Saturday: 20th May: Weather: 9C to 20°C: Overcast and cool then very warm and sunny
Portwrinkle to Plymouth: 16.0k walk: 4h 00: 8.15am to 1.00pm: 1x 30min stop: 3hr ferry: Ascent: 400m
Accommodation: Admiral MacBride Hotel The Barbican, Plymouth
Not a good place to check a map
Beautiful Views back to Looe
Coffee at Rame Head
Views to tip of Rame Head
Wide open track and blue sky views
Cawsand Beach and water is 12°C
Relaxing lunch at Cawsand Beach
Queue of 70 people waiting for ferry
Ferry rams Beach to get passengers
Busy Barbican at Plymouth
Highlight of our day 7 was catching an unplanned ferry ride from Cawsand to Plymouth at the end of a 16k walk on a glorious day. The Cawsand ferry dropped us right at the doorstep of our Hotel Admiral Macbride in the middle of the Barbican historical area of Plymouth.
We’re awake at 6am and have home made breakfast in our room of yoghurt and muesli with a cup of tea. The view from our window is just beautiful and the sun is streaming through the large window making the room almost hot. We’re packed and leaving at 8.15am but it’s a bit confusing whether of not we have already paid booking.com at the time of booking or if we need to pay at the hotel when we leave. The girl doesn’t know so we paid £120 including the cost of a few beers from the night before and the manager would sort it out when she came in later and either refund the money or ask us for more. Having booked 24 nights in a row several months ago through either booking.com or AirBnB, I’ve been getting a constant stream of receipts via email from them stating me some money has been paid, but never states which place or even which village. Haven’t heard back yet.
It’s warm when we stride down the road. For the next 9k the track alternates between the B3247 road busy with Saturday morning traffic and the SWCP drenched from the dew with tall wet grass and nettles covering the track. The use of the road was to avoid the military firing ranges at Tregantle. The views were fantastic in all directions but we were too busy dodging cars or nettles to enjoy the three hours walk to Rame Head where we find a grassy spot amongst the wild flowers for a coffee and watch the day walkers coming and going.
We’re hesitant to walk around the other side of the headland to the track to Plymouth, expecting more long grass, but we were really surprised to find a wide level path which obviously was better maintained for the walkers going to Rame Head from the Plymouth side. The path winds it’s way past Penlee Point then through a cool wooded cliff face for about 5k to the beachside village of Cawsand. We debate whether or not to have lunch here because we need to walk a further 5k to Cremyll to catch a ferry to Plymouth, then walk a further 3k across town to the Barbican. But then we spy a timetable for a ferry that leaves from Cawsand across to the Barbican where we are staying. It was a no brainer to stay in Cawsand and have lunch while waiting for the 2pm ferry. But it was a no show! There’s another couple sitting next to us who explain that sometimes the ferry comes and sometimes it doesn’t depending on tides/weather/whatever but it should be OK for the 3.30pm ferry. We decide to wait another one and a half hours for the next phantom ferry.
It’s very relaxing sitting in the sun chatting to another couple who had caught this same ferry over from Plymuth to walk to Rame Head. And there’s plenty of Brits to watch sunbaking/sunburning on the beach, swimming in the freezing water, licking ice cream, eating fish n chips, drinking beer, or kicking a soccer ball around. The time passes quickly and sure enough at 3.15pm we see teh ferry chugging towards Cawsand.
A queue of about 70 people forms on the beach and as the ferry approaches, the swimmers scatter. The ferry then rams the beach and two deck hands hop off and unload a ramp down which about 50 passengers disembark. The waiting passengers then jump over the small gap of water between the sand and ramp and climb onto the ferry. It’s a lovely relaxing boat ride costing only £6 each, and after 30 minutes of chugging through Plymouth Sound, we reach the Barbican Wharf and disembark to immediately see the Hotel Admiral MacBride just over the road. The Barbican wharf area is filled with Saturday afternoon revellers, enjoying a beer on the wharf, or just strolling up and down. It’s Pirate weekend!
The Hotel is filled with noisy patrons spilling on to the wharf. On checking in, we’re given a key to room 5 with a wonderful view out over the harbour. Dropping our bags ,we stroll up through the town to buy dinner - salad and a pack of 4 Guinness from the Co-Op and a pasty from a Cornish Pasty shop. Then back to our Hotel room to enjoy and look over the harbour with ferries coming and going and Saturday revellers drinking along the wharf.