Mount Edgecombe

We can see Mount Edgecombe, which is actually in Cornwall, from our flat window. It is a beautiful spot, and we have been there a couple of times already. The house was built in the 1500's and is set in Grade 1 Cornish gardens, within 865 acres on the Rame Penninsula. I took it from a boat on a slightly windy day, so apologies for it being crooked (my excuse - but not a glass of wine in sight, honest!).

The landscaped gardens themselves are fantastic ...

and there are many walks around the Edgecombe Country Park. With its lakes and woodlands ....

as well as cliffs and panoramic views around the Sound (you can see Elliot Terrace and the Hoe in the distance), it is easy to see why this is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Apparently, in the year 1588, the admiral of the Spanish Fleet saw Mount Edgecombe from the sea, and was so affected by the sight, that he resolved to have it for himself when they had "conquered" England- but of course, that did not happen ...

Ferry crossing at Dartmouth

We have visited Dartmouth several times, and from there have taken the ferry to/from Kingswear. The "lower ferry" at Dartmouth has been running since the 1700's, and is fascinating both to watch from the shore, and to cross over by. Basically, it consists of a floating platform which is pushed and pulled along by tugs. When leaving the slipway, the tug goes astern (good nautical phrase eh?!!) whilst pulling the ferry along ......

casts off, swings round .....

then ties up and starts pushing it (so for part of the crossing, the ferry is effectively drifting on it's own!).

In the middle of this, the tug driver leaves the tug moving on its own (i.e. nobody driving it!) and hops onto the ferry to collect money from the passengers, before returning to continue the journey ...

Meanwhile, the other ferry on the other side is doing the same, and they cross in the middle!!

Dartmouth is one of our favourite places, we have been there by bus - (double-decker, sitting on the top at the front of course, like children!!) The bus route goes via Slapton sands, and the views are absolutely wonderful ...

Strange happenings on the Hoe ...

One thing I have always enjoyed is people-watching, and where better than the Hoe? People taking their dogs for walks & throwing them sticks/balls, picnics & BBQ's going on, or simply out there enjoying the view. As they say, anything goes on the Hoe .... from hot-air balloons:

... or failing that, somebody pulling a bus along (well why not, with petrol prices being so high these days?!)














Sometimes the Army use the Hoe for training purposes, usually very early in the morning (so they can't be seen perhaps?!). Well, it was either training, or they were trying to build a giant bonfire ...

However, I was not prepared for the sight that met my eyes the other morning. Seeing hunky Army lads running up and down is one thing ... but giving each other firemens lifts??? They could have asked for willing female volunteers .... !!!

Another evening, I could hear a lot of grunting going on, so was naturally intrigued .... and guess what I saw?? Kickboxing! Needless to say, I doubt if there would have been very many female volunteers for that ....

Visit to the Citadel ...

While Mandy and Clive were here, we went on a guided tour of the Citadel .... the gateway is very imposing. Originally it was entered via a drawbridge, but this was removed in 1888. In the middle above the doorway is a niche which was intended to hold the statue of Charles II but holds three cannon balls instead.

We were met by a slim, gentle-looking elderly lady who was to be our guide. However, she was more like a combination of a P.E. teacher and an Army sergeant - "This way everyone - KEEP UP NOW - stand over here - NOT there sir - and NO photographs unless I say so"! Needless to say, she knew her stuff, and was particuarly interested in the guns ... !!
The Citadel was built in the late 1660's during the time of Charles II, designed by Sir Bernard de Gomme. It stands on the site of the original Plymouth Fort which had been in existence at the behest of Francis Drake after the Spanish Armada. During the English Civil War, the local Plymothians had pledged their allegiance to Parliament but when guns were placed in the Citadel, as well as the ones facing the Sound, some were also placed to face the town as a reminder to the turncoat population of their misplaced sympathies! There is even one which is aimed at Elliot Terrace (see below) ....

Within the Citadel is the Garrison Church of St Katherine-upon-the-Hoe - unfortunately we were only allowed 5 minutes in there before we were herded up again. On one of the walls is a beautiful mural of angels either side of the window - this was apparently done by a soldier/artist whilst he was stationed at the Citadel during the First World War, but nobody got his name before he was sent straight to the Somme and sadly killed there, so will be forever anonymous.

I was trying to imagine my father there in the late 1940's, and how it would have been at that time (it was closed in the 1980's for re-decoration/renovation). It is certainly an imposing building, and dominates the east part of the Hoe. There were a lot of areas where we were not allowed (I think our guide would have had us shot!), but the tour certainly gave us an idea of how it looks from "behind the walls"!

Tombstoning ...

Tombstoning - jumping off cliffs, piers, harbour walls or other high points into the sea - has claimed a number of lives across the UK in recent years. Since being in Plymouth, we have been struck by the number of "tombstoners" there are around this area.














If you walk round to the Barbican in the evening, you cannot miss seeing tombstone-jumpers in dripping wetsuits, with shivering but admiring little brothers in tow, and often surrounded by doting teenage girls!! That is youff for you ... the picture below gives a better idea of the height of the jump ... taken at maximum zoom too - gulp!!

Of course there are rocks below which have to be avoided (adds to the fun perhaps?) - one hopes that they only jump at times when the tide is at its highest!

Brittany's Tricky Turn ...

Usually the Brittany Ferry slips silently into port .... except the other day, when for some reason (probably due to the tide/wind), it decided to turn around first in a very narrow stretch. I have seen/done some close 3-point turns in my time (or even 5 point turns!), but this one beats them all. Watching the whole process was entertaining for us ... but I wonder how the people living in the homes by the water felt?

Getting closer .... a bit too close, I think ...

Success!!

I expect the passengers & Plymouth residents were on waving terms by the time it was finished (being done very slowly, the whole turn took about 20 minutes). Still, it would take a lot of skill to manover something of that size ... sometimes the ferry has had to steer around a warship (or more often wait for it to pass), and of course there are always lots of yachts/or a dinghy or two around.

Transat Race - 11th May!

The Transat race is held every 4 x years, and is made up of 30 or so yachts sailing solo across the Atlantic from Plymouth to Boston - so far the shortest time has been 12 days to complete the distance. It started in 1960, when the first inaugral race was won by Sir Frances Chichester in Gypsy Moth III in 40 days. It is often referred to as one of the toughest race due to the solo conditions and prevailing winds across the North Atlantic to the USA. During the week before the start of the race on 11th May, all the Transat yachts were arriving in Plymouth to prepare for the event ... they were looking very colourful in Sutton Harbour. The place was full of tanned, muscular Frenchmen sitting cross-legged on the quay, playing with ropes of various colours, or climbing up masts ... sacre bleu!! As you can imagine, several trips to the Harbour were made ...

At the time, we had Julia staying with us, as well as Clive and Mandy. On the actual day, we managed to get seats on a charter boat which was going out to view the start of the race from amongst the yachts. It was a very hot day, and we had not got time to go back home to collect suntan oil/hats, but there was plenty of bottled water for sale, and luckily we all had our cameras, so had a wonderful view of all the Transats as they prepared for the start of the race. We saw Gypsy Moth IV as well, which made it all the more interesting (see the nearest - and smallest! - yacht in the picture below).

The build up to the start was very exciting - all the Transats had to move themselves as near to the start line (marked by 2 x warships about 1/2 a mile apart) as possible, and the ones which were nearest when the start gun went off would be lucky. We were allowed to get fairly near them (us and several hundred other boats of various sizes!) up until the last 20 minutes, then had move back away from start line area so the Transats could start positioning themselves. There were boats of all kinds jostling for the best viewing position, including a pirate boat!!

The Transats started moving out to sea very quickly, closely followed by helicopters taking aeriel shots (must have been a fantastic view). They looked magnificent with their massive sails blowing in the wind, there was also a lot of turbulence caused by all the boats rushing to get a better view.

It did not take long before the boats gradually disappeared from view, and we had to turn back to Plymouth ... we did ask our captain to take us on to Boston, but strangely he seemed a bit reluctant! Still, it was a fascinating and unforgettable experience.