Guest Blog Post
How about one town having the key to crusader knights, Pilgrim Fathers, and the future of the Royal Navy?
Leave behind you all your notions of old-fashioned English fishing villages.
Dartmouth, set as it is in a spot where the River Dart cuts through the Devonshire coastline, is a place where history is not simply written in books–it is cut in the very cobbles, beneath your feet.
It is not just a beautiful postcard; it is a breathing shrine of adventure, with its ancient castle driving invaders at bay as its world-famous regatta attracts crowds in thousands today.
You can find out much more and explore the six exciting facts that make this town a treasure in the crown of England.
Let’s find out the fascinating facts about Dartmouth.
Top 6 Facts about Dartmouth, Devon
To get a feel of the West Country, there are 6 amazing facts that make Dartmouth a place that is worth visiting.
1.   A Town of Royal Naval Heritage
Dartmouth has been the home to Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) for over a hundred years. This is a gorgeous Edwardian structure that towers over the town, and inside which every officer of the Royal Navy starts his career.
Although access to the actual college is restricted to the public, the existence of the college is experienced everywhere. It can be visited by a boat trip along its grand front, and the town is usually crowded with clever officer cadets. This great attachment to the navy gives Dartmouth a certain pride and custom.
2.   Home to an extremely unique Castle
Dartmouth Castle protects the pathway to the harbour. However, this is no ordinary fairy-tale castle with enormous towers and a drawbridge. It is an interesting example of an intentionally constructed late medieval artillery fort, among the first in Britain.
Constructed in the 14th century, it was meant to defend the precious harbour against the raids of foreigners using the most modern equipment: heavy guns.
You can walk around its ramparts, its backdoor passages, and look down from the walls on its vistas. It is an English heritage site which means that members enter for free.
Seeing castles here, some people feel the urge to visit castles in the capital, and they utilise their London Pass as a tool of the contemporary traveller. The London pass provides pre-paid entry to more than 80 attractions, such as the historic Tower of London (the ideal complement to Dartmouth Castle) and a Thames River cruise that recalls the boat trips made on the River Dart.
It is the ideal means of having a Devon holiday and a London adventure at the same time, at a reasonable price.
3.   Has the best Sailing Events in the UK
The Dartmouth Royal Regatta sees the silent river burst to life with colour and competition every summer. It is the UK’s oldest and largest sailing event and has drawn hundreds of boats and thousands of visitors each year.
However, it is not just sailing as there is live music and entertainment, fireworks that illuminated the whole estuary and a funfair. It is a week-long celebration to display the community atmosphere in the town which is full of life and its long-time affair with love at the water.
4.   You Can Ride a Vintage Steam Train to get there
Arriving in Dartmouth in a gorgeous vintage steam train is surely one of the most beautiful methods of reaching this city. The Dartmouth Steam Railway travels up and down the lovely coast between Paignton and Kingswear, just opposite Dartmouth.
The trip will not only provide amazing coastline scenery even before you get there. As soon as you get off the train at the Kingswear station, you take a short ferry ride on the other side of the river which lands you right in the centre of Dartmouth and the whole journey to Kingswear and back is a nostalgic one.
5.   Surrounded by a Region of Excellent Natural Beauty
Dartmouth is the ideal starting point to the Southeastern region of Devon, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The town itself is encircled by vibrant and dashing hills and coastline.
One can take a slow boat ride up the River Dart to the prehistoric town of Totnes, with secluded wooded creeks, and quaint riverside villages such as Dittisham. Alternatively, tie on your walking shoes and walk a portion of the South West Coast Path to some of the most amazing sea views in England.
6.   It was a major departure point for the Pilgrims and Normans
The history of Dartmouth is full of well-known departures. Above all, in 1620 the ship of the Pilgrim Fathers, Mayflower, made its final visit to Dartmouth to have her repaired before her epic world voyage to the New World.
You may still walk the Mayflower Trail through town. Far earlier on in history, in the year 1147, a fleet of 164 ships was assembled in the harbour of Dartmouth before departing on the Second Crusade. Deer Water Harbour has rendered the town a key and strategic port over the centuries.
To wrap up,
Dartmouth has the beauty of moving at its own rhythm, the pleasure of exploring an old town, a gorgeous river and a warm and inviting reception. Dartmouth has something to offer to every kind of history buff, anyone keen on sailing, a foodie or just anyone who seeks breathtaking views. It is an immensely fascinating area in Devon that one would revisit several times in his life.
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