Starting a day out with a boat ride seems so much more exciting, even if it is only a five-minute journey. From the Barbican, we took the ferry across to Mount Batten, and dare I mention it, but I felt a bit queasy. I’m not much of a sailor and the water was very choppy. On land, the wind was quite fierce, so I soon had roses back in my cheeks.
For quite a small area, there’s a lot to see. The fort is most prominent, but we walked to the end of Mount Batten Breakwater, where an art installation is set up on scaffold. ‘No New Worlds’, are gigantic words randomly lit to create nine phrases with 3,723 LED lights. It was intended to be viewed by visitors coming to celebrate the Mayflower sailing from Plymouth 400 years ago, but Covid-19 had other ideas. We were impressed, and it seemed that many of the locals were too.
So next, off along the South West Coast Path, we strode to Turnchapel and Hooe. We’re rather fond of riverside scenes and weren’t disappointed. There are plenty of little bays and marinas with all types of vessels.
What I wasn’t expecting to see on the way was a blue information plaque on the side of a stone building.
“I didn’t know Lawrence of Arabia stayed around here,” I said turning to my husband.
When T.E. Lawrence returned from India in 1929, he was posted to RAF Mount Batten using the name Shaw and worked in the Marine Branch until he left in 1935.
“You learn something new every day,” I continued, after reading the details, and made a mental note to try and find and download the film portraying his World War l activities, including the Arab Revolt.
The RAF moved out of the locale in 1992. When photographing the splendid aircraft propeller war memorial earlier, we had noticed it was near to a rather appealing bar, so headed back for hot chocolate with cream on top before cresting the waves once more.
Until next time.
Sue. X