Dartmouth Mayflower Heritage Trail

Created to mark the 400 year anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower, Dartmouth’s Mayflower Heritage Trail tells the story of the town and its relationship with the voyage undertaken by the Pilgrims.

The trail paints a picture of Dartmouth in the 17th century, as it would have been when the Pilgrims sailed into the harbour in 1620. The town’s trail is linked to the National Mayflower Trail which charts the story of the Pilgrims from their birthplaces to their settlement in the New World. 

You can download the Mayflower Self-Guided Tours app, an innovative and informative free app that provides users with free, easy to follow self-guided tours of the UK towns, cities and villages connected to the Mayflower, including the Dartmouth Town Trail.

Dartmouth’s Mayflower Heritage Trail consists of three sections;

The Town Trail leads visitors around the town’s historic streets and main points of interest including the Museum, Pillory Square, The Butterwalk (1635), St. Saviours Church (1372), Bayards Cove Inn (14th century), Bayards Cove Fort (1510) and Bayards Cove (1539) which remains virtually unchanged since 1620 and was the old harbour where the Mayflower and Speedwell were moored in the river.

The Packhorse Trail guides you down one of the ancient packhorse routes into Dartmouth, leading you through a thousand years of history from the Domesday village of Townstal to the harbour of today.

The Castle Trail takes visitors from Bayards Cove to Warfleet Creek, an important suburb of Dartmouth in 1620 and on to Dartmouth Castle and St Petrox Church, along the route enjoy stunning beautiful river and sea views. 

Leaflets with information and a route map are available at the Visitor Centre and Dartmouth Museum or downloadable from the links above. Specially designed way markers show the route and interpretation panels at key points along the trail refer to not only the Mayflower story but events in Dartmouth’s rich history.