Booked a little trip to Plymouth...suggestions?

[Freshandtasty]

For me and DH, 3 nights in July and it will be the first few days away without the adult ‘children’.

Can anyone suggest nice things to do, restaurants, bars and sightseeing for during the day?

Are the local buses good or best to use cabs? Or is the whole place quite walkable?

I’d love some suggestions please

Oops lots of posts because I typed slowly

@NeverDropYourMoonCup

Oh, buses. You need the stagecoach app to make it easiest. And if you catch the gold bus to Torquay, you get a rambling trip through loads of places - and you can catch a boat to Brixham, as its quicker than driving.

I second that and I'm pretty sure the bus goes really close to Paignton Zoo which is a really nice zoo with lots of play areas and activities for children.

As well as all the things mentioned, I took a train to Liskeard and then the little train down to Looe, both the train journey down the valley and Looe itself were gorgeous. However this was in late October, and in summer Looe may be stuffed to the ginnels with holidaymakers.

Wow, lots to do, wish we’d booked 4 or 5 nights now!

The Theatre Royal has lots of stuff for children, or check out Soapbox Theatre, they've been doing outdoors performances - all child friendly.
Royal William Yard is nice - they've filmed the Antiques Roadshow there - shops and restaurants and a nice spot to watch the water.
National Trust wise there is Saltram and Cotehele not too far, and Antony House over the water via the ferry.

We've always liked eating at Quay 33 which is in the Barbican area

You've got tons of great suggestions there. Please bring the sun when you come. You may not manage the Box unless you prebook as covid means only small groups at a time are allowed in. As well as the ferry to mount edgecumbe, you can also get a water taxi from the barbican over to mountbatten for the pub and the pier as well as the best views in Plymouth at jennycliff if you walk a short way.

Pier one bistro is nice too on the Hoe.

honkytonkwinelibrary.com/

You are very close to here and it's grea!

@MagentaRocks

Yes, Barbican is lovely. Lots of little shops, and captain jaspers for burgers by the water. Plus the Mayflower steps. The hoe with the light house. There’s a water taxi that goes over to mount edgcumbe. The pub over there is lovely and there are lovely grounds and a stately home. The moors isn’t that far away with some lovely pubs.

Also, Princetown. They have a prison museum that is good and the pub in the village does nice food. There is also knight stone tea rooms near there but you would need to get a taxi. It is a vintage tea room with lots of World War Two memorabilia. Tavistock is close to princetown and there are some nice shops and a nice market area.

The town centre for shops isn’t brilliant. Nothing special really.

If you wanted to go a bit further afield, Buckfast abbey is lovely.

Oh, Royal William yard is nice too. Plenty of places for food and drinks and a couple of art galleries etc.

But if you go Tavy by bus, make sure you don't spend too long in the pubs, as there's a two hour gap in the service between 9 and 11pm.

Horrabridge has two lovely pubs, the Leapy faces onto the Walkham where you can watch dippers, kingfishers and other wildlife by day and bats by night and a bridge that featured in the opening images of Bagpuss. Same bus service.

Honky tonks restaurant is lovely and Kuku is amazing if you like sushi.

Another recommendation for wandering around the Barbican and the Hoe (lighthouse)

Take the cremyl ferry across to mount edgecombe

Wembury beach is a short drive away, bigbury and bantham beaches not too far either.

Eden project is nice but quite a drive away

All these suggestions are taking me back, I lived in Plymouth for 5 years; my mum lived in Horrabridge and I got married in Tavistock.

Can't believe Captain Jasper's is still going!

Lots of nice restaurants in Royal William Yard. Jolly Jack's for breakfast. Drive up to Bigbury & walk or take the water tractor to burgh Island, havea pint in the pilchard. Go to my Mil house & give her a big smooch from me & the kids

Are you going on a weekend? Just as an aside the Barbican (the only part of Plymouth that wasn't bombed to buggery and still has Tudor houses) gets very "lively" on a Fri / Sat night. Not sure how busy now with COVID but it is normally full of pubs that spill out onto the cobbles.
I've heard Plymouth described before as a southern city that thinks it's a northern town and this is the perfect place to observe that!

We’ll be going Tuesday to Friday, bit of an odd few days but at the end of July so hopefully not too packed