Dartmouth

Introducing Dartmouth

The pretty riverside town of Dartmouth has long been known as the location for Britain’s largest naval college, but in recent years it’s also established itself as a favourite seaside escape for city types fleeing from the rat race. There are some surprisingly chic shops and boutiques dotted around town, not to mention an astonishing concentration of upmarket restaurants – in high summer it’s all a bit Knightsbridge by the sea, with posh yachts jostling for space in the small riverside harbour and plenty of impeccably-coiffured ladies doing lunch at one of the town’s streetside cafés.

The tourist office (834224; www.discoverdartmouth.com; Mayor’s Ave; 9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat year-round, plus 10am-2pm Sun Apr-Oct) houses the Newcomen Engine, an early (1712) steam engine.

Perched on a promontory at the entrance to the Dart Estuary, the English Heritage (EH) Dartmouth Castle (833588; admission £3.70; 10am-6pm Jul & Aug, 10am-5pm Apr-Jun & Sep, 10am-4pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar) was built to protect the harbour from seaborne raids in conjunction with its companion castle at Kingswear. There’s a ferry along the estuary to the castle, three-quarters of a mile outside town, from South Embankment every 15 minutes from 10am to 4.45pm (adult one-way £1.20).

The Dartmouth Museum (832923; Duke St; admission £1.50; 10am-4pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct, 11am-3pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar) displays a jumbled collection of costumes, swords, ships-in-bottles and vintage toys. The museum stands at the end of the Butterwalk, a row of super-wonky timber-framed houses that look as though they could collapse at any moment; incredibly, they’ve somehow managed to remain standing since the late 17th century.

Dartmouth is justifiably proud of its spanking new arts centre, the Flavel (839530; www.theflavel.org.uk), which hosts small-scale theatre and dance, as well as live music and films.

Last updated: Sep 21, 2008