{"id":689,"date":"2017-07-05T10:02:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T10:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/05\/devons-best-ferry-cruise-on-river-dart-exploring-totnes-dartmouth-and-exeters-underground-passages\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:48","slug":"devons-best-ferry-cruise-on-river-dart-exploring-totnes-dartmouth-and-exeters-underground-passages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/05\/devons-best-ferry-cruise-on-river-dart-exploring-totnes-dartmouth-and-exeters-underground-passages\/","title":{"rendered":"Devon’s Best? Ferry Cruise on River Dart, Exploring Totnes, Dartmouth and Exeter’s Underground Passages"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nTuesday, June 27, 2017:<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nSaving the Best of Devon for the Last–Totnes and Dartmouth
\nand Return to London:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>Although we did not intend to do so, you might say we
\nmanaged to save the best of Devon\u2019s treats for last. The weather too held out
\nmagnificently and we were rewarded by clear, bright days–and although there
\nwas no sun for much of the day, overcast skies kept us cool as cucumbers. Today
\nwas devoted to exploring two of Devon\u2019s best towns\u2014each has a completely
\ndifferent ambience and character and we were hard-pressed to decide, at the end
\nof the day, which one we preferred.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>We had a lot of ground to cover today and still return to
\nExeter in time to take our 5.00 pm coach to London. Shahnaz voiced concerns
\nabout going so far away for, after taking a look at the map of Exeter, she was
\nafraid we\u2019d never be able to squeeze both locations into a single day and still
\nmake our evening\u2019s coach. I managed to persuade her to have faith in me for I
\nfelt sure we could do it, if we left early enough. Hence, having packed our
\nbags last night, we set our alarms for 5.30 am and left our hotel at 6.00 am
\nfor the walk to the bus station to take the bus to Totnes that was leaving at
\n6. 30 am. Luckily, Shahnaz is also a morning person and I did not hear any
\ncomplaints about having to wake up at the crack of dawn\u2014in fact, she said that
\nshe enjoyed the early morning hours when the world was less harried and
\ncomplicated. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nThere
\nwas daylight all around us as the sun rises early in the summer in the UK. We
\nsaw a bus come along that took us directly to the bus station\u2014we jumped into it
\nand were at the bus station, pronto! Our Stagecoach bus came along at 6. 25am,
\nwe bought ourselves day tickets again (for 5 pounds each) and off we went on
\nthe upper deck to enjoy the Devon countryside that was just about waking up to
\na new day. We arrived at Newton Abbot at exactly 7.00 am and connected to
\nanother bus that took us to Totnes, five minutes later.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nExploring Totnes:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>We arrived in Totnes by 7.30 am\u2014while most business
\nestablishments were still closed. Life began to stir quietly and slowly as dog
\nwalkers got on with their daily routine. We used the facilities at a 700-year
\nold hostelry and then asking questions of early morning walkers, we found our
\nway to the ferry pier as it was our intention to take a cruise on a boat from
\nTotnes to Dartmouth on the River Dart. We discovered that the only ferry for
\nthe day went out at 10.00 am and that the return boat from Dartmouth to Totnes
\nleft at 5.00 pm\u2014the latter would make us too late for our coach to London, so
\nwe decided to do the cruise in one direction only (for 12 pounds per head\u2014the
\nreturn ticket is 14 pounds per head).  <\/span> <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>With about two hours to spare, we set out on foot to
\ndiscover Totnes\u2014and a more Elizabethan city it would be hard to find in the UK
\n(well, maybe Stratford on Avon!) However, Totnes has more listed (heritage)
\nbuildings than any other town in the UK. And indeed as we discovered on our
\nself-guided walking tour from the ancient stones of Totnes Bridge that spans
\nthe River Dart to the very top of the hill on which the town is perched, each
\nbuilding is enthralling and completely different from the next.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Totnes was a thriving medieval business town and a very
\nimportant center for wool commerce in the Middle Ages. As merchants made money,
\nthey built mansions in Tudor style that cling to the main street that runs like
\na life-giving artery through the center of town. Using a pamphlet (that we had
\nreceived from the Tourist Office at Exeter) as our guide, we took a self-guided
\ntour through the inns that were once medieval hostelries, through open squares
\nwhere weekly markets have been held for the past seven hundred years, through
\nthe church yard filled with aged gravestones and to the castle which is a
\nlandmark of the town. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nOne
\nbuilding in particular caught my attention and held it firmly. It is the Tudor
\nmansion of a certain Nicholas Ball (whose initials NB are well represented on
\nthe front fa\u00e7ade), a wealthy merchant in the 1500s. When he died, his widow
\ninherited his vast fortune. She married Thomas Bodley (yes, the Thomas Bodley
\nof Oxford\u2019s Bodleian Library) and using her money, he founded the famous
\nlibrary in the world\u2019s greatest university. Just imagine! All the world knows
\nThomas Bodley and no one even knows the name of the widow whose fortune enabled
\nhim to create such a stupendous center of learning.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe
\ngorgeous brick Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin was closed when we reached
\nit (but it would be opened by the time we made our way downhill). We skimmed
\npast it and entered the yard of the medieval guildhall which is still the
\ncenter of the town\u2019s administration. Greek Doric pillars hold up the old
\nstructure with its slate roof and its tiny leaded windows. It was closed at
\nthat hour but we received a good idea of its importance in former times as well
\nas now. Having taken a few pictures there, we walked under the atmospheric East
\nGate Arch (which was destroyed by a devastating fire a few years ago and
\ncompletely rebuilt) with its lovely clock face, and continued our gentle climb
\nup the hill. Passing by The Butterwalk, a covered arcade of shops that is a
\npeculiar medieval architectural feature, we arrived at a market square, where,
\nonce a week on Tuesdays, a colorful open-air market is held. Salespeople don
\nElizabethan clothing and sell their wares! Shahnaz found a complete set of
\nsilver plated fish knives and forks with cream Bakelite handles from a dealer
\nwho sold it to her complete in its box for 20 pounds! She was delighted with
\nher buy as she packed it well and we continued on our walk. At the very top of
\nthe hill, we found coffee shops just opening for the day. Our rambles had made
\nus hungry and the nectarines on which we had snacked at the market square did
\nnot quite cut it We needed something more sustaining before we boarded the
\nferry for Dartmouth\u2014so we were pleased to find a coffee shop just opening for
\nbusiness. I bought a coffee and a pain au
\nchocolat<\/i> while Shahnaz bought a pea and mint soup that was quite filling.
\nIndeed, our exploration of Totnes had left us completely enchanted. It is a
\nbeautiful little town that wears its age with dignity and prestige. Its
\nresidents seem very conscious of its vast history and want to retain it with
\npride. This is evident in the loving care that they lavish on their historic
\nbuildings and the graciousness with which they treat visitors. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nOn
\nour way downhill, we found the Church open and nipped in for a visit. Like all
\nancient Christian places of worship in the UK, it has its striking features. A
\nsoaring nave that ends in a timbered ceiling decorated with carved stone
\n\u2018bosses\u2019, a carved stone rood screen that separates the choir from the
\ncongregation, wooden choir stalls, mortuary monuments of the rich and famous of
\ntheir respective eras, an ornate baptismal font with a wooden crown-like cover.
\nWe took it all in as we traversed the interior spaces with their quietness and
\ntheir pious atmosphere. We were very glad indeed that we had the chance to
\nvisit it.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nThen
\nwe were making our way back past the square that contains an obelisque to
\nremember a local explorer who went off to explore Australia but perished there.
\nAcross Totnes Bridge we walked to arrive at the ferry pier at about 9. 45 am
\njust in time to purchase our tickets and board our ferry\u2014the Dart Explorer<\/i>\u2014that was waiting for us in
\nthe dock. As we climbed the top deck to take our seats, we were surrounded by
\nelderly pensioners equipped with cameras and binoculars and their morning
\ncuppas. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFerry Cruise on the River Dart:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Our ferry cruise on the River Dart from Totnes to Dartmouth
\ncould well be the highlight of our travels. Nothing can quite describe the
\natmosphere of the region\u2014its peaceful serenity, the vivid shades of green that
\ncling to its banks that gently rise and dip with every curve in the river, the
\nsoftness of the air under overcast skies, the gentle ripples made on the water
\nas birds skimmed its surface at the start of a new day. It was incredibly
\ntranquil that morning as only the soft chugging of the boat\u2019s motor broke the
\nsilence. There was also a very good commentary from the pilot who navigated the
\nbends in the river with expertise. He told us about the role of the river in
\nthe economy of the region, its use as a roadway as well as a source of leisure.
\nHe pointed out bird life on the banks, cute cottages perched on the downs, some
\nno more than wooden fishing shacks. He drew our attention to a salmon village
\ncomprising three shacks and three local families. He showed us the homes of
\nwealthy magnates who had famous architects like John Nash design mansions for
\nthem. The highlight of these mansions was Greenaways<\/i>,
\na house that had belonged to the writer Agatha Christie who wrote her novel Dead Man\u2019s Folly<\/i> in its interior and made
\nit the very setting of her plot. Greenaways<\/i>
\nis managed today by the National Trust and regular tours of the mansion can be
\ntaken from Dartmouth. Sadly, we did not have the time for it, but I enjoyed
\nclicking pictures of the villa as we sailed past. We also passed by picturesque
\nvillages like Dittysham that dot the river and offer wonderful photo ops. River
\ncraft of every size and hue dotted the blue waves and added to the loveliness
\nof the area.  <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It was not long before our truly delightful cruise came to
\na quiet end. The town of Dartmouth came into view with its Royal Maritime
\nCollege seated high on its cliffs. This was the training ground for both Prince
\nAndrew (son of the Queen) and Prince Harry (her grandson) who were trained
\nhere. It is a grand building, very impressive in its size and architectural
\nbeauty. We continued gliding our way to what is known as the Dartmouth Pontoon
\nand simply marveled at the glorious Elizabethan buildings that lined the dock
\nfor they were built in grand Tudor style and sported the exposed black beams,
\nsmall leaded windows and white-washed facades that make this style distinctive.
\nWhen I exclaimed, \u201cMy goodness! What a charming town!\u201d, one of my
\nfellow-cruisers smiled and said, \u201cAnd what an expensive one too! Everything
\nhere is costly.\u201d Indeed, arrival by boat is the best way to enter Dartmouth and
\nwe were very glad we chose this unusual mode of transport.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nExploring Dartmouth:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Dartmouth grew around the harbor that dominates all
\ncommercial life in the town. As soon as we disembarked, we walked around the
\nBoat Basin to the shops. We gave ourselves about two hours in the town but we
\nalso wanted to make sure we feasted on the much-touted fish and chips that chef
\nMitch Tonks of The Rockfish Grill<\/i> had
\nput on the gastronomic map. Hence we had to hurry through our shopping for
\nsouvenirs and our browsing through the many art galleries and shops that crowd
\nthe pretty streets. I wished to find the book shop that was once owned by the
\nreal Christopher Robin whom A.A. Milne had made famous in his Winnie the Pooh<\/i> stories. But alas, the
\nbookstore has closed down and another establishment had taken its place. We did
\nalso walk in The Butterwalk, a similar row of arcaded shops that we had found
\nin Totnes, and then, without losing any further time, we made our way for our
\nlong-awaited lunch.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFish and Chips at The
\nRockfish Grill<\/i>:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Mitch Tonks uses beer to lighten the batter he uses to
\ncoat his fish (cod or haddock). Large slabs of it were presented to us together
\nwith crisp chips, tartar sauce and ketchup. Everything was served piping hot,
\nstraight from the fire as fried fish and chips ought to be, plus the service
\nwas wonderful.  <\/span>Sadly, we had to hurry
\nthrough the treat that both of us thought was quite outstanding indeed. And
\nthen it was time to race back to our bus to get the one that would take us back
\nto Exeter in time.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nHeading Back to Exeter:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>We were lucky to find a bus that took us directly from
\nDartmouth to Exeter. Once again, we gave ourselves up to the sheer pleasure of
\nenjoying the English countryside from the top decker of a bus\u2014I have seen much
\nof Cornwall and Dorset in like manner and it remains one of the high points of
\nmy travels. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTour of the Underground Passages of Exeter:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Lonely Planet<\/i>
\nsays that we should not miss a tour of the Underground Passages in Exeter.
\nSince we arrived in Exeter while there was still time to get to our B&B and
\npick up our backpacks, we decided to check out a tour and see what it would
\noffer. Luckily for us, they are offered every hour and we got one at 3. 30 pm.
\nSince it lasted till 4.30, we would have enough time to check out and catch our
\nbus at 6.00 pm. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The tour of the Underground Passages starts with a short
\nfilm that explains its history. We missed the beginning of it as we arrived
\nlate. <\/span>However,
\nI gathered that the passages were<\/span> designed in the 1400s to bring clean drinking
\nwater from natural springs outside the walled city, through lead pipes into the
\nheart of Exeter. The pipes sometimes leaked and repairs to buried pipes could
\nonly be carried out by digging them up. <\/span>These are the only underground passages in the entire country that are
\nopen to visitors and a visit is certainly an unusual experience.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n   <\/span>         <\/span>When
\nthe film ended, we were given hard hats (mine stank horribly of body odor and
\nleft me feeling deeply disgusted by the end of it) and led into the passages
\nthemselves by the tour guide who explained why and how they were created. Most
\nof the passages are so narrow that only one person can pass through at a time.
\nThey are lined with stone that is plentifully quarried in the region. The lead
\npipes that were used to transport water for centuries were then covered with
\nplaster. Few people have any idea when they are walking through the streets of
\nExeter that these passages exist below them and that they can actually be
\ntraversed. As far as I can tell, the passages are no longer in use although
\nthey were used as recently as World War II as bomb shelters. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>So there you have it\u2014we managed to get in the interesting
\ntour of the underground passages as well and all of this made for a very fine
\nvisit indeed. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nWe
\nhad enough time to make our way to Melbury
\nHouse<\/i> from where we picked up our backpacks, checked out, thanked our hosts
\nGraham and Leon for their great hospitality and walked by a short cut to the bus
\nstation. Our National Express coach to London arrived on time and whisked us
\noff in a constant drizzle to the capital. How fortunate we felt that we had
\nexperienced no rain whatsoever on our travels! Also, luckily, by the time we
\narrived in London, it had stopped raining although the city was still very wet
\nindeed.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nLooking for our Next B&B in Battersea:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n   <\/span> <\/span> <\/span>    <\/span>Once
\nat London\u2019s Victoria, it was a simple matter of finding the bus stop that would
\ntake us to Battersea where we had made Air B&B bookings. Having arrived in
\nLondon at 10.20 pm, I hoped we would not have to wait too long for a bus. A 44
\ndid come along in just ten minutes and within half an hour, we were on
\nQueenstown Road and ringing the bell of a home owned by a lady name Jane who
\nshowed us to our room in the basement of her house. She stayed around for about
\nhalf an hour explaining all the rules of the house to us and as soon as she
\nleft, we crashed on the pull-out sofa which became a double bed.                     <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/span>   <\/span>         <\/span>Devon had been a brilliant experience
\noverall but we were ready to unwind and relax once again in London.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n             Until tomorrow, cheerio.<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, June 27, 2017: Saving the Best of Devon for the Last–Totnes and Dartmouth and Return to London:             Although we did not intend to do so, you might say we managed to save the best of Devon\u2019s treats for last. The weather too held out magnificently and we were rewarded by clear, bright days–and… <\/p>\n

Read<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1933],"tags":[750,742,751,753,755],"class_list":["post-689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-musings","category-united-kingdom","tag-dartmouth","tag-devon","tag-exeters-underground-passages","tag-river-dart-ferry-cruise","tag-totnes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4899,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689\/revisions\/4899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}