Dartmouth – Part One

We arrived at The Camping and Caravanning site in Stoke Fleming for an 18 night stay. We were allocated a really nice spot with lots of space and not too far from the loos. We even had a sea view – just! Here we are all set up with our flag ready for the World Cup Finals.









 Stoke Fleming is a thriving village with most amenities.  Looking  at the position of the post box everyone must be 12 feet tall. We have no idea why it is so high. There is another post box at ground level around the corner.
 
Dartmouth is an ancient borough with a history of settlement going back to prehistoric times. In early times, when marauders of all sorts ravaged the coast, towns were placed some distance inland, safe from raids, and so it was that the first occupancy was at Townstal, at the top of the hill.
Much of the lower part of the town, from the river bank inland as far as the Guildhall, has been reclaimed from the river in various stages since medieval times.
During the 13^th and 14^th centuries, Dartmouth rivalled the Cinque Ports in importance and fame, and for a time it was one of the foremost seaports in the provinces.
The Mayflower and the Speedwell left from Bayards Cove, Dartmouth, in 1620 taking pilgrims to America. Local merchant adventurers, including Humphrey Gilbert, obtained a predominant share of the Newfoundland trade in the 16^th century, and many of the Mayors were men connected with that trade.
In more recent times, the port of Dartmouth has continued its naval connection as the home of naval officer training – initially in HMS Britannia on the River, and since 1905 at Britannia Royal Naval College on land. In the second World War, over four hundred ships were assembled in the port in readiness for the D-Day landings in 1944.


Mock Tudor building on the South Embankment

The Butterwalk                               St. Saviour’s Church

About 2 weeks before we arrived in Dartmouth there was a devastating fire in the centre of town, which affected a whole block of shops and flats. This is the result – burnt out Elizabethan buildings.

We knew Dartmouth was steep, but not this steep 1 in 3. I met a lady in her eighties who had just walked up this hill. she said she ‘takes her time’.
 
At the top of the hill is a geocache and the next two photos are of the Dart estuary from the cache.
 


At the end of our first week we went to the BBC Antiques Roadshow at the Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC). We went for the day out, those with antiques had to wait in queues for up to 90 minutes. At the time of writing the transmission date has not been set. We saw many of the valuers and had a look around parts of the college.



 
The recording set.
At the half way point for the day the college put on the The Field Gun Run – below is a slideshow showing the run. We had to be moved away from the centre line because when the gun is fired at the end of the run the blank cartridge throws out lots of debris.

Ringwood

Over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend Maggie, Andy and Tara came to stay. I was leading a ramble on the Saturday afternoon, from Broomy Walk, and M&A came too. Unfortunately the weather in the morning had been heavy rain and only 6 ramblers turned up including M&A. We walked for 5 miles and it didn't rain once, but it was very wet underfoot. I wish I had put on my new waterproof boots. The morning ramble was lead by Lyn and David, they had 12 walkers and it rained most of the time – not pleasant! 

Here we are at Mill Lawn, close to Burley.

New Arrivals

 

Photo taken by Lyn on another ramble. The view is over the River Avon. Do you like the hat?

Doctors orders I have to protect my ears!

Ramblers rest.

In early June we visited Graham and Jean in Marlborough. On all our previous visits it has rained and when they have come to Ringwood it has rained so hope the spell has been broken with this beautiful day. We were well fed and watered and so had to have a well earned rest whilst walking around the town. Marlborough is a lovely old market town with many of its old buildings still intact.

This is an extract from the Marlborough website.

‘Marlborough, in the north east corner of Wiltshire, is the archetypical English market town – a place where coins were minted in Norman times, Tudor kings hunted for deer and where coaches heading west from London stopped to feed and water their horses.’

Marlborough Town Hall         St Margaret’s Church

 

The Green - William Golding , author of 'Lord of the Flies' and a master at Marlborough College lived at No 29. Front door on the left.

Houses on The Green

     

 Update on the surgery front – I had to have the skin removal above my left eyebrow done again because there was a ‘miniscule’ amount of the BCC left behind. I had the same surgeon and the procedure only took 20 minutes, but my eyebrow is moving up my forehead. If the next time I see you I give you this quizzical look, I’m afraid I can’t do anything about it.

That’s it for a while. We are off to Dartmouth on the 10th June so hope to have plenty to report on our return.