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Plymouth South Coast Devon

December 19, 2013 by David Herd

Driving into the city

Plymouth South Coast Devon

Plymouth South Coast Devon is a nice city and a unitary authority area on the south coast of Devon, England, about 190 miles south-west of London. It is situated between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound.

Plymouth South Coast Devon

The cities history goes back to the Bronze Age, when its first settlement grew at Mount Batten. This settlement continued to grow as a trading post for the Roman Empire, until the more prosperous village of Sutton, the current Plymouth, surpassed it.

Plymouth Hoe

Plymouth is Devon’s largest city and a famous old port that played a key part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 thanks to ex-slaver Francis Drake and the bad weather, waved goodbye to the Mayflower’s ‘Pilgrim’ passengers on their way to America in 1620, shipped out both Captain Cook and Charles Darwin and was bombed flat by the Luftwaffe in the 1940’s. Some of the old city survived but much of the rebuild was lacking in both style and sensitivity so the city is hardly packed with attractions and traffic can be terrible. However, the Hoe is calm, pretty and encompasses varied memorials and an outdoor pool (Tinside Lido), naval-gazing is popular with the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Citadel at the fore and Crownhill Fort at the rear, while a handful of stately homes offer sumptuous treats such as Saltram, Mount Edgcumbe, Elizabethan House and the Merchant’s House Museum.

Old building

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Plymouth South Coast Devon

Two days in Plymouth was quite enough for me, I think there are many more nicer places along the South coast.

SMEATON’S TOWER.

Rated as one of the top attractions in the whole of Devon, a visit to Smeaton’s Tower is not to be missed. This eye-catching red and white lighthouse is easy to spot and is located in the Plymouth Hoe area. Dating back to the 18th century, Smeaton’s Tower was actually originally located some 14 miles / 23 km away, in nearby Eddystone Rocks and was painstakingly moved piece by piece to its current location in 1882. It is possible to climb the steep stone stairs to the very top and enjoy the spectacular panoramic views on offer.