There were only about eleven miles to cover today, so I arrived in Dartmouth shortly after noon—after a pause at Dartmouth Castle where I actually sat down and had a piece of delicious cake, but decided I did not want to spend a lot of time looking at guns and fortifications, so did not linger longer—and headed immediately for the tourist information center. I told the lady that I like gardens and art and wanted to see Coleton Fishacre. "Might there be such a conveyance as a taxi?" I asked, because walking would take too much time. As luck would have it, there is one taxi in Kingswear, a short ferry ride across the Dart River, and yes, the one taxi driver would pick me up in a while and take me to the house. Off to the ferry, waited a bit for the guy, and not only did he show up, we made a deal that he would take me back to the ferry, and he suggested that I leave my pack and boots in the trunk (or boot if you want to be British about it). I did! Unencumbered I toured the house and gardens of D'oyly Carte.
Built and furnished in the 1920's, it was quite different from, say, Lanhydrock:
It was light and airy, with inviting, simple—relatively speaking—furnishings. You were allowed to touch many things and move about the rooms: no velvet cordons keeping you at the entry just peeking in. It had a happy feel to it.
Things have changed since M'Lord and M'Lady had completely separate quarters:
Even the maids' areas were hugely improved:
I would love to have this kitchen, including the leaded glass windows:
The gardens were vibrant and extensive:
With some quiet spots, too:
Even the garden art was fun:
It was a glorious afternoon, and proof that getting going early in the morning can pay off by giving you time to do the extras you might otherwise miss!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Dartmouth
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