Intrepid White's Travel Adventures: 06/18/18

Exeter to St Pancras-Along the Coast of County Devon

Arrived in Exeter late afternoon of Tuesday June 12 and settled into the comfortable Queens Court Hotel to freshen before dinner with Ngaire's distant relative and his wife and son.

The next morning we were collected by Derek, the reli, and taken on a tour of Exeter, Exmouth and Sidmouth. It was a great day .

Exeter was a substantial manufacturing and distribution centre that has felt the effects of economic downturns and globalisation. It was targeted by German bombing raids during the war and was significantly damaged as were most major centres in South West England and the country as a whole.

Exmouth is the traditional Port city at the mouth of the river Exe which runs through Exeter on it's way to Exmouth. In the heyday of the Port, trade came in and out of Exmouth and was delivered to and from Exeter by barge and smaller trading ships and boats.

Sidmouth was originally a fishing village at the 'mouth of the Sid'. Today it is a tourist centre and retirement hub and is the gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site.

Plymouth is a famous Port city, and it's early history extends to the Bronze Age. Plymouth borders the counties of Devon and Cornwall where the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar enclose the city and are incorporated into Plymouth Sound which forms the boundary with Cornwall. Plymouth is steeped in maritime history and was the home to Sir Francis Drake and the Mayflower, famous for it's voyage to the Americas. Drake led the English naval forces out of Plymouth to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, not before completing his game of bowls on the Plymouth Hoe , a large grassed area of public space overlooking Plymouth Sound.

Plymouth was heavily bombed during the second world war and the city centre all but destroyed and was totally rebuilt after the war. Plymouth played an important role in the preparation toward and launching of the D Day invasion of Normandy on June 6 1944 and was host to thousands of American troops.

Departed Plymouth Sat. 16 for our journey to 'Gay Paree', the city of light. Train from Plymouth to Paddington, tube to Kings Cross-St Pancras International then Eurostar to Paris, all in 61/2 hrs!