Location: 

Devon (pick up from accommodations)

Operator

Unique Devon Tours

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Devon, a quintessentially English county to visit, with beautiful scenery, thatched cottages, rolling green countryside, long sandy beaches, pretty villages and historically interesting towns – but what many people don’t know is just how close the connections are between Devon and North America!

This special and unique one day tour will give you a fantastic insight into the unexpectedly strong links that North America has with the county of Devon, in the Southwest of England.  The tour provides a very rich and varied day, visiting Dartmoor National Park, the South Devon coast, and one of the towns from where the Pilgrims sailed in 1620, on board the Mayflower and the Speedwell. 

During the day, we refer to military and seafaring history, we hear about the influx of Americans to Devon at various stages in time, and the outflux of Devon people to America over the ages.   There will be talk of famous explorers, reference to key moments in military history, including the D-Day landings, and talk of prisoners of war.  We will show you beautiful scenery, we’ll see wild ponies, and you’ll even get to hear about some intriguing literary references during the day.

We’ll take you to a cosy pub for lunch, and in keeping with Devon tradition, a Devonshire cream tea can be enjoyed towards the end of the day, as you wish.  It can be tailored somewhat to suit your interests, but one thing is for sure, you will gain a great deal of fascinating knowledge during this day.

Torcross and Exercise Tiger – Exercise Tiger, or Operation Tiger, was the code name for one in a series of large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, which took place on Slapton Sands. Sadly, many hundreds of American soldiers were killed during the training when ambushed by Germans. We can visit the Sherman tank which was hauled off the sea bottom, and now acts as a memorial to those who lost their lives.

Dartmoor Prison – Built in 1806, this iconic prison was home to both French and American prisoners of war from 1809. Both French and American wars were concluded in 1815, and repatriations began. Unlocking the history of one of England’s most famous prisons, Dartmoor Prison Museum reflects the heritage of HMP Dartmoor from Prisoner of War Depot to the present day. I am able to organise a private guided tour of this quirky and fascinating museum, along with visits to both the Church and into the prison grounds to see the memorials to the American and French POWs.

The Highlights: 

• Visit to Dartmoor Prison Museum to learn about the American prisoners that were held there during the War of 1812
• Lunch in a traditional Dartmoor inn (included)
• Visit Torcross and hear about Exercise Tiger, the tragic World War II operation that went so wrong
• Visit picturesque Dartmouth, a historically fascinating town where the Pilgrims paused during their epic journey
• Expert award-winning guide, winning gold at both the prestigious Southwest Tourism awards and the Visit Devon Tourism awards. A host of perfect reviews on Tripadvisor also reflect the excellence of the tours provided.
• Full day tour / 8.5 hours

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Price

From £150 per person (for min.4).

Group

4 - 6 (smaller groups can be accommodated)

Contact

Alex Graeme

www.uniquedevontours.com
01803 812556 or 07585 928070
info@uniquedevontours.co.uk