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The ancient Devon port of Dartmouth is the quintessential historic British coastal town - and it is about to get a powerful injection of 21st-century property.
This town in the heart of the South Hams has only 6,100 permanent residents. In the autumn and winter they have the place to themselves but that figure more than doubles at the height of the tourist season.
Why is it so popular? It is undeniably beautiful, packed with highly rated restaurants and historic hotels. It also has a spectacular history as a TV location - The Onedin Line in the Seventies and Down To Earth in 2004 were filmed here. But above all it is its sailing traditions that win it the most admirers.
For yachtsmen the River Dart, arguably the most beautiful of the south-west of England's many rivers, is navigable upstream as far as Totnes, about 10 miles away. There are also deep-water moorings in Dartmouth, plus three marinas and several boatyards.
For cruising yachtsmen, Dartmouth is a natural stopping off point well placed for Torbay and onwards towards the Solent in the east, to Cornish rivers like the Fal and Helford to the west, and to the Channel Islands and ultimately France to the south.
The town has been a sailing centre since Edwardian times and its annual regatta, held in late August, draws around 10,000 attendees.
But while the town's physical landscape has hitherto been dominated by the Royal Naval College and clusters of older homes - some Regency near the coastline and many Victorian on the surrounding hillsides - there is a new waterside development, Dart Marina, which may just help redefine this port with a distinctly modern image.
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