- Ted's Tales
- I am not one for river trips
really, but the better half recently persuaded me to accompany her on such a trip. I have
in the past boarded boats in Plymouth to take in the naval dockyards, Calstock, Bovisand,
Cawsands and the like. I have even been on a private boat up the river Lynher, which, in
my considered opinion is probably one of the loveliest stretches of river in the UK.
However, I do not really find any great enjoyment in just paddling along at a steady 6
knots, especially in inclement weather.
- Having said all that you will have
guessed that even though I be a Plymouth boy I am not very nautically minded. So it was
with some trepidation I accompanied "Action Woman" to Totnes. Those of you who
have been to Totnes know what a quaint and ancient Town it is. The Norman bailey castle
commands the river approaches and dominates the skyline along with the old church. One has
to be reasonably fit to negotiate the steep hill rising to the top and middle of the Town,
but the Church, Guildhall, Museum (half way up) and Castle are all worth the effort.
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- We arrived early to take advantage
of the 200 space car park next to the jetty. Having parked we took a short walk into the
lower part of the Town before returning to the jetty and boarding the boat. The weather
was a bit iffy but Action Woman wanted to go on top in the open air so - (Despite my
protestations about hurricane force winds and torrential rain) on top we went.
- Even if I were able to remember
the captain’s microphonic descriptions of the history, ecological, geographical,
social and natural attributes of the trip from Totnes to Dartmouth I would not dream of
stealing his thunder by describing it in this article. Suffice to say, I was both
delighted and intrigued by both the boat trip and the captain’s tale. I would
recommend it to anyone. The trip takes some one and half hours but is one which rivets
your attention to not only what is being said over the tannoy but also the tremendous
views and sights on this beautiful river.
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- Because of the tide we were only
in Dartmouth for an hour before having to return to Totnes. We spent the rest of the day
exploring Totnes’s steep slopes, shops and ancient buildings, again something, which
I can recommend.
- My only complaint about the river
trip was the captain’s commentary – It was delivered almost word for word in
both forward and reverse directions. This seems to be a common problem with river and bus
tours. Why is it with so much information available, commentators are incapable of giving
more than one version? Even the jokes and clichés’ are repeated.
- I was interested to learn that one
can participate in a trip between Dartmouth, Totnes and Buckfastleigh by way of river
boat, steam rail and bus. Those interested can obtain information from any of the many
River Boat companies or the Tourist Information Centres.
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BACK TO TOTNES
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