Kingswear Primary School’s Year 6 went on a local history day trip, walking to Dartmouth Castle and then along the River Dart on a cruise for the afternoon. We have been studying the significance of our village and also its neighbour, Dartmouth, throughout the ages. Dartmouth Castle was an artillery fort, with the earliest parts dating from the 1380s, built as a response to French attacks and once linked by a defence chain across to Kingswear Castle. Bayards Fort formed the next line of defence closer to the town itself and was also a port for the Pilgrim Fathers’ voyage to America where they put in for repairs on the Mayflower. We discovered what it was like to wear different helmets and how cannon were prepared and fired. It could reach nearly 3 miles! We also saw Agatha Christie’s holiday home and boat house at Greenway and Britannia Royal Naval College from the water.