Dartmouth and Burgh Island
I've visited Dartmouth, Devon a couple of times before and written of it here as well, so there's not much new to say. We had a reservation at Rockfish and Bruce was visiting pubs, so I went walking. In the small park downtown there was a floral tribute to Agatha Christie, creator of the detective Hercule Poirot. Christie lived in the area in a wonderful home called Greenway, which I visited previously. Personally, I found it hard to make out the word “oui" but short of putting it on a vertical surface or hanging a mirror above it, I think they did the best they could.
I walked along the river front (low tide, so lots of beached boats)
and enjoyed the usual beautiful views.
There's a little used bookstore, Compass Books, where the owner makes figures out of old paperbacks.
What I liked best was the sign in her window - it expresses the reality of being a creative.
I had never noticed the building that holds the local trattoria and got a smile from its name.
Tourists were mapping out their routes
and I could have followed one of the prescribed ones, but I decided to go a different way, up a very steep hill that doubles back toward the high street area. From that vantage point I got some marvelous views of the River Dart with the steam railway train chugging past,
Kingswear Village across the river,
Bayard's Cove Fort, a well-preserved 16th-century Tudor artillery blockhouse located directly on the river bank,
and Dartmouth harbor as it empties into the English Channel.
Walking along the path I found a sign for a National Trust site called Dyers Hill.
Google says it's a "National Trust owned woodland walking path offering panoramic views over the River Dart." What I found was a a place that looked as though it had recently suffered a bit of a landslide.
Consulting the National Trust site I found no mention of it. The Woodland Trust site describes the walking route, so I guess I'll try to find it the next time I'm in Dartmouth.
There are some lovely homes on this route and lots of holiday cottage rentals. One zebra, too.
Back in town I walked down Foss Street, which seems to be enjoying a bit of a renewal,
and visited Simon Drew's gallery and shop. Had a great chat with Simon. He's not just a terrific artist, he's witty and just an all-around fascinating fellow.
Lunch at Rockfish was its usual delicious experience. What made it even more special was that Joanie was our waitress. She's 83 years old and going strong. (I'm terribly disappointed that my photo of her was out of focus.) You know you’ve made it when AI describes you as “a legendary, widely-praised server at the original Rockfish Dartmouth seafood restaurant located on the River Dart.” See you next time, Joanie!
On the way to the car, Bruce and I stopped into The Seven Stars pub to see the mummified remains of a mouse wrapped in a ten shilling note that's kept behind the bar.
Honestly, it looks pretty suspicious to me. Isn't that a plastic eye? Whatever, it's a great conversation piece.
I finally got to Burgh Island this time around.
It's a tidal island meaning that you can walk to it from the mainland when the tide is out, rather like Mont Saint-Michel in France or St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall. When the tide is high, you can only reach the island by boat or by the Burgh Island Sea Tractor.
This is fine when the weather is good, but woe betide anyone who rides the Sea Tractor during stormy weather. There's a terrifying YouTube video of the tractor that attests to that fact. Happily, it was a lovely sunny day and the tide was out when we visited. After driving down a few rat-runs (Devon roads with one lane where cars virtually play chicken - someone always has to find a lay-by or back up to one so that both cars can get through) we made it to the carpark at Bigbury-on-Sea, adjacent to the sandy beach. The beach was full of dog walkers, picnickers and the Beach Barista, there to make warming drinks for the surfers.
Why people were surfing there I don't know, because the waves never make it over about a foot high.
Down the stairs we went to walk the sandy way to the Burgh Island Hotel.
Now, you can't visit the hotel, unless you’re a registered guest or have reservations for dinner, but you can visit the Pilchard Inn pub just across the road. You can also hike to the top of the island to visit the spot where a medieval chapel dedicated to Saint Michael once stood.
The current ruins are of a building that was once a Huers shelter, probably built in the 18th century. A huer was someone who, during pilchard season from July to October, would let out a “hue and cry" to fisherman to launch their boats and would then direct them to where the school of pilchards had been spotted. Rowing boats would let out huge nets and the haul would be brought to shore where all the townspeople would process the fish. Oil from the fish was used as waterproofing on the boats and to power oil lamps. It was a huge industry in the 18th and 19th centuries till overfishing wiped out the stocks. There are breathtaking views from the top of the island but few handrails, so tourist beware.
Local guidebooks talk abou a circular walk around the island, but it's really just a short loop to the huer shelter and back, since most of the island is owned by the Burgh Island Inn and off limits to non-guests.
We stopped at the Pilchard Inn where Bruce enjoyed a beer.
I wanted a coffee to warm up but they didn't have any plant-based milk so I settled for the view.
I entertain a fantasy of staying at the Burgh Island Hotel on one of their theme weekends to enjoy the gorgeous art deco rooms, dress in 30s garb, drink martinis and call everyone “dahling.”
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