Torquay, Plymouth, Saltash, Looe, and Dartmoor: Friday 29 July

We had a much appreciated lie-in this morning (I had slept at least nine hours but David still woke for the day at 5:20am as his body clock is set on that time for all time-zones). Everyone was looking more refreshed at the 8am breakfast.

It was our turn in the back row of the bus today - 5 seats across the back, all to ourselves, so I could move from side to side to take photos. At 9am we set off through Torquay, for Plymouth. 

  

We enjoyed the rolling hills and green pastures of the Devon countryside on the way.

  

Plymouth was much bigger than we expected, as we discovered when we took a harbour cruise from the Barbican area of the port, that ended at Saltash. So much history here, and so much to see in such a beautiful harbour. First, we saw a replica of the ship used by Magellan to sail around the world 1519-1522. We also saw the location of the memorial Mayflower steps, where the pilgrims had stepped onto their ship to go to America in 1620. There were also memorials to the people who left on the first transport ships to Australia, and to people who had been lost at sea.

  

  

From the water we could see the Plymouth Hoe where Sir Francis Drake is reputed to have been playing bowls in 1588, while waiting for the tide to change before sailing out with the English fleet to fight the Spanish Armada. Smeaton's Tower stood out above other buildings. We sailed past the Royal William Yard, and saw British warships and submarines. Scott's memorial was in the distance. There were islands, including Drake's Island. Much more was described in the commentary as we sailed along.

  

At Saltash we passed under two bridges, one for rail and the other for road vehicles. The Royal Albert Bridge (for rail) spans the River Tamar and was designed by Isambard Brunel, an engineering genius. It was completed in 1859. The adjacent Tamar Bridge was opened in 1962.

The bus met us where we disembarked in Saltash, and now we found ourselves suddenly in Cornwall instead of Devon, and on our way to Looe for lunch.

  

Michelle alerted us that the change from Devon to Cornwall also meant a change in the way we put the jam and clotted cream on our scones! In Cornwall the clotted cream (average fat content of 64%) gets put on top of the jam, whereas in Devon the cream goes on first!

  

Looe was a quaint seaside town, swarming with tourists, and we had 1 hour 45 to get lunch and look around. It was 'interesting', to say the least, when our bus came down the narrow road into the town, and met a local bus coming up the opposite way! Kevin, our amazing driver, gently eased past, a millimetre at a time - no bus was damaged in the process! Michelle's lunch recommendation was to have a traditional Cornish pasty, and to have cream tea with scones for "dessert". I came upon a recommended GF cafe, Cafe Fleur, and that is where we enjoyed our lunch with Murray and Lorraine. I gave the cream tea a miss, but enjoyed the other recommendations! In fact, there was so much that I couldn't eat it all!

  

  

Next we walked briskly (for me) through the narrow, bustling streets, to the beachfront, where lots of families were enjoying the sand, but very few were in the water! 

  

Soon after, we were off again, travelling towards Dartmoor over the moor of the same name. We were up high on the moor, driving along the tops, sometimes between very steep hedgerows (in the bus we could see over the tops) and looking across a very different landscape, with sheep and Dartmoor horses. Yet, in the distance and lower down, we could see the patchwork of farms of Cornwall and Devon. We passed through hamlets, and also got to see the Dartmoor Prison buildings nearby. We had a restroom break in Postbridge, to also look at an ancient stone bridge (the Clapper Bridge), the only one of its type still standing, and dating back to the 12th century. The newer bridge next to it was built in the 17th century.

  

  

Off we went again, gradually making our way back towards Plymouth, Michelle treating us on the way to a piece of clotted cream fudge each - oh the calories! We finally arrived back at our hotel at 5:30pm.

An hour later we were all in the dining room, drinking glasses of bubbly and toasting Michelle and Kevin - it was the final night of our tour and we were having a final celebration dinner. We had all pre-ordered our dinners the night before, but they could find no record of my GF request even though I'd noted it clearly... Luckily they were able to sort it out, and I certainly enjoyed my dinner, along with the great group of people we were dining with!

  

David was knackered (like I'd been the night before) and we headed to bed at 8:30pm, David to sleep, and me to write this post!