Bovisand Bay to Plymouth – South West Coast Path Walks
July 10, 2020
Bovisand Bay to Plymouth is the last of the South West Coast Path walks on the OL20 map. That means we’ve completed 81.5 miles of South West Coast Path. Of course our walks have been circulars so the actual distance walked is going to be at least double this. Phew…time to put our feet up? Nah!
Bovisand Bay to Hooe Lake
The final section of SWCP before we hit the river Plym and on the other side, Plymouth. Although this is a rural path across open land and through woodland, the feel is very much one of “we’re walking towards a big city”. There are ships, breakwaters, general boat life and all with the ever growing backdrop of Plymouth.
After a walk out to the Mountbatten breakwater, we headed along to the small village of Turnchapel. It was a very pleasant surprise as I didn’t even know it existed. We found ourselves a peaceful lunch spot with a view right on the harbour front.
From Turnchapel we headed inland to walk around the tidal Hooe lake, another surprising element of our walk, At low tide Hooe lake is scattered with boats and the hulks of sunken boats. At one end there are old posts that once held a railway bridge and at the other end there’s a folly which is part of the Radford estate.
Our route back to Bovisand took us through Radford woods nature reserve, along the river and through farmland and fields high above the town of Hooe. We passed Court Gates Farm and stables where we were transfixed watching swallows flying low over the field, catching flies for their young who were patiently waiting on the field fence.
The City of Plymouth
Our visit to Plymouth was purely a walking one to admire the monuments and harbour sights (with a stop for fish and chips in the harbour). We started in Sutton harbour and walked along the SWCP to the Hoe and took in the smaller harbour area of Millbay before heading back through the Barbican. It has left us with a list of “must-visits” once everything is open again:
- Walking up Smeaton’s tower – the lighthouse in the Hoe. The views must be amazing.
- The Mayflower museum. After living in Boston for a year and seeing the other side of the voyage, we are super excited to learn the British side of the story.
- A visit to the Plymouth Gin Distillery…need I say more?
- Another night out in Sutton Harbour. We have fond memories of pub crawling around the bars along the harbour (home-made flavoured vodka?). There are also great restaurants – Tanner Brothers was a particular favourite.
Don't miss - Bovisand Bay to Plymouth Walk.
A walk out on Mount Batten breakwater to take in the view of the city and watch the sail boats whizzing past (and do your best Titanic impression at the end)- Walking around Hooe Lake to see the old hulks of boats – around 17 are visible at low tide.
- A paddle or swim in sandy Bovisand Bay.
- South West Coast Path signs and markers – there’s a real variety on this section of the walk.
Where are we going next?
The shackles are off…and so are we. We can now start the original plan of a year of travelling (albeit 6 months late). Our first plan is a fleeting 10 days in the Lake District and then we are finally able to go to Italy. Fantastico!
