Finch's Foundry & Rosemore

Back down in Dartmouth again, waiting for the new fridge to be delivered (promised today but I am not holding my breath). Weather forecast good today, but poor tomorrow, so go out today and fit fridge tomorrow. Decided to visit Finch’s Foundry (National Trust) this morning and Rosemore Gardens (RHS) this afternoon. Photographically they were both an experience. The water powered drop forge showed how spades and scythes were made in the 19th century. They were having problems with the building falling to bits because of the vibration from the hammer.
We have been to Rosemore gardens before and they are always a pleasure. My feet gave out before Ann’s did but most enjoyable. As we drove back to Dartmouth I received a message saying that the fridge had arrived – so I know what I am doing tomorrow.

Britannia Royal Naval College

High on a hill above Dartmouth, Britannia Royal Naval College has been training Royal Naval officers on this site since 1905. In fact, naval officers' training in Dartmouth goes back to 1863, when the old wooden wall HMS Britannia was first moored in the River Dart. The job has always been the same and is now encapsulated, as you might expect, in a mission statement:

“To deliver courageous leaders with the spirit to fight and win”

The Queen met Prince Phillip here during a visit made by the very young Princes Elizabeth. He was then a dashing young Naval Cadet: Phillip of Greece.

The whole place was steeped in history and obviously still provides excellent training for the cadets that are lucky enough to be able to attend courses here. The view, out to sea past Dartmouth, from the parade ground, was magnificent.

Stoke Gabriel

Today is my birthday. I don’t particularly like getting older but I did get some excellent presents this year – mainly to do with photography. The filters that I received I used to hold back the sky (a graduated filter) on the above shot. While I was setting up the tripod etc., typically, Ann got talking to the people that owned the yacht that is to the left of the picture. Yes, the figure in red is Ann climbing onto the yacht having already been invited on board during the brief period that it took me to set up my camera. I quite like the perspective of the pontoon where all of the dinghies are moored.

Dartmouth

The weather forecast was not good so we decided to move on to Dartmouth where we knew we should be able to get a marina mooring. If it is going to rain then it is better to have electricity and be able to get off the boat without a very wet ride in the tender.
There is always plenty to do in Dartmouth and once the rain stopped then the light was wonderful and I was able to take some great photographs of the view from the boat. We actually moored in Kingswear which is on the other side of the river to Dartmouth. This has advantages because it means that you can look at Dartmouth in the sun in the morning and then enjoy the sun shining on Kingswear in the afternoon.

Salcombe

After a couple of days in Newton Ferrers we decided to progress eastwards to Salcombe. It is only about 20 miles away so we waited until the tide was heading in that direction and for sufficient water to be over the bar at Salcombe to make entrance easy even if there were some waves at the entrance. We followed a fishing boat in and admired the splendid view of the hillside as we made our way into the harbour. Unfortunately, as usual, all of the mooring buoys (there are no marinas) were occupied and we were directed to one of the larger ones in the middle of the bay. This was already occupied by a Broom 42 which sadly decided to run their generator for several hours that evening.
Mooring against other boats is always a bit of an adventure. We have sometimes made new friends but only very occasionally have we had any problems. To be fair, they did switch their generator off when we complained.

Newton Ferrers

We have finally decided to leave Mayflower Marina and Plymouth for pastures new. Our first port of call was Newton Ferrers, which is one of our favourite spots on the whole of the Devon and Cornwall coast. We have been stranded there for days by bad weather and that was not a problem.
If the tide is in, it is possible to take your tender right up to the village and moor at the yacht club or public slip way. However, if you want to spend any time there, it is best to moor your tender at the jetty at Yealm Steps and enjoy the creek side walk down the lower path and admire the pastel painted Devon cottages with their gardens down to the water. There are a few local shops including a Co-op, Chemist and post office. But, if like me, you have a thirst after your walk then The Dolphin Inn is difficult to beat. Recently listed, by a well known yachting magazine, as one of the 40 best sailors’ pubs in the country, it is well worth a visit. There is a good choice of local beers and an impressive restaurant menu with fresh local food listed on the chalk board inside.

The Barbican

Near the three local marinas is the Mayflower Steps monument commemorating the departure of the Pilgrims for America in 1620. It is believed that they actually departed from a pier, incorporated into the West Pier, which was built in the 18th century. Nearby is the Tourist Information office and here you will find sufficient information to keep you busy for days. One particularly interesting leaflet lists 20 historic sites within walking distance. These include the Elizabethan House which is said to be one of the first speculatively-built houses in Plymouth. It was erected by John Sparke, the first Englishman to describe tobacco and potatoes. Nearby you will find the Dolphin Hotel which is where the Tolpuddle Martyrs spent their first nights, back in England, on returning from exile in Australia in 1838. The story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs is perhaps the best known case in the early history of the Trade Unions.

Today I also managed to finally fix the electricity supply to the instruments on the boat. It was finally traced to a small 20p fuse hidden behind the instruments in the roof lining!

Now heading back to Nottingham for a couple of weeks.