Day 195 - Plymouth Harbour (and London)

Plymouth Harbour

Today Angela left me. It wasn't as if I didn't know it was coming, but you can't spend as much time as we have together without at some point having to split up. Now hang on, before you jump to conclusions let me explain. Ange and her good friend Amanda had been planning for some time to have Amanda join us in England as part of our travels. And so Ange and I took the local bus at 7 a.m. to get to the Plymouth train station in order for her to catch the train to London to meet up with Amanda who was arriving from Canada that morning.  The local bus takes one up to the top of the Rame headland and the view is spectacular, but it is a lengthy trip -- one hour and twenty minutes -- because it must run through a number of small villages before reaching the Tamar River where the bus drives onto a ferry.  After a 15-minute ferry trip, the bus resumes its route through Plymouth until it reaches the train station. At that time of the morning, everyone is going to work or school so the bus does make a number of stops.

The Ferry crossing
the Sound

I must admit that watching Angela go through the gates to her platform was a bit of a strange feeling as we have been together so much. With a little sadness I began my return to Cawsand, which fortunately could be done via the ferry as it was about to begin its daily runs back and forth. What I didn't realize was that the winds had begun to pick up and the water was getting quite choppy. I didn't help myself either by taking some time to do some grocery shopping for items that were not readily available in the local shop here in the village.

The Cawsand Ferry (with its red hull)

By the time I got to the ferry dock, the crew were uncertain as to whether they could make the trip.  They do warn passengers that if the weather or conditions make for rough water, then they do not run. But we did, with myself and two other male passengers.

While we were battling what seemed to be 5 to 6 foot swells in a 30-foot boat, I looked around the harbour and then the Sound and wondered about the history of it all. So briefly, here you go.....well, the location was ideal for ships as the Plymouth Sound is protected by headlands to the east and west and the original harbour, known as Sutton Harbour, was in use in some form or another from 700 A.D. The most famous event,s of course, were the launching of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the sailing of the Mayflower in 1620 that brought the Pilgrims to New England. 

Over the years, the city has been threatened by the French, Spanish and the U.S. (during the U.S. revolutionary war the American naval officer, John Paul Jones, was stationed in France and made raids on England and Ireland).

In 1812, a 1-mile breakwater was built in the middle of the Sound to protect its entrance  and harbour and during the 1800s a number of forts were built among the headlands as further protection.

The Sound on a pleasant evening

When I arrived at the beach in Cawsand, I must admit to a sense of relief and I watched the ferry and its crew begin their trip back (empty of course, as who would have been crazy enough to do that journey).

Ale of the Day:  Dartmoor Best, Dartmoor Brewery, Princetown, Devon.

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Out of town update

Yes, parting is such sweet sorrow, and how wonderful that Phil and I have spent so much time together, yet still miss each other. I suppose that's why we will be celebrating 30 years of marriage this July! 

The train to London from Plymouth goes through some beautiful countryside. So, although I had planned on doing some writing, I couldn't take my eyes off of the scenery for too long. I arrived on time at Paddington and found Amanda waiting outside the Paddington store... sans the "Please take care of this bear" sign around her neck. I was excited to see her!

We took the tube to our hotel for the next three days: The Marriott Regent Park. We dropped off our bags in our room, then took a walk up Primrose Hill to enjoy a view of the city ... a good intro to where we will soon be walking. We then walked down the hill and into Regent's Park where we shared a fresh-made pizza in The Regent's Bar and Grill located on the park's inner circle. We then walked down to Baker Street and passed the Sherlock Holmes Museum at Number 10 (yes, it really exists, despite the fact that Sherlock did not). A long queue of people extended down the street, so a popular tourist site.

Amanda on Primrose Hill, with London laid out behind her.

Amanda and I then circled back and walked up the other side of the park, and then back up Primrose Hill to the hotel. We enjoyed our "dinner" of hors d'oeurves and wine in the M Club lounge before calling it an early'ish night (we did have trouble stopping chatting away).