Christian went to University in Plymouth, so the city was a prominent part of his youth, and so a visit was in order! To get to Plymouth, there is the main road (boring!) or the more scenic route through one of England’s most wild and barren areas – Dartmoor.

Dartmoor – forest or wilderness?

As the name suggests, Dartmoor is a moor, with the river Dart feeding though it. The moor is a water catchment area, and so most of the area is bog and marsh. Other parts are covered by forest, making the scenery a wonderful mix.

We turned off the main road at Ide, and headed through the farmland and woods towards Moretonhampstead. The town of Moretonhampstead has an interesting name, as it was successively named by Saxon, Norman and English conquerors. The name means “moor town town town”.

As we rose through the forests, we turned off at Bovey Castle. It is now a 5 star hotel and golf course, but it was originally a stately home (and not really as castle!). It is typical of the houses here, stone built and full of character.

Bursting out of the trees, we were then in the open expanse of the moor itself. The countryside changes dramatically at Shapley Common North. The wild expanse unfurls in front of you, with a single lane road and no fence or border between the road and the wilderness.

After passing through Princetown, we then started to leave the moor and end up heading towards the civilisation of Plymouth’s outskirts and suburbs.

Plymouth

A historical town with Britain’s main naval port, Plymouth is a mixture of Victorian and post-war terraces, with historical areas such as the castle, Barbican and Hoe.

Compared to the history and beauty of London and Windsor, Bianca found Plymouth to be very gray and uninteresting. The rows and rows of repetitive terraces are prevalent in Plymouth.

At the historical Barbican, we saw the Mayflower Steps, the location where the Pilgrim Fathers left England before they went to settle in North America, to create what is now the United States. We had lunch in the Admiral MacBride pub, and then headed off!