An Early Morning Walk Around Dartmouth and Bayard’s Cove

Dartmouth is a coastal town in Devon known for its strong nautical history and harbour. This post shares an early morning walk through Dartmouth, including a visit to Bayard’s Cove, and some reflections inspired by the town’s maritime past.

Walking Through Dartmouth in the Early Morning

On the 27th of October 2025, I went for an early morning walk around Dartmouth by myself. At that time of day, the town felt quieter, which made its historic atmosphere stand out more strongly.

Dartmouth has a long maritime history, and walking through the town in the early morning makes it easy to imagine how important navigation and seafaring once were here.

Bayard’s Cove and Nautical History

I also visited Bayard’s Cove, which is one of the older parts of Dartmouth. The area has a very old-fashioned feel and made me think about sailing ships and how people once navigated by the stars.

An Old Barometer and Early Weather Forecasting

At Bayard’s Cove, there is an old mercury barometer mounted on a wall. Seeing it made me think about the early days of weather forecasting and how sailors once relied on instruments like this, long before modern technology.

It also made me think about mercury itself and its spectral lines, linking old navigation tools with early scientific understanding.