Itinerary

Sunday

We rendezvous in Plymouth for a walking tour of this proud city. We will see the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked for the US, and The Hoe, where Sir Francis Drake was playing bowls when the Spanish Armada was sighted. We embark (tide and weather permitting) on our own voyage of discovery – along the River Tamar to the private landing stage at Pentillie Castle, our home for the next six nights. We meet for drinks on the terrace overlooking the river and its valley before an Introductory Talk and Welcome Dinner.
Overnight: Pentillie Castle

Monday

Today’s highlight is a visit to Cotehele, a wonderful Tudor house with many stories and legends, festooned with tapestries and adorned with textiles, arms and armour, pewter, brass and old oak furniture; a magical experience as little has changed over the years. Outside, we wander through the formally planted terraces, the Valley Garden, which includes a medieval stewpond and dovecote. We may climb the 18th-century Prospect Tower folly, with fantastic views. Cotehele Quay is the home of the restored Tamar sailing barge 'Shamrock'. The Discovery Centre tells the story of the Tamar Valley. We return to Pentillie for Dinner.
Overnight: Pentillie Castle

Tuesday

A gentle day’s walking as we explore the Tamar Valley, once a hive of mining activity, with copper, tin and silver among the many metals extracted, and later a well-known area for market gardening. Apples, cherries, strawberries and fresh flowers were sent from here to Covent Garden in London and to other cities. This industry benefited considerably from the coming of the railway, though the age of the train spelled the end for Calstock as a thriving port although, as we shall see, it has lost none of its charm. We spend time in Tavistock, an ancient Stannary Town with a flourishing market well worth a visit. Legend has it the Devon Cream Tea was born here – and we shall see how it has survived the test of time! We return to Pentillie for Dinner.
Overnight: Pentillie Castle

Wednesday

Today, we depart by private ferry (tide and weather permitting) for a day on Rame Head. We will visit Mount Edgcumbe House, set in an 865-acre coastal estate. Sir Richard Edgcumbe of Cotehele built a new home in his deer park at Mount Edgcumbe in 1547-53. Miraculously the walls of his red stone Tudor House survived a direct hit by bombs in 1941 and it was restored by the Earl of Edgcumbe between 1958-64. It is now beautifully furnished with family possessions, including paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Irish Bronze Age horns, 16th century tapestries and 18th century Chinese and Plymouth porcelain. The Earl's Garden was created beside the House in the 18th century. Ancient and rare trees including a 400 year old lime, a splendid Lucombe oak, and a Mexican pine are set amidst classical garden houses and an exotic Shell Seat. Colourful flowers and heather grace the re-created Victorian East Lawn Terrace, which has spectacular views over Plymouth Sound. After lunch, we spend time at Antony, an 18th century mansion with a fine collection of paintings, furniture and textiles. The grounds bordering the Lynher estuary were landscaped by Repton, as was the garden at Pentillie Castle. Antony was used as the film set for Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland. For those looking for more vigorous exercise, there is the option of an afternoon walk around Rame Head – a wild and windy walk with sweeping sea views overlooking the waves rolling in from the Atlantic. This evening we dine out at a well-known, popular local hostelry.
Overnight: Pentillie Castle

Thursday

After breakfast, we leave for a day on Dartmoor, the rugged and romantic home of the Hound of the Baskervilles; we may see the “drifts” when the famous Dartmoor ponies are rounded up for the annual sales. Here we explore ancient stone circles and old tin workings, and learn about the folklore, farming and unique way of life in this bleak landscape. There will be an option for a gentle or a more strenuous walk but we will all get together for a pub in a moorland pub. We return to Pentillie for Dinner.
Overnight: Pentillie Castle

Friday

We take the scenic train from Gunnislake, over the great viaduct above Calstock, down the peninsula to Bere Ferrers. We will walk along the Tavy estuary, where we may see avocet and curlew on the mudflats, to the 16th century Who’d Have Thought It Inn (voted one of the 50 best pubs in Britain). After lunch, we visit Buckland Abbey, home of Sir Francis Drake, the intrepid sailor who circumnavigated the globe in the 16th century with enormous faith and few maps. Once a Cistercian Monastery, the Abbey now tells the story of how two seafaring adventurers – Sir Richard Grenville and Drake himself – changed the shape of the house and the fate of the nation. We return to Pentillie Castle for our Farewell Dinner.
Overnight: Pentillie Castle

Saturday

After Breakfast, we leave for Plymouth and our onward or homebound travels.

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