British Highways and Byways from a Motor Car: Being a Record of a Five Thousand Mile Tour in England, Wales and ScotlandMurphy, Thos. D. (Thomas Dowler)
History
British Highways and Byways from a Motor Car: Being a Record of a Five Thousand Mile Tour in England, Wales and Scotland
Murphy, Thos. D. (Thomas Dowler)
Great Britain -- Description and travel; Great Britain -- Maps
Plymouth, with the adjoining towns of Devonport and Stonehouse, is one
of the most important seaports in the Kingdom, the combined population
being about two hundred thousand. The harbor is one of the best and
affords safe anchorage for the largest ocean-going vessels. It is
protected by a stupendous granite breakwater, costing many millions and
affording a delightful promenade on a fine day. Plymouth is the
principal government naval port and its ocean commerce is gaining
rapidly on that of Liverpool. To Americans it appeals chiefly on account
of its connection with the Pilgrim Fathers, who sailed from its harbor
on the Mayflower in 1620. A granite block set in the pier near the
oldest part of the city is supposed to mark the exact spot of
departure of the gallant little ship on the hazardous voyage, whose
momentous outcome was not then dreamed of. I could not help thinking
what a fine opportunity is offered here for some patriotic American
millionaire to erect a suitable memorial to commemorate the sailing of
the little ship, fraught with its wonderful destiny. The half day spent
about the old city was full of interest; but the places which we missed
would make a most discouraging list. It made us feel that one ought to
have two or three years to explore Britain instead of a single summer's
vacation.
[Illustration: ROCKS OFF CORNWALL.
From Painting by Warne Browne. Exhibited 1906 Royal Academy.]
From Plymouth to Penzance through Truro runs the finest road in
Cornwall, broad, well kept and with few steep grades. It passes through
a beautiful section and is bordered in many places by the immense parks
of country estates. In some of these the woods were seemingly left in
their natural wild state, though close inspection showed how carefully
this appearance was maintained by judicious landscape gardening. In many
of the parks, the rhododendrons were in full bloom, and their rich
masses of color wonderfully enlivened the scenery. Everything was fresh
and bright. It had been raining heavily the night before and the air was
free from the dust that had previously annoyed us. It would be hard to
imagine anything more inspiring than the vistas which opened to us as we
sped along. The road usually followed the hills in gentle curves, but
at places it rose to splendid points of vantage from which to view the
delightful valleys. Then again it lost itself under great over-arching
trees, and as we came too rapidly down a steep hill on entering Bodmin,
the road was so heavily shaded that we were near our undoing. The loose
sand had been piled up by the rain and the dense shade prevented the
road from drying. The car took a frightful skid and by a mere hair's
breadth escaped disastrous collision with a stone wall--but we learned
something.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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