Around Plymouth

By virtue of getting a relatively early (and cheap - the fare for the whole journey from Norfolk was only £18.50 each) train, we arrived in Plymouth before 3pm, which enabled us to do this brief walk around the Cattewater on what was really a 'travelling day'. After a very cold and wet April and early May, the sun came out and we thoroughly enjoyed the walk - it was industrial and built up in places, but it was always interesting and there were some stunning views. It's a pity that some people take a shortcut (catching the ferry from the Barbican to Mount Batten Point, as we will do on Thursday) and so omitting this part of the walk entirely.

The train from home wasn't even particularly early, leaving at 8.40am, but we know from experience that it can be difficult to get a taxi at this time, so Richard drove me and the bags to the station, then took the car home and walked back. The train from Paddington to Plymouth stopped at more places than usual including Pewsey, Newbury and Castle Cary, but we were still in Plymouth by around 2.40pm and so at the Gallery Guesthouse well before 3pm. Plymouth is built on several hills, and the Gallery Guesthouse is towards the top of one of them, up high above the city but also high above the land to the north (so with good views from our room).

We had a chat with Karen Edwards at the B&B, checked email and had a cup of tea, but we were still heading back down Armada Way to The Hoe before 4pm. There were masses of people about, presumably enjoying the sudden improvement in the weather. We walked round the Royal Citadel and past the Mayflower Steps to the entrance to Sutton Harbour. There were lots of boats coming and going, so we had to wait for the swing bridge to close before crossing the harbour and passing the National Maritime Aquarium.

We passed an enormous red and white direction post and followed a flower-lined track with excellent views to the south and the west (though the position of the sun made photography difficult), then we passed through a rather run-down industrial area, with a huge ship (an oil tanker?) unloading its cargo. The route of the South West Coast Path is signposted in various ways including silver fish on the pavement outside the National Maritime Aquarium, red diamonds with rather ambiguous white directional arrows, and acorns on lamp posts. We managed to find our way OK, but only after an unnecessary excursion onto an industrial estate. At one point we passed another huge red and white marker, this time on its side and with a seat - this doesn't seem to be mentioned in the guidebooks which is a pity. The first - vertical - post is much mentioned and much photographed. For completeness I have included photographs of both of the oversized red and white markers at the top of this page.

We climbed up to the A379 and used this to cross the main river (the Plym) on Laira Bridge. Yes, it was busy, but the views were excellent. We followed the main road for a while, then turned right, at the rhinoceros! We crossed Breakwater Road (the old route) rather than turning into it, which the official route now does. We saw the sign for the new route, but after our previous routefinding problems, we didn't trust it (and we didn't have the South West Coast Path Association's guide with us) . So we had a meander through the residential area of Oreston before descending to Oreston Quay. We then took a path which brought us out near Radford Castle, between Hooe Lake and Radford Lake. The Erme-Plym Trail, leading to the Two Moors Way, leaves from here.

We followed close to Hooe Lake, past Hooe Green and into Turnchapel, with attractive multi-coloured houses and views to Clovelly Bay. We descended to Clovelly Bay Marina - gosh, there's some money here! - and followed the signposted route through the marina and so to the ferry landing stage at Mount Batten Point.

We caught the 6.30pm ferry (run by a smallish yellow boat described as a water taxi) back to the Barbican, for the princely sum of £1.50 each. The ferry was quite busy and the views were good.

Karen at the Gallery Guesthouse had recommended The Fishermans Arms, reputedly the second oldest pub in Plymouth but tucked away in the midst of 1960s houses and flats. We had a lovely meal (fish cakes and Ratler cider) then climbed back up the hill to the Gallery Guesthouse. (The following day, after a useful and enjoyable day of family history research in Modbury, we had another lovely meal at 'The Village', a seafood restaurant with Greek influence, so this is marked on the map too.)

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