1 ROYAL CONNECTIONS
In this Coronation year, there will be plenty to celebrate at the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta. Established in 1822, it is one of the oldest events of its kind in the country. Queen Victoria bestowed the Royal title when she visited with Prince Albert in 1856. The late Queen Elizabeth had a special affection for Dartmouth – it was where she met Prince Philip – and she became patron in her Platinum Jubilee Year, 2022.
This year will be the 178th Dartmouth Royal Regatta which retains a nod to tradition but stays bang up to date. Rowing and sailing have been at the heart of the week-long event since the beginning and there is a full programme of competition events. There’s everything from the spectacle of the Jubilee Parade on the water to the more than 250 vessels taking part in races across Start Bay.
On shore there is lots to see and do from tennis tournaments, crabbing competitions and plenty of food and drink. Expect some Navy participation (Britannia College is in Dartmouth) and the spectacle of the popular firework display.
Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta is August 23-26. dartmouthregatta.co.uk
Dartmouth has a lovely railway station which dates back to when the great Isambard Kingdom Brunel brought the railway to this area of South Devon with a service that terminated at Torre in Torbay. The plan was to extend the line with a bridge over the River Dart to Dartmouth. But there were too many problems to make it viable and so the trains stop at Kingswear on the other side of the river…but the station had.
