World War II Heritage Tour

"Probably the most militarised county in WWII", some 1.5 million GI's were stationed in the county of Devon. The north and south coasts of Devon were used extensively to both house the GI's and enable them to practice amphibious landings before the Normandy landings. This includes the notorious Slapton sands, one of the US military's darkest secrets of WWII. Focussing on the south coast, in addition to Slapton we'll visit Plymouth, where some 36,000 GI's departed. Plymouth is said to be the most bombed city in WWII (per sq mile) more than London and Coventry and is still the largest naval dockyard in Western Europe. Down the coast the picturesque coastal town of Dartmouth is home to two stunningly preserved castles at the mouth of the River Dart as well as Britannia Naval College, home to US naval command and where Queen Elizabeth first set eyes on the Duke of Edinburgh. Finally Brixham, now Englands' biggest fishing port with some of the best preserved naval gun batteries of WWII.

1. 1

   Plymouth

   1.3 hours

   Devons' biggest city and still home to Western Europes' biggest naval dockyard.

2. 2

   Dartmouth Castle

   15 min

   Perched majestically on the mouth of the River Dart, Dartmouth Castle was conceived in Medieval times and continued its development right up to WWII when howitzers were introduced to help defend the mouth of this strategic entity. For castle lovers, you can go on tour around the castle and we can re-model the rest of the day

3. 3

   Slapton Sands

   45 min

   A unique experience awaits you with the fresh water ley on one side (largest example in the UK) and the stunning Slapton sands (beach) on the other. The sea (on the beach side) and the ley are separated by a thin beachy causeway which provides the base for the tarmac road. With its future under threat from the winter storms, this beautiful location is a must see.

4. 4

   Torcross

   30 min

   Home to one of the most famous war memorials of WWII, Torcross village at the western end of Slapton Sands is the resting place for the Sherman tank that took local hero Ken Small 20 years to extract form the sea bed of Start Bay and now pays homage to the hundreds of Americans that died out in the bay. Wether you have an interest in World War II or not its difficult not to be moved by this tragic story and one mans' quest to ensure it was never forgotton.

5. 5

   Dartmouth

   30 min

   This beautiful coastal town is without one of Devons' gems.

• Service animals allowed
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• Reasonable fitness levels and the desire to walk short distances will ensure you get the most out of this tour

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.