Excursion Coleton fishacre tour at Dartmouth

Leaving the pontoon in Dartmouth, make the short crossing by boat to Kingswear to join the coach for the journey to Coleton Fishacre.

Famed for its connection with the D'Oyly Carte family, this charming county house is built on a site which originally formed part of a 2000-acre estate, farmed from as early as the 13th century. The estate is now prized for the very individual house, beautiful gardens and magnificent coastline. Perhaps its most striking feature is its position on one of the most idyllic stretches of the South Devon coast.

It is said that Sir Rupert D'Oyly Carte first noticed the site while sailing between Brixham and Dartmouth and was immediately enchanted. When the National Trust came to buy the estate in 1982, as part of the Enterprise Neptune campaign, they were originally drawn by the coastline but gradually discovered that both the garden and house also held great interest.

The garden benefits from an exceptional climate, being warm and south-facing and enjoying the humidity provided by a rill. With no prevailing wind from the south, there has been no need to plant trees simply as a shield. These advantages allowed Lady Dorothy to include in her plantings some very rare and even newly discovered species from as far away as Chile and China. Many of these rare species were found throughout the garden by the National Trust botanist when the site was surveyed upon its purchase.

Points of interests

Points of interest seen on this excursion include: Coleton Fishacre House and Gardens.

Note

Please note: this tour involves a moderate amount of walking, with many steps to the upper floors of the house, grass paths and steep slopes in the garden. Only the ground floor of the house is accessible and there is an accessible garden route.