Greenway Day Out
By
Bus & Ferry
(Proposed day out: 21st March 2009)
Greenway is Agatha Christie’s “Loveliest place in the world”. It sits on the banks of the River Dart, with gardens that run down to the river front. This was Agatha Christie’s summer house, used as a holiday home, not a place of work. The house came into the ownership of the National Trust in 2000, and after a £5.4m restoration, opened to the public on 28th February 2009.
Murder on the Stagecoach bus!
You’re invited to come along on a day out that includes travelling by bus, ferry and a little country walking. Greenway, the summer house and gardens of Agatha Christie, will also be visited. 
It’s quite a full day, so an early start is needed. You needn’t feel obliged to come, but if you wish to join me (us), you’re more than welcome.
Murder Most Foul – DVD from Amazon
I confess, Murder on the Stagecoach Bus doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as the equivalent on the Orient Express, but we’re doing this on a budget. I’m also hoping that we shall keep the ‘murder’ element on this day trip down to a minimum – please do try. This isn’t totally new to me (I’m not talking of murder now!). I did do much of this trip last year (my photos on Flickr), and so I do know that it is both doable and that it makes for a very nice outing. Greenway house was ‘under wraps’ last year, but this year is open to the public.
I’ll briefly describe the plan for the day, and then I’ll go into more detail of what it entails. In terms of cost, there are the following expenditures: (1) an adult day’s pass on Stagecoach will cover all bus travel, and costs £6; (2) the Greenway Ferry Ferry on the River Dart is optional (walking alternative), a single adult fare costs £5 (2008 price); (3) Greenway, National Trust, adult: £7:00, family £17.50; (4) Lunch at Greenway, either in the Barn Cafe or bring a picnic £?; (5) dinner at Cafe Rouge in Exeter, once again I suggest we do this courtesy of Tesco (and yes, I still have some vouchers from Christmas).
There is a choice of options on ways to travel from Greenway to Dartmouth. The easy (or is that lazy) route is to catch the ferry that runs from Greenway Quay. The alternative is to walk a path that follows the river. The walk offers some splendid views of the River Dart, Kingswear and Dartmouth, and is mostly easy going, but there is a bit of a climb out of Greenway that must be tackled early on.
<< Detailed Plan of Day Trip to Greenway >>
| 7:10 – 7:49 | Bus journey from Exeter to Newton Abbot |
| 7:56 – 8:44 | Bus journey from Newton Abbot to Broadsands |
| 8:44 – 10:30 | Walk to Greenway along country lanes, through the village of Galmpton. Some gentle ascents, but nothing too strenuous (promise!). Greenway house open 10:30-5:00. |
| 10:30 – 13:30 | House and gardens of Greenway. Lunch can be had in the Barn Cafe (licensed), or a picnic can be had in the gardens. |
| 13:30 – 14:00 | River Link ferry from Greenway Quay to Dartmouth, for those not wishing to do the walk. |
| 13:00 – 14:45 | Walk along the banks of the River Dart to Kingswear. |
| time-of-arrival to 16:20 | Time spent in Dartmouth and Kingswear. |
| 16:20 – 16:40 | Bus journey from Kingswear to Paignton |
| 16:45 – 17:16 | Bus journey from Paignton to Cary Parade, Torquay. |
| 17:40 – 18:42 | Bus journey from Torquay to Exeter Bus Station. |
| 18:42 – whenever | Dinner at Cafe Rouge |
| Whenever | Journey home |
Agatha Christie’s mysterious disappearance
For anyone wishing to get into 1920s mood for this trip, there will be a special DVD screening (probably at Mum’s) of the Agatha film the night before the trip. A little word of warning: the film is not deco period glitz, but tells the story of a rather dark episode in Agatha Christie’s life, when, upon discovering her husband’s infidelity with Nancy Neele in 1926, Agatha disappeared for 11 days, which is still something of a mystery to this day.
“On December 4th, 1926, Agatha Cristie, the world’s greatest mystery writer, disappeared. What may have happened during the next eleven days is far more suspenseful than anything she ever wrote.”
This day is obviously weather dependent, and I shall postpone it if the weather forecast is not good for the planned day of the excursion. If I have to postpone the trip, I will post a notice on this blog. Please check this blog or your email just prior to the event to determine what the latest position is. I shall set the traffic light at the top of this page to red should I have to cancel the day.
Agatha Christie, in her own words - 1955 radio interview / Agatha Christie quiz - quiz4fun.com
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