Beth Emery - Travel Writer
Beth Emery – Plymouth, Devon, UK
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A lifelong Plymothian, Beth has only fallen in love with her home city in the last five years. It’s on an incredible coastline, with some of the UK’s best beaches nearby, and bleak and beautiful Dartmoor on the doorstep. The city itself is often derided as ugly, but Plymouth is packed with history, places to chill and things to see. It also claims to be home of the pasty, but that is up for debate!
20 Plymouth Neighbourhoods/Areas
• The Barbican (pretty harbour area with lots of arty shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, where the Mayflower Pilgrims set off for the USA, also has one of the UK’s best aquariums)
• The Hoe (seafront with amazing views, lighthouse, bars, cafes, lido and amusement park)
• Stonehouse (recently regenerated Georgian houses and old naval barracks, The Royal William Yard is now one of the trendiest places in the city for bars and restaurants)
• Plymouth City Centre (home to Britain’s Ugliest Building 2007, the city centre has been struggling with its appearance since it was reduced to rubble during WW2 air raids, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some gems around)
• Union Street (the centre of the city’s nightlife)
• Central Park (huge park with play areas, leisure centre and the home of Plymouth Argyle)
• Crownhill (has a historical fort, massive play centre and busy high street)
• Mutley Plain (massive student hub with lots of bars and reasonably priced food options)
• Drake’s Island (not accessible to visitors, but in plain view of the city and talks abound on what it could be made into)
• Millbay Docks (up and coming neighbourhood under major regeneration)
• Devonport (once one of the three towns that merged together to form Plymouth, the heart of the naval base and undergoing regeneration in a number of places)
• Stoke (a real local’s neighbourhood)
• Plym Bridge Woods (great place to walk, cycle, dip in the river and if you’re lucky spot some peregrine falcons)
• Jennycliff (clifftop area with great views of the sea, main city and really comes into its own during the annual National Firework Championships in August)
• Wembury (nearby village and beach, can often spot porpoises and basking sharks)
• Cremyll (accessible by ferry, a few good pubs and great for exploring Mount Edgecumbe, a grand estate with incredible grounds)
• Kingsand and Cawsand (two small villages, can be visited by boat from Plymouth)
• Yelverton (good jumping off point for exploring Dartmoor, easily accessible from the centre by bus)
• Princetown (village on the heart of the moor, a great base for hiking)
• Totnes (nearby town, 20 minute train ride away, known for its hippie culture and having its own currency!)
• Tavistock (nearby town, great pannier market, lots of cute cafes, creative shops and plenty of pub and restaurant choices)
Writing Sample: The Hoe
Plymouth Hoe is one of the city’s highlights. With its iconic red and white striped lighthouse standing tall above the grassy slopes where locals gather on sunny days to eat local ice cream and enjoy the views of Plymouth Sound like The Beatles once did in. You can cool off in the saltwater Tinside Lido or check out West Hoe for throwback amusements like the Spinning Teacups ride and remote-control boats. There’s also plenty of cafes and restaurants clinging to the cliff, whether you want a cream tea or a Chinese, you can find somewhere to go on the Hoe!
Beth Emery – Plymouth, Devon, UK
------------
A lifelong Plymothian, Beth has only fallen in love with her home city in the last five years. It’s on an incredible coastline, with some of the UK’s best beaches nearby, and bleak and beautiful Dartmoor on the doorstep. The city itself is often derided as ugly, but Plymouth is packed with history, places to chill and things to see. It also claims to be home of the pasty, but that is up for debate!
20 Plymouth Neighbourhoods/Areas
• The Barbican (pretty harbour area with lots of arty shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, where the Mayflower Pilgrims set off for the USA, also has one of the UK’s best aquariums)
• The Hoe (seafront with amazing views, lighthouse, bars, cafes, lido and amusement park)
• Stonehouse (recently regenerated Georgian houses and old naval barracks, The Royal William Yard is now one of the trendiest places in the city for bars and restaurants)
• Plymouth City Centre (home to Britain’s Ugliest Building 2007, the city centre has been struggling with its appearance since it was reduced to rubble during WW2 air raids, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some gems around)
• Union Street (the centre of the city’s nightlife)
• Central Park (huge park with play areas, leisure centre and the home of Plymouth Argyle)
• Crownhill (has a historical fort, massive play centre and busy high street)
• Mutley Plain (massive student hub with lots of bars and reasonably priced food options)
• Drake’s Island (not accessible to visitors, but in plain view of the city and talks abound on what it could be made into)
• Millbay Docks (up and coming neighbourhood under major regeneration)
• Devonport (once one of the three towns that merged together to form Plymouth, the heart of the naval base and undergoing regeneration in a number of places)
• Stoke (a real local’s neighbourhood)
• Plym Bridge Woods (great place to walk, cycle, dip in the river and if you’re lucky spot some peregrine falcons)
• Jennycliff (clifftop area with great views of the sea, main city and really comes into its own during the annual National Firework Championships in August)
• Wembury (nearby village and beach, can often spot porpoises and basking sharks)
• Cremyll (accessible by ferry, a few good pubs and great for exploring Mount Edgecumbe, a grand estate with incredible grounds)
• Kingsand and Cawsand (two small villages, can be visited by boat from Plymouth)
• Yelverton (good jumping off point for exploring Dartmoor, easily accessible from the centre by bus)
• Princetown (village on the heart of the moor, a great base for hiking)
• Totnes (nearby town, 20 minute train ride away, known for its hippie culture and having its own currency!)
• Tavistock (nearby town, great pannier market, lots of cute cafes, creative shops and plenty of pub and restaurant choices)
Writing Sample: The Hoe
Plymouth Hoe is one of the city’s highlights. With its iconic red and white striped lighthouse standing tall above the grassy slopes where locals gather on sunny days to eat local ice cream and enjoy the views of Plymouth Sound like The Beatles once did in. You can cool off in the saltwater Tinside Lido or check out West Hoe for throwback amusements like the Spinning Teacups ride and remote-control boats. There’s also plenty of cafes and restaurants clinging to the cliff, whether you want a cream tea or a Chinese, you can find somewhere to go on the Hoe!