An Agatha Christie sort of day

In contrast to the gloom and drizzle of yesterday, today started bright and sunny. One of the big tourist attractions in Paignton is the Dartmouth Steam Railway and today we were going to take a ride to Greenway, a house Agatha Christie bought in 1938 and used as a family holiday home. We caught a steam train from Paignton and alighted at Greenway Halt...a short platform built especially for passengers wishing to visit Greenway.
 

Magical views from our train en route to Greenway Halt

Locomotive 7827 Lydham Manor hauled our train

Our train continuing on to Kingswear after we had left it

After leaving the train we had a pleasant woodland walk to Greenway. Unfortunately they were doing some much needed major maintenance so the house itself was surrounded in scaffold...but it was still business as usual inside. Touring the house gave a fascinating insight into lives of Agatha Christie, her husband and her children. After exploring the inside of the house, it was time for a quick lunch before setting off to explore the grounds.

Inside Greenway

 

Around the gardens of Greenway

 

Views of the River Dart from Greenway

With the afternoon warming up, we retraced our steps to Greenway halt to wait for a train to take us on to the end of the line at Kingswear. There we had time to take a ferry across the River Dart to Dartmouth to have a stroll around for an hour or so...then it was back across the Dart again in time to catch another steam train back to Paignton.

Our train arriving to take us on to Kingswear

Locomotive 5239 Goliath at Kingswear

Crossing to Dartmouth by ferry

Around Dartmouth

Low tide in the "town square"

Looking down the River Dart to Dartmouth Castle

 

Looking back to Kingswear

Goliath brings in the train that will take us back to Paignton

More magical views as we head back to Paignton

To complete our Agatha Christie sort of day, after dinner we went to the Palace Theatre in Paignton to see The Unexpected Guest, a play she wrote in the late 1950's.