Paignton History and a journey by steam train

I am saddened to hear that Linda, my most excellent guide from English Riviera Tourism will lose her job at the end of the month, along with 21 of her colleagues. It’s a real sign of the times that a destination as big as this has to close its entire tourism department to cut costs. A much smaller, privately run set up will be put in place, but it won’t be the same.
Kents Cavern (www.kents-cavern.co.uk), which English Heritage describes as ‘one of the most important sites in Britain for Palaeolithic archaeology’ is hugely impressive. Our guide, Chris, is very entertaining and informative and brings 350,000 years of human use of the cave to life. Linda, who used to visit Kents Cavern as a child, is still fascinated by this gem in Torquay’s tourism crown, which she says is ‘the perfect attraction when it’s wet or too hot’.
Kents Cavern is part of the UNESCO recognised Global Geopark, the world’s first such park in an urban setting.
The 420-acre Cockington Country Park is just over a mile from Torquay Town Centre. The park itself is a delight, with an amazing natural amphitheatre where concerts are performed and a charming cricket pitch. The nearby village, with its thatched cottages, is charming although tourist tat slightly spoils the olde-worlde illusion.
When, in 1970, I travelled by train from my home in Glasgow to the Naval College at Dartmouth, it was possible to get a train from Paignton to Kingswear, on the opposite site of the river from the College. The day after British Rail stopped operating services in 1973, the Dart Valley Railway Company (www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk) took over the running of the line. Now the enterprising company also owns a fleet of boats, which allows it to offer a wide range of round-trips involving the local rivers and the railway. I am fascinated to watch a little 1960’s shunter move the carriages up and down the line to give them their twice-weekly wash.
We are pulled on our 30-minute scenic journey to Kingswear by the 90-year old steam engine, Hercules, originally built to pull coal wagons.
It’s a delightful trip, which I very much enjoy in the Devon Belle Observation Car, although, under a sunny sky, the beautifully-restored carriage becomes rather like a greenhouse.
For sure, with its stunning sea and river views, Paignton to Kingswear has to be one of the most splendid coastal rail trips in Britain.
After the short ferry trip to Dartmouth, my landlady Rosemary is waiting to drive me to her centrally situated little B and B (www.elimdartmouth.co.uk) with its stunning views across the river.