Great Escapes Dartmouth

STATEMENT - 22nd March 2017

---

To Our Fellow Great Escapers: -

"After five years of splendid trips, magnificent encounters, sunny days and bumpy seas, we have at last decided to close Great Escapes in Dartmouth. It’s been an absolute blast, with perhaps the greatest pleasure of all being introducing so many folk - young and old, city slickers and countryside fanatics - to the wildlife along the coast of South Devon. The reaction of our guests to the grey seals on the Mewstone, to the peregrines in the cliffs, and to the porpoises and dolphins in the coves has been wonderful to witness.

Sadly commitments outside the business have meant that it has become increasingly difficult to free up the time to dedicate ourselves to Great Escapes. We have been extremely fortunate in having excellent staff - Sophie, Rachel, Alana, and Kye - who have worked their socks off to make every trip memorable, and have gone on to careers in marine biology and the creative industries with - we hope - some good experiences of their own to reflect on and utilise.

It is also worth noting that the people of Dartmouth have been nothing but helpful and supportive to Great Escapes during it’s five year tenure in the town. It’s been an absolute pleasure throughout, and we have constantly benefited from local knowledge generously given, and the seemingly endless well of kind words and interest in what we were doing. It is as much due to this local expertise that we operated for the entire period without a single safety-related incident - advice and guidance was only ever a phone call away.

As a business we will miss it, and hope that (perhaps when we have bit more time on our hands!) Great Escapes will reappear in Dartmouth. In the interim can I thank everyone who came on every trip, and wish you all calm seas and full sails!”

Best, Monty