Weekend/Stopover in Dartmouth

The town itself is well preserved, and retains an atmosphere of being awake/interesting, even in Winter when its neighbours resort to sleepiness.

Dartmouth Castle is in good condition and gives great views back on the town and out to sea. There is a museum, and river cruises in summer.

It is really nice to wander the streets and soak up all the history. They are narrow, and many are pedestrianised, so the town retains that old world charm.

For us it had a sort of buzz of activity about it, which the other coastal resorts just lacked a bit.

When the yacht races occur in summer, it gets quite crowded.

Quick Tips:

There is a lot of fascinating maritime history here. The pilgrims set out from here via Plymouth, to colonise the New World, as did many other voyages of discovery.

The Normandy invasion force (or part there of), also left from here in WWII.

And, of course, the seafood is fresh and excellent.

Best Way To Get Around:

A return ticket from Paddington is GBP 67 to Totness. From here you take a bus. The journey takes about 3-4 hours.

This is an excellent B&B near the waterfront and harbour of Dartmouth. The owners are very helpful and knowledgeable, and ensure there is an open fire in the morning for breakfast and when you return from a day out.

Breakfast is a full and hearty English meal.

The rooms are very clean and warm. They are decorated with maritime bric-brac and some have water views.

The building itself is circa 1700 and full of character.

An adorable cat called "Harry" also shares the TV room with guests!

This restaurant was a real find. The first night we tryed to get in without booking, and there was no chance. It is well known, so make sure you book in advance, even in Winter.

The menu changes often, but there is an emphasis on seafood, with exotic influences such as Cajun and Mediteranean. Meat eaters and vegetarians are also well catered for.

Everything we had was excellent, so, despite it being a bit more expensive than most, we were completely satisfied, both with food and price.

It is not a place where they crowd in as many people as possible, so it has a good open atmosphere. They are unable to cater for prams, etc., so be aware of this if you have toddlers.

This really remains one of the highlights of our visit!