Everything you need to know about cruising and mooring in Plymouth
Cruising around Plymouth
One of the best things to do in Plymouth is to explore the vast harbour in your own boat – something that’s possible even when the weather isn’t playing ball. The harbour is sheltered and there are many places to drop anchor and moor for lunch or overnight.
See pictures in our Plymouth gallery.
Cawsand Bay
Cawsand
Bay, which is overlooked by the pretty 17th century Cornish fishing villages of Kingsand and Cawsand, is one of the best places to drop anchor.
Barn Pool
Here you can drop your hook and visit Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, an excellent place for long walks and picnics. Alternatively, the Cremyll Ferry runs a regular service from Admiral’s Hard on the Plymouth side and has been ferrying foot passengers to Cremyll since it was built in 1926.
Devonport Docks
As you cruise up the River Tamar, past the Torpoint Ferries you’ll reach the Devonport Docks. With 14 dry docks, four miles of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and an area of 650 acres, this is the largest operational naval base in western Europe – you may even spot some of the British Navy‘s ships and submarines.
Tamar bridges
Firstly, Brunel‘s impressive Royal Albert rail bridge – which was built in 1859 and still carries 21,000 trains between Devon and Cornwall each year – and immediately behind the rail bridge, the only slightly less impressive Tamar Toll road bridge. The River Tamar is navigable on the tide to Gunnislake weir. However, it is very shallow in places and the upper reaches are best navigated by tender.
For more in-depth information check out the full feature in the October 2009 issue of Motor Boats Monthly.
