Dartmouth set on the banks of the River Dart, South Devon. England. XPL 4727-443
Dart Harbour is a Trust Port in one of the finest natural harbours in the UK. The River Dart whose source is high on Dartmoor flows through the towns of Totnes and Dartmouth, South Devon, England. While the Dart is a busy port for local fishing vessels and naval shipping, it also makes an ideal and attractive stopover for smaller cruise ships and a wide variety of private luxury yachts. The river Dart is navigable from Dartmouth to the weir at Totnes. It is a major tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal fjord that runs inland as far as Totnes. Historically, Dartmouth was of great strategic importance as a deep-water port for sailing vessels. It was a home of the English navy since the reign of Edward III and was twice surprised and sacked during the Hundred Years War, after which the mouth of the estuary was closed every night with a great chain. The narrow mouth of the Dart is protected by two fortified castles, Dartmouth Castle and Kingswear Castle. The town is dominated by the Royal Navy Officer Training college (Britannia Royal Naval College) and all officers of the Royal Navy, as well as many foreign navies, are trained there. Henry Hudson put into Dartmouth on his return from America, and was promptly arrested for sailing under foreign Pilgrim Fathers put into Dartmouth's Bayard's Cove, en-route from Southampton to America. They rested a while before setting off on their journey in the Mayflower and the Speedwell on the 20th August 1620. About 300 miles west of Land's End, they realised that the Speedwell was unseaworthy and returned to Plymouth. The Mayflower departed alone to complete the crossing to Cape Cod. Thomas Newcomen, the inventor of the steam pumping engine was born in Dartmouth in 1663.
Size: 6076px × 4043px
Location: River Dart, Dartmouth. South Devon. England. United Kingdom.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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