Plymouth – Coastal Road Trip

Day 44 – Plymouth to St Austell

On day forty-four, after visiting Plymouth, we are heading into Cornwall. So join us on our journey along the beautiful southwest coast…

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Polperro Harbour, Seagull, Starfish — A hungry seagull (aren’t they always?) at Polperro.

Plymouth

Coastal Road Trip, Plymouth, Sutton Harbour, Boats — Fishing boats being prepared for the day at Plymouth’s Sutton Harbour.

Coastal Road Trip, Plymouth, Hoe Promenade, Lighthouse, Royal Citadel, — Smeaton’s Tower and the Royal Citadel along Plymouth Hoe.

Coastal Road Trip, Plymouth, Hoe Promenade, Lighthouse, Smeaton's Tower — Smeaton’s Tower was originally built as the lighthouse at Eddystone Rock off Rame Head (we will visit later today). It was then moved to Plymouth Hoe as a memorial to John Smeaton, its engineer.

Coastal Road Trip, Plymouth, Royal William Yard, New Cooperage — We were really impressed by Plymouth’s Royal William Yard. Originally built for the Royal Navy but now redeveloped with shops, restaurants, offices and a harbour. Very nicely done.

Coastal Road Trip, Plymouth, Royal William Yard, New Cooperage, Cow, Bull, Dog — Sculptures on the lawn in front of the New Cooperage.

Coastal Road Trip, Plymouth, Royal William Yard, Ships Biscuit, Recipe, Monument — A recipe for Ships Biscuit curiously carved into a stone at the entrance to the Royal William Yard.

Tor Point

Coastal Road Trip, Ferry, Devonport - Tor Point, Plymouth, Cars — On the ferry heading from Devonport to Tor Point. Travelling west to Cornwall on the ferry was free (you only pay sailing east). We like a bargain! 😉

St John

Coastal Road Trip, St John's Lake, Ford, Sign, Road — More watery roads along the Cornish coast.

Coastal Road Trip, St John, View, Whitsand Bay, Field — Bright green fields above St John, looking down towards Whitsand Bay.

Cremyll

Coastal Road Trip, Cremyll, Welcome to Cornwall, Sign, Julian, Jarno — Although we entered Cornwall by ferry at Tor Point, there was also a passenger ferry landing at Cremyll.

Coastal Road Trip, Cremyll, View to Royal William Yard, River Tamer — Looking back across the River Tamar to the Royal William Yard.

Coastal Road Trip, Cremyll, Ferry Clock — The clock at Cremyll’s ferry landing.

Coastal Road Trip, Mount Edgcumbe, House, Park, Cremyll, River Tamar — The grand Mount Edgcumbe House overlooking Cremyll and the River Tamar.

Cawsand

Coastal Road Trip, Cawsand, Kingsand, Garrett Street, Narrow street, Van blocking road — Driving through Kingsand to Cawsand we got stuck behind a delivery truck. With no way to pass, you just have to be patient. We used the opportunity to nosey in the windows of the cute coastal cottages.

Coastal Road Trip, Cawsand, Beach, Bay, Boat — Cawsand Beach and Bay. Just out of the picture there was a couple preparing for a morning swim around the bay. Rather them than us.

Coastal Road Trip, Cawsand, Ferry Sign, Painted Tiles, Waiting Shelter — Painted tiles decorating the waiting shelter of the seasonal Cawsand Ferry.

Rame Head

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, St Michael's Chapel, Jarno — The clouds started to clear as we arrived at Rame Head, so we had a little hike up to St Michael’s Chapel on the headland.

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, View to Penlee, Heybrook Bay, The Great Mew Stone, Wembury Bay — There were amazing panoramic views along the coast, looking as far east as the Great Mew Stone in Wembury Bay.

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, National Coastwatch Institution, Heritage Coast — Looking back down the headland to the National Coastwatch Institution buliding by the car park.

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, Whitsand Bay, Fort — Whitsand Bay and Tregantle Fort above the cliffs to the northwest.

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, Horse — There were plenty of Dartmoor ponies precariously grazing around the headland cliffs.

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, Rocks, Waves — Choppy waters at the foot of the cliffs.

Whitsand Bay

Coastal Road Trip, Whitsand Bay, Military Road, Treninnow Cliff, Freathy — We then continued along the coastal road past Treninnow Cliff and Freathy.

Coastal Road Trip, Rame Head, Whitsand Bay, Military Road, Treninnow Cliff, Freathy — Rame Head silhouetted against the bright sunlight across Whitsand Bay.

Coastal Road Trip, Tregantle Fort, Military Road, Freathy — The 1865 Tregantle Fort along Military Road. Still open and working. As we drove past we could see training in progress.

Portwrinkle

Coastal Road Trip, Whitsand Bay, Military Road, Freathy — Looking down the wrinkly coast to Portwrinkle 😉

Coastal Road Trip, Portwrinkle, Beach, Whitsand Bay, Rame Head — Portwrinkle Beach with Rame Head still visible in the distance.

Coastal Road Trip, Portwrinkle, Boats, Whitsand Bay, Rame Head — Small boats neatly stored on end by the water’s edge at Portwrinkle.

Downderry

Coastal Road Trip, B3247, Road to Downderry — Driving through a patchwork of fields along the B3247 to Downderry.

Coastal Road Trip, Abandoned Farm, B3247, Road to Downderry — All along this coastal journey we’ve passed so many abandoned farm houses and barns… so they haven’t all been converted yet!

Seaton

Coastal Road Trip, Seaton, Beach, Rame Head — Amazingly Rame Head and St Michael’s Chapel were still visible in the distance from Seaton Beach.

Looe

Coastal Road Trip, Looe, West Looe, Seagull, East Looe River — We stopped at bustling East Looe for our first Cornish pasty. As we looked across the East Looe River to West Looe, the seagulls were keeping a beady eye on us (or rather our pasties).

Coastal Road Trip, Looe, Looe Bay, Breakwater — Looking down the breakwater to the calm sea in Looe Bay.

Coastal Road Trip, Looe, Looe Bay, Wooden Pegs, Breakwater — The breakwater walls were full of wooden wedges. Very curious. Maybe to help hold the wall together?

Coastal Road Trip, East Looe, Telescope, Beach — A telescope by the sandy East Looe Beach.

Polperro

Coastal Road Trip, Polperro Harbour, Fishing Boats, Cottages — Our next stop was at Polperro. The village was admittedly very quaint, but felt very surreal, like a ghost town. Most of the shops and cafes were closed and there was hardly anyone around, unlike our previous stop at Looe. Clearly a tourist village now, which is a real shame as out-of-season there seemed to be no locals to keep the place alive, so it somehow lacked soul. We also had to pay the highest parking charge of our entire British coastal road trip here too! Maybe that’s why it was so quiet. We only stayed 45 minutes but had to pay £4.50 to park, which was the minimum charge (3 hours).

Coastal Road Trip, Polperro Harbour, Seagull, Starfish — At least the seagulls seemed happy with the range of seafood.

Coastal Road Trip, Polperro, House on the props — The locally famous ‘House on the Props’, precariously hanging over the stream.

Lansallos

Coastal Road Trip, Lansallos, Lansallos, Church — Winding our way through more narrow country lanes we passed the small hamlet of Lansallos, and Saint Ildierna Church.

Lantivet

Coastal Road Trip, Lantivet, Narrow Lane, Cornwall — The lanes got narrower and narrower as we passed Lantivet. Grass growing down the middle of the road is never a comforting sight. Fortunately it was so quiet, so we didn’t have to make any difficult reversing-all-the-way-back-down-the-country-lane manoeuvers!

Lantic

Coastal Road Trip, Lantic Bay, Cornwall, National Trust — Passing the secluded National Trust Lantic Bay.

Polruan

Coastal Road Trip, Polruan, View to Gribbin Head — Gribbin Head in the distance from the headland at Polruan.

Fowey

Coastal Road Trip, Fowey, River Fowey, Parish Church, view from Polruan — From Polruan we looked across to Fowey and its Parish Church.

Coastal Road Trip, Bodinnich Ferry, Landing, Fowey, River Fowey — We then took the Bodinnich Ferry crossing over the River Fowey. Taking the ferry saved us a 15 mile detour (and a precious 35 minutes of daylight) inland via Lostwithiel.

Coastal Road Trip, Bodinnich Landing, Ferry, River, Fowey, Crossing, Cornwall — Looking back to Bodinnich Landing as we crossed to Fowey.

Coastal Road Trip, Fowey, North Street, Narrow Street, Pinky Murphy's Cafe — We squeezed our way through Fowey’s narrow streets (fortunately one way).

Charlestown

Coastal Road Trip, Charlestown, Tall Ships, Square Sail, Harbour — Picturesque Charlestown, our final stop of the day before heading to St Austell for the night.

Coastal Road Trip, Charlestown, Tall Ships, Square Sail, Harbour — Square rigger tall ships reflecting in the small Georgian harbour. The attractive harbour was originally built for coal imports and copper exports. More recently the harbour has been used for period film and TV productions.

Daily video

Day 43 – Paignton to Plymouth

Wow! The weather today was stunning for late October. The freshness of the bright blue sky over Devon reminded us of the time we spent living in California, though Devon was a little colder 😉

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Wembury, Beach, Mill, National Trust, Stream, Sunset, Bay, Devon — Wembury Beach

Paignton

Coastal Road Trip, Paignton, Pier, Sunrise, Beach, Devon — Another early start as we watched the sunrise over Paignton Pier.

Coastal Road Trip, Paignton, Pier, Underneath, Sunrise, Beach, Devon — Taking a look under the 238 metre long pier.

Broadsands

Coastal Road Trip, Broadsands Beach, Torbay, Devon — Julian had many fond memories of Broadsands Beach, having spent many summers here as a kid.

Brixham

Coastal Road Trip, Brixham, Harbour, Golden Hind Museum Ship, Houses, Fishing Boats — As well as many working fishing boats, there was also an interesting replica of Sir Francis Drake’s The Golden Hind ship sitting in the harbour.

Coastal Road Trip, Brixham, Marina, Yachts, Boats — Brixham Marina. William Prince of Orange and his Dutch army landed at Brixham in 1688 (the marina was built much later!). Many locals still have Dutch surnames.

Coastal Road Trip, Breakwater, Lighthouse, Torbay — The lighthouse at the end of Brixham’s long breakwater, with Paignton Pier in the background. The breakwater was great for a brisk walk and for its panoramic views across Torbay.

Berry Head

Coastal Road Trip, Berry Head, Brixham, Sharkham Point, St Mary's Bay — Driving along typically narrow Devon lanes, we arrived at Berry Head. As it was a clear day, we had lovely views west past Sharkham Point and St Mary’s Bay.

Coastal Road Trip, Berry Head, Lighthouse, Brixham, Torbay — The lighthouse at Berry Head, the shortest lighthouse in Great Britain (6 metres), but also one of the highest above sea level (58 metres).

Coastal Road Trip, Berry Head, Brixham, Sharkham Point, St Mary's Bay, Compass Statue, Jarno — Jarno checking directions on Berry Head’s Compass.

Dartmouth

Coastal Road Trip, Dartmouth, Higher Ferry, Kingswear - Dartmouth — A short drive southwest took us to the River Dart, where we crossed from Kingswear to Dartmouth on the Higher Ferry. Great timing too, as the ferry was just boarding as we arrived, so we drove straight on.

Coastal Road Trip, Dartmouth, Higher Ferry, Kingswear - Dartmouth, River Dart — Looking up the River Dart on the short ferry crossing.

Coastal Road Trip, Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Higher Ferry, Kingswear - Dartmouth, River Dart — The Britannia Royal Naval College sitting above Dartmouth.

Coastal Road Trip, Dart Marina, Dartmouth, River Dart, Devon — Plenty of yachts moored in the Dart Marina.

Coastal Road Trip, River Dart, Kingswear, White House, Castle Road, Boats — Driving along more narrow lanes took us to Dartmouth Castle, with stunning views across the Dart to some fabulous looking houses over at Kingswear.

Coastal Road Trip, Dartmouth Castle, Saint Petrox Church, River Dart, Kingswear — The 15th century Dartmouth Castle next to Saint Petrox Church, overlooking the mouth of the River Dart.

Coastal Road Trip, Castle Cove, Dartmouth Castle, Devon, Bridge — Looking down the steep cliffs to Castle Cove.

Blackpool Sands

Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool Sands, Slapton Sands, Devon, Blue Sky, Green Fields — A clear view across Start Bay past Blackpool Sands and Slapton Sands. We could hardly believe this was Devon at the end of October.

Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool Sands, Beach, Waves, Blue Sky, Pebbles — Waves crashing on Blackpool Sands.

Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool Sands, The Venus Cafe, Beach — Looks can be deceptive, it was actually pretty chilly whilst taking a break at The Venus Cafe.

Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool Sands, Bay, View from west, A379 — Looking back down on Blackpool Sands as we continued our coastal drive.

Strete

Coastal Road Trip, Strete, Forest Cove, Sheep, Green Fields, Devon — Driving to Strete we passed sheep enjoying the autumn sunshine in the fields above Forest Cove.

Slapton Sands

Coastal Road Trip, Slapton Sands, Strete Gate Beach, Devon, Julian, Jarno — Strete Gate Beach at the north end of Slapton Sands, which is technically a bar (a coastal one, not one you go for a drink in).

Coastal Road Trip, Slapton Sands, Tank, Torcross, Exercise tiger memorial, Sherman tank memorial, — At the southern end of Slapton Sands we reached Torcross, and the Sherman tank at the Exercise Tiger Memorial.

Start Point

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point, Freshwater Bay, Hallsands, Beesands, Views to Kingswear and Slapton Sands — The views from Start Point across Freshwater Bay and Start Bay were breathtaking. We could see all the way back along the coast we had just driven along in the morning.

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point, Hallsands, Freshwater Bay — Hallsands perched on cliffs next to Start Point.

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point, Lighthouse, Freshwater Bay — Walking along the South West Coastal Path to Start Point Lighthouse.

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point Lighthouse, Devon — The Grade II listed Start Point Lighthouse.

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point, Mattiscombe, South West Coast Path — As we walked back along Start Point’s ridge, we had super views looking west along the South West Coast Path towards Mattiscombe.

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point, Paraglider — A lone paraglider above the Start Point cliffs.

Coastal Road Trip, Start Point, Devon Lane, Seaview, Blue Sky, Green Field — More narrow coastal lanes as we drove to and from Start Point. There were not many passing places, but fortunately it was very quiet this Monday morning. However, we then attempted to drive to East Prawle, but the lanes got so narrow that both sides of the car were being scratched by the hedges! At the first opportunity we then tried to make it back to slightly larger lanes. One recommendation, best to come here in a small car, a car you don’t care about or a tractor.

West Charleton

Coastal Road Trip, West Charleton, A319, Cottages — A typical Devon village road winding its way between cottages at West Charleton.

Kingsbridge

Coastal Road Trip, New Bridge, Bowcombe Creek, Kingsbridge Estuary, Sun reflection — The low autumn sun reflecting on Bowcombe Creek near Kingsbridge.

Malborough

Coastal Road Trip, Malborough, Fields, Lincombe, Kingsbridge Estuary, A381 — Views over Lincombe to the Kingsbridge Estuary, along the road to Malborough.

Salcombe

Coastal Road Trip, Salcombe, Harbour, Batson Creek, Lifeboat, East Portlemouth — Looking across Batson Creek, from Salcombe to East Portlemouth.

Coastal Road Trip, Salcombe, Union Street, Lifeboat Station, Batson Creek, East Portlemouth — Be careful where you drive! Union street ended abruptly at the lifeboat station. Salcombe really was a maze of tiny roads. Fortunately, as it was a quiet day out-of-season, we were really lucky to park on a street right down by the harbour.

Coastal Road Trip, Salcombe, Ferry Inn, Pub, Devon — The local pub squeezed into the waters edge by the ferry landing.

Coastal Road Trip, Overbecks, National Trust, Views to, Salcombe, East Portlemouth, Mill Bay, Kingsbridge Estuary — We wound our way up through more tiny lanes to Overbecks, a National Trust property overlooking Salcombe. Unfortunately it had closed for the season, so we peeped over the garden walls to take in the the views across Salcombe Harbour and the Kingsbridge Estuary.

Hope Cove

Coastal Road Trip, Hope Cove, Outer Hope, Beach, Views to Burgh Island and Bigbury Bay — The Outer Hope Beach at Hope Cope, and our first glimpse across Bigbury Bay to Burgh Island.

Coastal Road Trip, Hope Cove, Inner Hope, Lobster pots, Harbour — Lobster pots sitting along the sandy Inner Hope Harbour.

Coastal Road Trip, Hope Cove, Inner Hope, Boat, SE12, Harbour — Boats tied up on the Inner Hope Beach.

Aveton Gifford

Coastal Road Trip, Aveton Gifford, Bridge End, Tidal Road, River Avon — On our way to Bigbury-on-Sea, we somehow ended up on a shortcut alongside the River Avon at Bridge End, near Aveton Gifford.

Coastal Road Trip, Tidal Road, River Avon, Aveton Gifford, Bridge End, Boats, Devon — The aptly named Tidal Road had little protection from the River Avon. Anyway, we continued on our way and were fortunately fine.

Burgh Island

Coastal Road Trip, Burgh Island, Hotel, Agatha Christie, Sunset, Bigbury Beach, Pilchard Inn — We arrived at Burgh Island just as the sun started to go down.

Coastal Road Trip, Burgh Island, Hotel, Agatha Christie, Bigbury Beach, Pilchard Inn, Julian, Jarno, Dusk, Devon — The Island is most famous for its Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel. Agatha Christie wrote a few of her books whilst staying here. Julian was also lucky enough to stay here several years ago (in the Agatha Christie room), and loved it!

Newton Ferres

Coastal Road Trip, Newton Ferrers, Noss Mayo, Boats, Newton Creek, Dusk — Newton Creek surrounded by Noss Mayo on the opposite side, and Newton Ferrers on our side.

Wembury

Coastal Road Trip, Wembury, Beach, Mill, National Trust, Stream, Sunset, Bay, Devon — Great, we made it to Wembury Beach, our final stop just before the daylight disappeared. There was a little stream running down the beach, which made a great end-shot for the day. That’s all for day forty-three. On Day forty-four we will continue our coastal road trip from Plymouth.

Daily video