In June, 2018, my wife will be attending the cooking school in Ashburton for a week. I plan to entertain myself with photography, fly fishing, and ??? I am looking for suggestions for further exploration. I expect to explore Dartmoor NP. What are some other ideas. I am interested in medieval and roman ruins, steam trains, military history, interesting scenery. As much as possible I would prefer public transportation.
Thanks
Compton Castle is a medieval manor house (circa 1500) about 30 minutes drive away from Ashburton. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/compton-castle
Around an hour away by car is Greenway, Agatha Christie's summer home, along the River Dart.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway
The most scenic areas are coloured green on this map:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.3697406,-3.8408729,11z/data=!5m1!1e1
The towns of Totnes, Dartmouth and the lovely estuary side town of Salcombe are all well worth a visit. (Use coast road between Dartmouth and Salcombe via Torcross. You will see a monument where many Americans died during the war.
http://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/tours/round-robin
http://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk
https://www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/explore-south-devon/south-hams
http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/enjoy-dartmoor
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/visitors
If you're planning to be out in the wilds of Dartmoor, here's a tip. Years ago a B&B hostess told me how she loved walking on Dartmoor, but she said to watch out for the ponies -- they bite! I'm not sure how many ponies still roam the moor, but just in case.
