Why Plymouth is one of the most underrated places on Earth

If rural Devon and Cornwall weren’t so pretty (or so heavily promoted), Plymouth would be one of the most visited cities in the UK – or perhaps even, if its inclusion in Time Out’s recently released list of the 14 most underrated places on Earth is anything to go by, the world. 

As well as a maritime heritage second only to Liverpool and London, it boasts a natural setting that floors first-time visitors. 

Catch Plymouth Sound in the right light – spring is a great time, dusk for the shadows – and the view of Mount Batten and Wembury Point on the left, Mount Edgcumbe park and Penlee on the right, Drake’s Island in the centre, Tinside Lido just below, and all around the shimmering, becalmed sea and you really have to make an effort to leave it behind and go and explore. 

But you must – for the Hoe, rising up behind, is an imposing array of Victorian terraces evocative of the city’s mercantile prowess. The surrounding esplanade has interesting statues (Lily Langtree, Sir Francis Drake) and memorials, but it is the expansiveness that makes you forget you’re in a major city that quickens the heart. 

The most famous landmark Smeaton’s Tower, was removed from Eddystone reef in the Channel in 1880. Rearing up above it is the 17th-century Royal Citadel, home to 29 Commando Royal Artillery. Below this are the Barbican and Sutton Harbour – the city’s original port and departure point for the Mayflower. In the other direction is Royal William Yard, built by architect John Rennie between 1825 and 1831 and the largest collection of Grade I-listed military buildings in Europe.

Modernist architecture and contemporary art

A little way inland is one of the most fascinating civic architectural schemes in the UK. Plymouth was heavily bombed in the Second World War, and Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s Plan for Plymouth – a bold and futuristic rebuilding scheme –   reimagined the city along modernist lines. The centre is a grid of right-angled streets, with the main north-south thoroughfare, Armada Way, pedestrianised and greened on a gentle slope. 

White Portland stone buildings with subtle artistic details took inspiration from Canberra and New Delhi, but also from the homegrown Garden City movement. The centrepiece, the Civic Centre, opened in 1962 and Grade II-listed since 2007. While planning position has been granted, developers Urban Splash have yet to start the scheduled conversion into apartments and commercial units.

The pandemic scuppered some of Plymouth’s Mayflower bicentenary projects in 2020. But one bit of very bright news was the opening of The Box in September of that year. It’s another great building, thrusting the city into this century, and the space hosts engaging talks, classes, music shows, tours and diverse exhibitions; currently there’s one on the Armada portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, etchings and drawings by Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings that zero-in on class, gender and community, a salon-style display of landscapes of Plymouth through the ages, as well as ceramics and textiles.

On West Pier at West Hoe – the place Sir Francis Chichester landed in 1967 as the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route – is Look II, by Sir Antony Gormley. The 12-foot (3.7-metre) tall, three-tonne cast-iron human figure gazes out to sea, serving as an angular, artistic alternative to the classically heroic statue of Drake over on the Hoe.

At the main tourist information centre, the small Mayflower Museum uses maps, images, a model ship and an animation to explain the events of 1620; entrance is £5, children £2.50. Dotted all around the Barbican area are references to Plymouth’s maritime history. 

For families with young children, dive below the waves with a tour of the National Aquarium, which takes in reef, oceanic and seagrass environments and allows over 10s to snorkel with stingrays, sharks and a green turtle – with a supervising adult and, more importantly still, a cage. An adult (16-plus) ticket, valid for 12 months, is from £22.50; 3-15 year olds pay from £11.25; under-3s go free. Snorkelling is £200 for two people.

Fish, chips, gin and tonic

There are fish-and-chip shops all over Plymouth, as you’d expect of an “Ocean City”, with a high concentration around the Barbican. Harbourside is deservedly popular, The Harbour and Platters are great for seafood, and the local branch of Rockfish is very good, too.

If you feel like a 30-minute cruise before lunch, jump on the ferry from the Barbican to Kingsand/Cawsand; five minutes’ walk takes you to the Devonport Inn, which does moules marinière, Cornish haddock and great pub grub.

Plymouth Gin dates from 1793, but the Black Friars’ building that contains the distillery was built in the 1400s, and boasts an impressive medieval hall with a hull-shaped timber roof. The distillery has a range of tours (from £15).

For coffee and cakes, the Jacka Bakery and Rockets and Rascals – both in the Barbican – have different, but equally lovely vibes. If you prefer a pub, Bread & Roses is a community-oriented social enterprise boozer serving good local beers and organic wines.

Inner-city inspiration – and the sublime suburbs

Retail is not really Plymouth’s strong point. The Drake Circus Shopping Centre is an airy, nicely laid-out mall with the usual high-street suspects and a good Waterstones and a surprisingly cool M&S espresso café. The West End – the area around Frankfort Gate – has some independent shops and 140-stall Plymouth Market, an eclectic place where you can buy airguns, hemp products, nuts, shellfish and vintage clothing.

Whether you’re looking for a bargain or not, it’s worth wandering around the centre, and into the inner-city areas of Beaumont and Stonehouse, into the conservation area around lovely Looe Street, and, above all, along the waterfront, to get a sense of Plymouth past and present. 

The city, as Devonport and later, as Plymouth, was an important departure point for ships for centuries and admirals and captains, shipwrights and chandlers, prostitutes and ratings, all needed a place to call home or bed down for the night. The city has produced a series of themed walks and an app for those who want to peg their urban hike to the story of the Mayflower.

Don’t forget the outskirts, though. Using the South West Coast Path, water taxis and ferries you can easily use Plymouth as a base to visit beaches, gardens, rocky shores, historic port areas and quaint villages. 

A little way inland lies Dartmoor. Few cities boast so much inside and out; there’s plenty to do for a weekend or longer, and if you’re aching to get to Devon or Cornwall, remind yourself that both lie within the city suburbs. You’re already there.

For more information, head to visitplymouth.co.uk, and for the city’s best hotels, see Telegraph Travel’s picks.

For places to stay, visit our guide to the best hotels in Plymouth