Saturday 16^th August               PLYMOUTH HARBOUR – CORNWALL – LOOE

We have had such a lovely day today for our last day in Plymouth! We were all up by 8, and I’m pleased to report that everyone slept much better last night. The hoons did do their thing several times, but I was able to just damn them to hell and go back to sleep, so a definite improvement over the night before. We talked to Cait and Danny and then had a slow start to the morning as we decided what we wanted to do with our day. There was a mill up to the north near Exeter that Lex was particularly interested in, but it didn’t open until 11. And I really wanted to do a harbour cruise, so in the end we decided that we’d do the first cruise at 11, have lunch, then head off to the mill – suited everybody.

I booked our tickets for the cruise online (12 pounds 50 each, so not too bad), and a bit before ten, we headed down to the harbour and Barbican area. (Note: there is no sign of an actual barbican there now, but a Google search reveals that there indeed once was a Plymouth Castle with a barbican.) There are so many beautiful old buildings and shops, so we had a wander around before meeting up at The Boathouse to have tea/coffee before the cruise. They took so long that in the end we requested takeaway cups and carried them on with us.

                         Lovely old buildings and shops in the Barbican area.

The cruise left right on time and took us all around the harbour, then past the naval dockyards, which run for miles, and into the Tamar River. There was a really good commentary which told us what the major landmarks were and some of the history of the harbour area. It was really good value; if you ever get to Plymouth, I’d certainly recommend it. The wind was quite cool, so Lex and I were glad we’d taken our jackets.

                                          Happy mariner

           Plymouth has a huge naval dockyard. And that's a nuclear submarine in front!

                                   It was very windy on the harbour today!

                         The Hoe seen from the harbour

                     The Citadel - a huge 29th Commando Regiment base still in use today  

After a most enjoyable hour, we were back in the harbour. We called into Jacka’s Bakehouse in the Barbican for some pasties and a savoury pastry for lunch, came home and popped them in the oven to reheat, then had lunch before heading out again.

Jacka's Bakery

                                                   Map of Plymouth Harbour

We’d just programmed the mill into Google Maps and were driving off, when the navigator announced, ‘Your destination may be closed’. Consternation! After some frantic checking by Glen and I online, he did indeed find a page which declared it closed today. So instead, we decided to drive across the river into Cornwall, and visit some Cornish beaches. The Tamar marks the boundary between Devon and Cornwall.

The drive across the Tamar River is pretty spectacular – traffic goes across the high level 1961 Tamar River Bridge, which is right next to the 1859 Royal Albert rail bridge built by our old friend Brunel. The bridge was completed in 1859, and opened in May ‘59 by Prince Albert. Brunel died suddenly later that year, so his name was put in large letters on both ends as a memorial to him. It’s a really unusual looking bridge, I must say, and it’s now Grade 1 listed. As we were heading for the seaside, our road went underneath the bridges so we were able to take photos of them both.

                             Royal Albert Bridge as seen from the 1961 bridge

                           2 bridges over the Tamar River

From here we navigated down to several little seaside villages, mostly along the usual death-defying narrow Cornish roads. Fortunately, we survived to tell the tale, and take the photographs. We drove through Portwrinkle, Downderry and Seaton along beach roads, then navigated back inland and back down to the water at Looe (pronounced ‘loo’.)

                                Portwrinkle beach

                       Seaton Beach

Looe (Cornish word for deep river inlet) is the most lovely town, on the banks of the East Looe River. The West Looe River branches off just north of the big bridge which joins the two halves of the town. There are also ferries you can take across for just one pound! Miracle of miracles, we got a park, so had a walk along the western side of the river. We found a lovely afternoon tea in The Sardine Factory (yes, it used to be a sardine factory – who would have guessed?) Lex had a Cornish icecream, I had a cream tea – scone with Cornish clotted cream and jam – and Glen had a Cornish crab sandwich, so we were all happy and full with Cornish delights. We strolled along to the end of the walkway, and Lex went right to the end of the road at the top of the hill.

                                      Looe East near the mouth of the river

                                           Delicious cream tea at The Sardine Factory

This is a statue of Nelson, Looe's beloved seal, who settled happily in the town for many years. He was called Nelson by the locals, as he only had one eye.

               An arched bridge connects the two parts of town.

It was after four, so we set a course for home; thankfully along more major roads, and were here a bit before 5. Lex and Glen went for a walk to find an op shop to donate some excess clothing, and also found a bar, The Stable. I nobly stayed home to do a last load of washing while we have the luxury of a drier, and write the blog.

Tea was a curry meal deal from Tesco’s, and heaps of strawberries I’d bought cheap from a stall. Tonight we have to pack again – we are off to Salisbury tomorrow, and Glen has to head home for work on Monday. One more stop before London.

                                                  Plymouth has a gin distillery!