Welcome to Historical Adventures.

Leap through this portal to the past and straight into the pages of history.

It is doubtful that any place in the entire world can compete with Devon & Cornwall for the range of historical events and people that have touched these remote parts of the United Kingdom.

We specialise in guiding 21st century visitors back in time, especially those wanting to experience at first hand the history behind four amazing stories synonymous with this area.

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles.

2. The Mayflower and Pilgrim Fathers.

3. The Legend of King Arthur

4. Sir Francis Drake & the Armada.

On the left hand side of this page, we have listed other fascinating subjects that make our region historically unique. There are more stories to tell of wondrous people, places and events and we make the most of the time we share with visitors to the counties.

We are surrounded by places of great natural beauty, as well as many that convey an aura of mystery and foreboding when climatic conditions dictate .

Perhaps it is the combination of breathtaking scenery and the landscape's rapidly changing moods, that has attracted so many famous people to the counties over the years.

Is it also why so many novels to feature characters and locations now famous the world over, are based upon ancient local tales of both natural and supernatural happenings?

Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

About 20 movie and TV versions of the most popular of Sherlock Holmes stories have been made over the years.

Possibly the best known movie portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, was that by Basil Rathbone in 1939, with Nigel Bruce playing a buffoon-like Dr. Watson. This pairing may not have impressed strict Holmesian enthusiasts, but was successful at the box office!

The Hound of the Baskervilles was the most famous novel written by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle to feature Sherlock Holmes and is set largely on Dartmoor in 1889. Visit the building where much of the book was written. Learn about Conan-Doyle's friend and collaborator, Bertram Fletcher Robinson and decide for yourself if there is any truth to the story that Conan-Doyle arranged to have his friend poisoned to protect himself from an allegation of plagiarism. See the forbidding Dartmoor Prison, almost as isolated today as it was in the 19th Century. Taste "Jail Ale", brewed within sight of the infamous prison, enjoy a "murder mystery" evening in a hotel that may have been the inspiration for Baskerville Hall, and see if you can emulate his famous sleuth in the deerstalker hat. Trek to the famous Fox Tor Mire, the real life Grimpen mire of the book. Behold the Dartmoor National Park and sense the grandeur of the bleak, but beautiful backdrop to one of the world's most popular detective novels.

Whatever your level of interest in Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles, we will enhance the enjoyment of your visit. Our extensive local knowledge and personal involvement with the story goes back to the time when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote immortal parts of the story as a resident at the Rowe Duchy Hotel in Princetown.

The Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Plymouth aboard the Mayflower after considerable adversity in September 1620 and faced a 66 day trial of their fortitude as they crossed the Atlantic to America.

Today, Plymouth in Devon, holds a special place in the heart of many Americans as the point of origin of the Pilgrims and the mythology surrounding Plymouth Rock and the First Thanksgiving Feast, a site of unique significance to many people from the USA.

It is fortunate that the site of the Mayflower Steps is on Plymouth Barbican and many other notable stories have their beginning close by. A must see !

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Sir Francis Drake, (1540 – 1596 ), Vice Admiral, English privateer, navigator, slave trader, politician and civil engineer of the Elizabethan era . He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. See where he coolly finished his game of bowls before setting out to destroy the invaders. Visit his family home on the edge of Dartmoor and savour an atmosphere that takes you back in history.
His exploits were legendary and made him a hero to the English but to the Spaniards he was equated with the devil.

The Legend of King Arthur has been associated with Cornwall for more than one thousand five hundred years. Join us to visit the key sites that make the legend come alive.

All legends share a seam of truth behind their polished surfaces and there is little argument that a significant chieftain existed and developed a reputation in South West England and South Wales in the 500 AD to 800 AD period. Celts, Saxon Vikings and Britons all influenced this area as each sought to establish themselves. Who was Arthur and where are the locations of the events now legendary.

Though this castle was not built by Arthur, Tintagel was clearly a place of significance in what are often called The Dark Ages and trading with some Mediterranean lands is proven through numerous relics discovered in the area.