Dartmouth

We were so excited to finally schedule our trip to Dartmouth mostly so we could ride the historic train. It’s definitely something I think my dad would have enjoyed. My mom would have enjoyed the quaint seaside town, but neither of them would have liked walking up the hills.

The steam train leaves from Paignton along the coast of Torbay to Kingswear where visitors can then take a paddle boat to Dartmouth.

Bodhi enjoyed looking out at the water and lounging on the velvet seats and he wasn’t the only kid (and some grownups!) who stuck his head out for the steam and to hear the whistle.

After arriving, we headed across the bay on the paddle boat to Dartmouth. Look closely, because it wasn’t often that we got to wear our sunglasses! What an absolutely gorgeous day. Dating back to at least 1147, Dartmouth has preserved the medieval charm of this navel town where ships have been built since the 12th Century.

We strolled through the city and made our way up the hill to Dartmouth Castle. For over 600 years this fortress has guarded the estuary and has seen its fair share of wars.

Bodhi enjoyed the scavenger hunt while we entered the bunkers and gardens. the boys tried on helmets and we looked for ghosts in the tunnels below. Mom enjoyed the beautiful gardens and walking paths around the area.

Afterwards, we headed down the hill for lunch – fish and chips of course. Bodhi was more enthusiastic about dessert. Who doesn’t like ice cream? There was also an arts festival going on and we stopped to listen to a live band.

We walked around looking at the shops a bit before the rain moved in and the shops were starting to close for the day. We were able to get to the candy store before it closed and picked out some sour candy – a game that Ira and Bodhi play to see who can stand the most sour candy. Only one was tried and neither of them lasted very long it was so sour! Good thing there were others to try on the train ride home.