Travel
Cruising on the River Dart South Devon Sun, sand and sea, Devon is fabulous, but if you feel like a change from the beach, a river cruise is a lovely way to relax away from the crowds. The Dart has its source up on Dartmoor, its east and west branches joining in Dartmeet before flowing into the Channel at Dartmouth. Among the options is the award-winning Round Robin starting in Paignton, where a steam train takes you along the scenic coast down to the estuary. The half-hour journey ends in Kingswear on the left bank, then it’s just three minutes on the ferry across to Dartmouth. In this land of deep water and steep valleys there are no bridges until you reach Totnes, about eight miles away at the end of the cruise. Departures are governed by the tide and passengers may have time to explore Dartmouth, a gorgeous little place where myriad yachts glisten in a coastal inlet. Framed by green hills, as lush as velvet, neat cottages beckon up the lanes festooned in pastel colours and flowering plants. But soon the cruise is ready to go – paddle steamer only on special dates – first downstream if the tide is right for a close-up look at the medieval castles that once guarded the narrow entrance to the estuary. Feel the currents? Time to turn around and enjoy the most enticing views of Dartmouth, town clinging to the hills, dazzling yachts, the Britannia Royal Naval College, an impressive late Victorian building, and you might just
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spot your nostalgic steam train puffing away through the trees. Then all is quiet, just the occasional boat sending ripples across the water or the breeze whispering in the trees. The oaks which gave the Dart its Celtic name may be sparse but there’s plenty of greenery along the meandering banks, while up on the hills meadows glow in luminous light. Salmon, trout and more, the river is full of fish, a treat for blackheaded gulls and other birds – here an osprey, there a rare dipper, a lonely heron, a colourful kingfisher and egrets galore. Most exciting in season are the Canadian geese feeding in the shallows and, if you’re lucky, grey seals basking on the rocks or swimming alongside the boat. In this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a few villages doze along the banks – like Stoke Gabriel, its winding streets gathered around an 800-yearold yew tree, or Dittisham with delightful seafood cafés and a passenger ferry to Greenway across the river. Owned by the National Trust, this was Agatha Christie’s holiday home and inspiration for a few murder mysteries. You’ll need a special trip to visit house and garden, but as you sail past you’re sure to see the elegant Georgian house rising on the hill among the trees. A little further, the Sharpam Estate may also tempt you back with award-winning wines and its own delicious cheese. Ninety minutes or so after leaving Dartmouth, Totnes greets you like a fairy tale with bohemian lanes, cream teas and panoramic views from its hilltop castle.
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