May the 'fort' be with you

For the last remaining bank long weekend before Christmas, I headed to Plymouth (in the county of Devon, south west England). With six fellow comrades, we prepared ourselves, ready to face to enemy… We stayed at the Crownhill Fort, built in the late 19th century to protect the Plymouth naval base. In the late 20th century the Fort was acquired by the Landmark Trust and restored to its former glory. Sadly, the site is no longer open to the public, but can be hired for corporate occasions, weddings & other events.

Our Fort experience started when we arrived on Friday night. We crossed the moat of the fortress and entered through the grand red gates. The accommodation was fabulous – all of the rooms were immaculately restored and luxurious in size, with the added benefits of modern comforts (including a fantastic kitchen).

As with most old haunts, there were many ‘stories’ about ghost activity within the Fort. Although we didn’t see any activity of the little drummer boy, there were many unexplainable mysterious sounds over the weekend – enough to make all of us twenty-something’s jump at some stage. During the days we explored the port area of Plymouth including the Plymouth Gin distillery. Back at the fort we pulled out the deck chairs to soak in the 23 minutes of sunshine that the weekend offered. In the evenings we dined with some hearty home-cooked meals followed by a few rounds of Balderdash – I was impressed by the quality of deceit we could all come up with.

In addition to the various cannons on the open perimeter, we were able to explore the various passages, tunnels and hidden cannons underground. The previous guests had left a treasure hunt for us in the guest journal, so an expedition was coordinated with six eager explorers heading underground. Without the aid of illumination devises, the number of explorers dwindled. With the help of our cameras, the two remaining explorers (Anne & I) carried on with the expedition. After being lead down some diversions, we eventually found the room – No. 10 Equipment Magazine – which apparently held the treasure. Unfortunately, the treasure was no longer there! We figured the site caretaker may have had a head start on us… or was it the little drummer boy???

All in all, it was a great weekend. We will certainly be looking to enjoy the use of other Landmark Trust sites in the future!