Hundreds of Years of History to Discover in Devon’s Largest City

Guest Blog Post - Visit Plymouth

Situated right on the coast, Plymouth is a city that’s been shaped by its past. Known as Britain’s Ocean City due to its unique landscape, nestled around the impressive natural harbour of Plymouth Sound, the city is simply teeming with maritime history. 

It’s been the departure point for many a famous traveller, such as Sir Francis Drake, Captain James Cook and the Mayflower Pilgrims. Plymouth is also home to the largest Naval base in Western Europe which unfortunately made the city a target during the Blitz in the Second World War. 59 bombing attacks killed 1,172 civilians and destroyed much of the city’s precious architecture. 

This has created the unique city you can visit today. Wander the cobbled streets of the Barbican harbourside, surrounded by buildings dating back to the Elizabethan era, while just a few minutes’ walk away you can discover the imposing architecture of a post-war city centre – now offering wide, open boulevards lined with an impressive array of shops. 

If you’re interested in learning more, there’s now a new app available to help you do just that. 

The free Plymouth Trails app has a great range of walking trails available for you to follow at your own pace, so you can discover more about the complex history of the seafaring city. 

The app includes three brand new trails, which all have audio options so you can choose to listen or read: 

• Mayflower Trail: Following a circular route around the Barbican, see the buildings and meet the people that shaped the city in 1620, when the Mayflower ship and its passengers set sail for America. Part of this year’s 400^th anniversary commemorations of the ship’s famous journey, this trail is also supported by bronze monoliths and waymarkers along the route to help guide you round. 
• City Centre Trail: Discover a different side to the imposing post-war architecture in the city centre and learn more about how the city was rebuilt following the Blitz during World War II
• Plymouth Hoe Trail: Enjoy a walk along the coast as you delve into Plymouth’s maritime history, taking in key landmarks such as Tinside Lido and Smeaton’s Tower.

As well as fascinating facts, the app has some cool features including selfie frames and the ability to overlay video and images onto the landscape in front of you for a real ‘then and now’ snapshot of the city. 

And that’s not all – the app is also home to a variety of trails from other organisations so you can see an entirely new side to Plymouth. This includes the American Tree Trail which stops at trees and sites with a US association, and the Waterfront Walkway, Plymouth’s section of the South West Coast Path that will take you on a nine mile walk from the Cremyll Ferry to Jennycliff.

You can download the app now on Android or iOS, or find out more on the Visit Plymouth website. 

The app and core trails are available in French, Spanish and German as well as English. The three core routes have also been designed to be as accessible as possible, with newly dropped kerbs and improved facilities. There are diversions to avoid sections that may be difficult for wheelchair users to navigate.