Jo Moon and Mark Featherstone explore the delights of the River Dart, its famous namesake and other waterside delights, and find a welcome fit for a king.

In 1938, ‘Queen of Crime’ Agatha Christie arrived in Dartmouth to take up residence in her new home on the banks of the River Dart and pronounced it ‘the loveliest place in the world’. Royalty have been in on the secret for centuries, and this delightful seafaring town, which has played host to many kings, queens and nautical knaves over the years, is the real ace in the pack of this amazing coastline known as the ‘English Riviera’.

The River Dart, with its excellent deep-water harbour, has been strategically important for seafarers throughout the ages, and it was here 400 years ago that the Pilgrim Fathers stopped en route to Southampton and the New World beyond. Today it is not only the perfect stopping-off port for boat owners travelling south and beyond to Europe but it is also a fantastic destination in itself, offering fabulous eateries, lots of history and the most stunning clifftop and river walks.

Looking out to sea, an original cannon on the quay.

Approaching by sea

The entrance to the river, guarded for 600 years by Dartmouth Castle, is not obvious until you are much closer in. Visitors should look out for the conspicuous daymark on the hill to the east. Safe at all states of the tide and in nearly all weathers, the harbour is sheltered and has lots of berthing options. On the starboard side of the river, Darthaven Marina has limited visitor berthing, and further up, the impressive newly upgraded Noss on Dart Premier Marina has a full-service boatyard, and a whole array of luxurious and well-appointed facilities are being constructed. Besides a selection of marine-based businesses on site, the Noss on Dart marina is home to educational centres, and a hotel is also destined to be built.

Panorama of the coast at entrance to Dartmouth, River Dart © iStock-Thomas Faull

On the west bank there are various town jetties, visitor moorings and walk-ashore pontoons, most of which have electricity and water, but we strongly recommend checking out the Dart Harbour Guide, which has full details of these and some of the restrictions in the harbour. Dart Marina, on the outer fringes of the town, also has limited visitor pontoon berths. If there has been heavy rainfall, a large volume of fast-flowing water comes down from Dartmoor 75km upstream, turbocharging an ebbing tide, which makes for an exciting opportunity to practise your mooring manoeuvres, so you should check your tide tables carefully too.

River Dart with Dartmouth on the west side and Kingswear in the foreground. © iStock-Thomas Faull

We arrived on a clear spring day and the town spread out invitingly before us, its buildings scattered like a swathe of pastel-coloured snowdrops along the green slopes of the valley. Above the town, the Royal Naval College dominates, its grand brick facade a confection of Corinthian columns like tiers of a wedding cake set side by side. Designed by Sir Aston Webb, one of Buckingham Palace’s architects, the college takes up a big slice of the steep hillside and a huge portion of Dartmouth’s history. Famously the place where Elizabeth II met her love, Prince Philip of Greece, the panelled corridors echo with the footsteps of other royals who spent time training here, including Kings George V and VI and more recently Charles III.

The busy Inner harbour, Dartmouth. © iStock-Fotomicar

Walk through history

Alighting on the ancient quay, you might be forgiven for thinking you had stepped straight into an episode of The Tudors. Classic half-timbered houses lean gratefully against glamorous Georgian edifices, and the town bustles with restaurants and independent shops as well as the usual high street suspects. The Grade II listed inner harbour sparkles with jewel-bright boats, fringed by tubs of pretty pink geraniums like a cloak gallantly flung down by Sir Walter Raleigh for his queen. Rising like a Wurlitzer from behind the inner harbour known as the Boat Float is the imposing white Victorian facade of the Royal Castle Hotel. Host to more royal visitors, namely Queen Victoria and Edward VII, as well as the famous Devonian adventurer Sir Francis Drake, this is the perfect place for a pub lunch in one of the many cosy rooms. If you prefer eating al fresco, you can grab a hot Devon pasty and relax on one of the many benches in the Royal Avenue Gardens, named after Queen Victoria’s visit.

Tudor buildings.

The bandstand in Royal Avenue Gardens has concerts through the year.

Dartmouth is gratifyingly compact, and a wander through the maze of alleyways towards the medieval market reveals more historic buildings, a museum and the Flavel Arts Centre, a great cultural centre that also has a cinema screen. Provisioning is easy, with fresh artisan bread and croissants from The Bakehouse on the front, and a very well-stocked Co-op and Marks & Spencer, all within a few minutes of the quay. The museum is well worth a visit and occupies part of the historic Butterwalk, a terrace of 17th-century merchant houses. The D-Day preparations and the ill-fated ‘Exercise Tiger’, which took place just 8 miles away, are well represented, and there is also a room dedicated to Dartmouth inventor Thomas Newcomen, known as the father of the steam engine, a working replica of which can be found in the tourist information centre.

Lots of independent shops and galleries in Foss Street.

The historic Bayard’s cove quay where sailing ships once departed to lands like America and the Indies at Dartmouth in Devon. © iStock-Oscar Hill

Winding alleys and steps inviting exploration.

The embankment is the best spot to sit and take in the harbour comings and goings; it is furnished with lots of handy benches and tiny blue and white kiosks selling trips up the river. Further along the promenade is the Dart Harbour Office, whose friendly and knowledgeable team of over 40 staff manage the river. Just beyond is the quaintly cobbled Bayard’s Cove quay, watched over by a fort built by the townspeople of Dartmouth for protection in the 16th century. This offered the perfect vantage point for musketeers to fire on attackers from the sea, and today it offers an enticing view of Kingswear framed by the ancient gunports.

This Sherman US tank was sunk during `Exercise Tiger` and sits by Slapton Ley, along the coast path from Dartmouth.

Kingswear

This charming, characterful village on the east side of the river enjoys a slower pace of life than Dartmouth but is equally as steeped in history. Easily accessible by several ferries, there are glorious views at every turn of its narrow streets. We took the lower ferry, which operates on a floating platform nudged and cajoled along by a small tug named Hauley after a Dartmouth mayor who inspired the Shipman character in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The village snakes alongside the railway, which used to be part of the Great Western Railway but which is now home to the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company. The train up to Paignton follows the riverbank for some time and must be among the most stunning rides in the UK, clattering through ancient woodlands and rolling Devon countryside. The village centre boasts a couple of pubs, a deli and an excellent café, Ebb & Flow, which offers a welcoming hearty breakfast, as well as a village store, which opens until late and has everything you might need and more besides.

I spy Kingswear through the gun ports of Bayard`s castle.

Crab fishing off Bayard`s Cove quay

The walks from the village are truly stunning and we headed for the iconic daymark, an 80ft Victorian beacon on Froward Point, the rising liquid song of skylarks encouraging us along as we climbed up the South West Coast Path. We spent a fascinating hour exploring Brownstone Battery, which was built in 1942 to defend the area from German naval attack, before descending the cliff path into the cool embrace of the woodland, with patches of bluebells signalling the onset of summer.

The Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in Devon. © iStock-Maxian.

The ideal location

We finished our meanderings where the Pilgrims’ adventure began, on the quay at Bayard’s Cove, where it occurred to us that this would have been one of their last sights of England as they sailed out of the bay on the iconic Mayflower. It proved to be a haven to those intrepid voyagers over 400 years ago, and the sheltered waters of Dartmouth are still providing a welcome to visitors by sea today. There is so much history here to uncover amid the prettiest scenery in the UK, and it’s no wonder that it has found so much favour with royals over the years. We heartily recommend dropping anchor here and following in their illustrious footsteps to enjoy a holiday to remember.

Useful information

Harbour contacts

Dart Harbour: VHF Ch11 / 01803 832337  www.dartharbour.org

Diesel and petrol

Fuel barge: 07801 798861

Slipways

Dartmouth, located parallel to Dartmouth Higher Ferry, is free to use but needs two people when launching. Blackness Marine (01803 722654) is located between Stoke Gabriel and Dittisham and has a slipway and trailer parking for £25 per day. You should call ahead to book, though.

Chandlery

Dart Haven in Kingswear has a well-stocked chandlery.

Marinas

Dart Haven Marina: 01803 752545

Premier Marinas’ Noss on Dart: 01803 839087

Dart Marina Yacht Harbour: 01803 837161

Events

Dart Music Festival   17th–19th May

Dartmouth Regatta   29th–31st August

Dartmouth Food Festival   5th–27th October

Warfleet Creek to the left leading into Dartmouth. © shutterstock Panoptic Motion

Noss on Dart Marina: memories of an iconic boatyard

A brisk 30-minute walk from Kingswear is Noss on Dart Marina, which promises to be a destination in itself, with a luxury hotel, spa and eateries planned over the next few years. The marina has certainly changed since my first visit many years ago when we towed a stricken beam trawler from the English Channel up the River Dart to Philip and Son’s boatyard. Opened in 1858, the boatyard was the industrial engine of the community of Kingswear and Dartmouth, building some 1,500 craft in its time, including Chay Blythe’s ketch, British Steel – famous for its circumnavigation of the globe – and Trinity House light vessels. Many Mersey ferries were launched, including Egremont in 1952, upon which I spent many days playing hooky from school, and once out of service, this characterful ship landed in Salcombe in the same hot summer of ’76 as me!

After its closure at the end of the last century, the boatyard lay forlorn for many years with a very large question mark over its future. Premier Marinas purchased the site out of administration in 2016 and started an ambitious regeneration programme comprising two phases. The marina and boatyard are now complete with 232 berths, luxury berth holder facilities, a full-service boatyard, dry stacking for over 100 boats and plentiful EV charging bays.

Phase two has been started, which will see a luxury boutique hotel, 41 riverside apartments and a stunning central plaza with architectural features that will pay homage to the heritage of the site.

Added beauties

Beyond Dartmouth

The river is perfect for paddleboarding and kayaking, and RIBs of 6m or under are able to navigate upstream as far as Totnes.

Dittisham

Accessible at all states of the tide, Dittisham lies just across the river from Agatha Christie’s Greenway House, now a National Trust property. This enchanting little village is a picturesque retreat, with a pub handily located next to the pontoons.

Stoke Gabriel

Also accessible at all states of the tide, Stoke Gabriel is a quintessential village with pubs and shops and is the perfect place for paddleboard adventures. It is worth checking out the Dart Harbour paddleboard trail to Totnes.

Totnes

Totnes is accessible at all states of neap tides – otherwise you should avoid two hours either side of low water. The ‘capital’ of the South Hams, this Elizabethan town is renowned for its independent shops and cafés. It is worth noting that the Anne of Cleves, located halfway up the hill, serves the best cream teas in town!