Dartmouth, England
The 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II dawned clear and calm on Dartmouth. Some early gray clouds soon cleared to another fine, sunny day. After a relaxed breakfast, many guests went ashore for a guided tour of the town. Our local guides provided an excellent service and by lunch we were back on board after a comprehensive and informative circuit of the town, including a guide to the mayoral regalia provided by the Sergeant of the Mace and a visit to Bayards Cove.
The ships of the Pilgrim Fathers, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, were moored off Bayards Cove from August 23-31, 1620 while the Speedwellunderwent repairs to her leaking hull. The vessels then set sail for America. However, despite these repairs, the Speedwell was unable to make the crossing and both ships were forced to return to Plymouth from where the Mayflower completed the crossing.
After lunch the guests split into two groups. One group took a history walk led by Steve Blamires (Historian) and Vincent Butler (Archaeologist) while Karen Copeland and Richard White (Naturalists) led a wildlife walk. The latter took the group through the National Trust property at Gallants Bower where, after a short climb, we emerged on a hilltop with stunning views of the beautiful South Devon coast. There we found a fine show of native wildflowers including many foxgloves, bluebells, red campion, and speedwell, the delicate blue flowers of the latter providing the image of the day.
A stop at a bird feeder on the return to the ship provided an introduction to some of the commoner woodland birds, the highlight of which was a great look at a European Nuthatch.
So farewell to Dartmouth after another successful visit – the third and last for the Endeavour this year. After another fine meal, we departed from Dartmouth at dusk, bound for the Isles of Scilly.
The 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II dawned clear and calm on Dartmouth. Some early gray clouds soon cleared to another fine, sunny day. After a relaxed breakfast, many guests went ashore for a guided tour of the town. Our local guides provided an excellent service and by lunch we were back on board after a comprehensive and informative circuit of the town, including a guide to the mayoral regalia provided by the Sergeant of the Mace and a visit to Bayards Cove.
The ships of the Pilgrim Fathers, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, were moored off Bayards Cove from August 23-31, 1620 while the Speedwellunderwent repairs to her leaking hull. The vessels then set sail for America. However, despite these repairs, the Speedwell was unable to make the crossing and both ships were forced to return to Plymouth from where the Mayflower completed the crossing.
After lunch the guests split into two groups. One group took a history walk led by Steve Blamires (Historian) and Vincent Butler (Archaeologist) while Karen Copeland and Richard White (Naturalists) led a wildlife walk. The latter took the group through the National Trust property at Gallants Bower where, after a short climb, we emerged on a hilltop with stunning views of the beautiful South Devon coast. There we found a fine show of native wildflowers including many foxgloves, bluebells, red campion, and speedwell, the delicate blue flowers of the latter providing the image of the day.
A stop at a bird feeder on the return to the ship provided an introduction to some of the commoner woodland birds, the highlight of which was a great look at a European Nuthatch.
So farewell to Dartmouth after another successful visit – the third and last for the Endeavour this year. After another fine meal, we departed from Dartmouth at dusk, bound for the Isles of Scilly.
