Devon: The American Connection

The words on the above plaque are hard to make out, but it commemorates the departure from Plymouth, in Devon, of the religious refugees we've come to know as the Pilgrims, who landed in 1620 in the American colony we know as Plymouth. (Click on the photo to see a big version of it so you can read it better.) The plaque sits on a harbor wall above the steps ...



... that the Pilgrims are said to have descended before boarding the Mayflower. (Mrs. W got the best Pilgrim's-eye-view.)



The stone arch also commemorates the New England pilgrims and gives a viewing platform for the steps.



Happily for us, down the street is the Plymouth Gin distillery. Had it been there in 1620, I doubt the Pilgrims would have partaken.

Over in Torquay, some aging concrete ramps are also preserved for historical purposes. These were the "hards" that were used to load troops and supplies for the Normandy invasion in WWII. (You can read about it a bit at the Wikipedia entry linked above.) We didn't take any pictures of them because, well, they're just aging concrete ramps.