Days 66 and 67

(Rhia’s comments are italicized)

Rain is in the forecast for all six days of our visit in Plymouth. Rain is not a deterrent, but it may delay us some. However, that is not the reason that we were late to the first ferry of our day, we were just slow. But being late affected every ferry we took after that, but it ended up being a good thing, because of what we saw during the wait

The weather here is quite remarkable; it can look like a storm is imminent but be totally clear 10 minutes later! I know we Brits tend to talk about the weather a lot but there’s a reason for that!!

Being dull of mind, I had forgotten what importance Plymouth held in history. While sitting at a cafe, our sister-in-law, Jane, casually pointed at a monument and said that the Pilgrim Fathers embarked on their journey from there.

I did not connect the dots. I was wondering who the Pilgrim Fathers were and why they were important. Then it hit me that she was talking about THE Pilgrims. The ones who invented Thanksgiving after a 66 day voyage on the Mayflower. I felt really stupid, but I played it straight, and neither Jane nor Rhia suspected me of being a bit slow on the uptake. 😂 No, we didn’t have to SUSPECT anything as we already knew 😂 Mind you, I’d seen the American flag flying alongside the British one but had still not realized that was the actual place!

Plymouth is actually important in a lot of different historical events.

Our ultimate destination with the ferries was Mount Edgecombe Park in Cornwall for lunch, for me to play a round of disc golf, and for Rhia and Jane to walk around the coast (which didn’t happen as we sat watching the boats and listening to the ocean instead!)

Though rain was forecast, none arrived, so we really enjoyed our time. That also means that we cannot blame the rain for missing the return ferry, so we got to enjoy Cornwall for 90 minutes longer.

Plymouth used to be a very important naval base; the administration offices are still quite imposing!

Despite being late, we managed to catch the last ferry home, so everything worked out in the end.

The following day, rain had been forecast, but again, no rain fell, and our trip over to the Dartmoor National Park was gorgeous.

These moorlands are rife with curiosities and lots of sheep, horses and cows.

The beauty and vastness of this wilderness was stunning. I would love to return and explore this place on foot. One thing is certain Devon and Cornwall are beautiful counties that are steeped in history. The beauty couldn’t be more appealing; the weather, however, is another story!