Ok well the above is from Dartmouth but as it looks out towards the open sea it is a useful one for context (and is a stitched panorama as well).  The town does have a very long history dating back to the time of the crusades (12th century) when it was [...]]]>

Ok well the above is from Dartmouth but as it looks out towards the open sea it is a useful one for context (and is a stitched panorama as well).  The town does have a very long history dating back to the time of the crusades (12th century) when it was used as a sailing port.

Bayard’s Cove was the original wharf here and this shows how it commands a view over the entrance to the river Dart.

Ferries

Access to Dartmouth from the east is by ferry.  There are three quite different ferries running services across the Dart.  There is the higher ferry which can take larger vehicles and is quite modern and which runs on cables.  From Kingswear there is a passenger ferry and also the lower ferry which can be seen here.  This is a floating platform which is “pulled” across the river by a boat “tug boat” style.

Some older parts and signs

Much of Dartmouth is old and there are many interesting buildings there.  One of the best known can be seen here – the Butterwalk.  This Tudor building was built in the early part of the 17th century.

I seem to have acquired an interest in collecting pictures of signs – hence this one.  There is no date on it,  however given the current is pre-decimal and the fact that a five shilling fine would probably not have been a deterrent for a long time I’m guess it will be around 100 years old.

Britannia Royal Naval College

This is somewhere that is actually better seen from the other side of the river so this image is taken from Kingswear.  The building dates from 1905 and has trained many naval officers in that time including many members of the Royal family.