Section: Plymouth to Wembury Point

Length: 15 miles (24km)

Distance from Minehead to Plymouth: 412

Distance from Wembury Point to Poole: 205.2

Grading: Easy to Moderate

Height gained (and also lost): 1115ft(340m)

Summary:

The first part of this journey follows the new Waterfront Walkway along some of the vibrant, historic streets of the largest city on the South West Coast Path. The Path offers fantastic views over Plymouth Sound and has many extraordinary artistic features to look out for, all celebrating the rich history of this important city. There is so much to see here (including a knitted breakfast, a porthole wall, a rhino and gold bullion) that it is not really possible to mention it all. You may like to get a copy of the guide to the Waterfront Walkway in advance, and perhaps also a copy of the Nautical Telegraph Code Book to help decode the messages set in pavements around the city! From the blue pillar on Jennycliff, which marks the end of the Waterfront Walkway Path, the urban landscape is left behind as the Path enters part of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. After Andurn Point the Path offers easy walking close to the sea, past the old naval gunnery school of HMS Cambridge and on to Wembury with its incredibly diverse plant and animal life and fantastic views of the Great Mew Stone.

Highlights along the path:

• Views of Drake’s Island. Records show that in 1135 the island was known as St Michael’s and had a small chapel on it. The chapel was later dedicated to St Nicholas and the island took the same name, until it changed again to Drake’s Island after Sir Francis Drake who was based in Plymouth. A small fort was built here in the 16th century to help protect Plymouth’s dockyard.
• The Royal William Yard: Designed by the engineer Sir John Rennie for King William IV, whose statue stands at the entrance. The yard was used to supply the Navy with biscuit, beef and beer and here you will find the recipe for Ship’s Biscuit and a map of the cuts of beef commemorated in marble.
• Stonehouse and the Georgian terraces of Durnford Street: Here you will find the Sherlock Holmes pavement to mark the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle worked in one of these buildings when he was a young doctor. Perhaps trips to Dartmoor provided inspiration for his famous book The Hound of the Baskervilles.
• Brunel’s Spanner: This 4 foot spanner was designed and built by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel to adjust the gates of the dry dock.
• Views from the Royal Navy Millennium Wall, with its models of some of the Navy’s submarines and ships.
• The Hoe and Smeaton’s Tower. Completed in 1759, the tower was positioned on the Eddystone Reef and had a significant influence on lighthouse design. When replaced by James Douglass’ lighthouse, it was dismantled stone by stone and placed in a celebratory position on the Hoe. The foundations and stub were so difficult to remove that they remain out at sea next to the current tower.
• The Royal Citadel: Built of local limestone in the 1660s on the site of previous defenses, it is still used by the military today. Guided tours are available in the summer. For details contact the tourist information centre.
• Exploring the cobbled streets of the Barbican and Sutton Harbour.
• The Green Man and the shrine to St Christopher, the patron saint of travellers, around Cattewater.
• Mount Batten Artillery Tower: Built in the 1650s, it guards the southern approach to the harbour and was actually used in WWII.
• Fort Bovisand and harbour: Commanding fantastic views over Plymouth Sound, the fort was one of many 19th century defenses built around the Plymouth area to guard against French attack.
• It has been a very successful diving centre since the 1970s.
• Views of the nesting seabirds on the Great Mew Stone: Dramatically illustrated by J.M.W Turner in 1816, this island of jagged rocks is named after the many gulls (or mews) who nest here. Turner’s drawing can be seen at devon.gov.uk/localstudies/2059/1.html
• Looking ahead to see the tower of the church of the saxon saint St Werburgh, indicating that the end of the walk is not far off.
• Searching for marine life in the rock pools of Wembury Beach and watching the surfers.
• The final stretch to Warren Point over high Paths, with lovely views of the River Yealm.

Worth a look (interesting places close to the path):

• The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth .
• Big Barn and Taste of the West Gold member The Plymouth Gin Co. Ltd at Black Friars Distillery, 60 Southside Street, tel: 01752 665292. Plymouth Gin has been made in the Barbican since 1793.
• You could change direction at Wembury Beach as this is the starting point of the Erme-Plym Trail and when used with the Two Moors Way walkers can cross the county to reach the north Devon coast at Lynton!
• Wembury Marine Centre for details tel: 01752 862538

Shorter option:

You may like to just follow the Waterfront Walkway, rather than continue to Wembury. (10 miles, 16 km). You could shorten part of the Plymouth section by taking the ferry from the Mayflower Steps to Mount Batten.

Longer option:

Take the short ferry crossing to Noss Mayo and end your journey there.

Public transport info:

Plymouth is easily reached as it has a mainline train station and a large bus station serving much of Devon and Cornwall. The First South Devon bus service number 48 runs regularly between Plymouth city centre and the village of Wembury and the X49 City Bus runs 3 times a day from the city centre to Heybrook Bay. A water taxi runs all year from near the Mayflower Steps in Sutton Harbour to Mountbatten, cutting out the 5 mile (8 km) walk round Cattewater. Tel: 01752 408590 or 07930 838614 or see mountbattenferry.net The ferry from Warren Point to Noss Mayo runs from mid March to the end of September between 10.00 and 12.00 and 15.00 and 16.00. Tel: 01752 880079 or 07817 132757. For details visit Traveline or phone 0870 6082608.

Refreshments:

Plymouth has an extensive range of restaurants, shops, pubs and cafes and there are plenty of opportunities to buy refreshments without straying too far from the Path. Refreshments are also available at Jennycliff, Bovisand, Heybrook Bay and Wembury Beach and there is a shop, pub and restaurant just inland in the village of Wembury.

Nearest Car park:

There are many car parks throughout Plymouth (Postcode for Sat Navs: PL1 3RJ). After Jennycliff, parking is available at Bovisand Bay, Crownhill Bay and Wembury.

Toilets:

There are plenty of toilets in the city of Plymouth, after which there are facilities at Jennycliff, Bovisand Bay and Wembury.

More information:

Plymouth Tourist Information Centre Tel: 01752 304849,
Plymouth Discovery Centre Tel: 01752 266030.
Copies of the Waterfront Walkway guide can be purchased online from the South West Coast Path Association webshop for £2.50 inc P&P

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