in dreams of pirates.
The water is an amazing green, due to the limestone in the area. (I believe.)
If only there were a bit of sun, you might believe you were in the Caribbean.
A beautiful cove facing the Channel, where I like to imagine mermaids and smugglers sneaking in past the guards sitting bored in their towers above. This used to be a public swimming beach, and remains of the former swim platform are visible on the lower left of this photo. This day, we got to spend uncrowded moments sorting through the rocks for shells and listening to the waves.
Cream tea and sandwiches at the nearby Castle Tea Room were surprisingly good. But our best souvenirs were dainty small shells and a final English Heritage guidebook to add to our collection.
Crumpets in Camelot 