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The historic town is a short walk along the embankment
from Dart Marina. It’s filled with narrow, winding streets, hidden
steps and home to many fine shops, restaurants, cafes and stylish
galleries.
The days here are filled with lively interest with
the backdrop of river life and views that take your breath away.
Dart Marina is well placed for exploring the South
Hams, a fascinating maze of unspoilt villages and friendly market
towns.
The River Dart rises high on Dartmoor and the peaty
water is running well when it tumbles past Dartmeet and Holne Chase.
The watercourse turns placid and very English as it winds through
the Dartington Hall estate, and then becomes tidal and navigable
at the splendid old town of Totnes. By the time the river slides
gently past the Dart Marina, it is deep and wide enough to form
a perfect natural harbour between steeply wooded banks.
Around the fabulous sweep of Start Bay you can
laze on the beach at Blackpool Sands or visit the nature reserve
at Slapton Ley, a unique freshwater lake delicately separated from
the sea by a shingle spit. From Torcross village at the south end
of the Ley, you might follow the coast path to nearby Beesands and
return along the beach if the tide is out. A little further south,
Hallsands is worth a visit in the car, a mysterious Devon community
whose cliffside village was partly washed into the sea by a great
storm in 1917.
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