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Also just off the A38 as you are heading towards Plymouth, you will come across a huge Sainsbury's
http://www.192.com/directory.cfm/PLYMOUTH/SUPERMARKET/X4C97E09C223A483EA87AEDE935373356#loop
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Entertainment:
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Three ... Read review
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Entertainment:
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Three cinemas:
http://www.britinfo.net/cinema/cinemaCNR.htm
Personally I have only been to the ABC - which I found to ... ...Both ships headed back to Plymouth, and it was decided that the Speedwell just wasn't up to the voyage.
Some of her passengers were switched to the Mayflower (others gave up on the idea and went home instead!).
Finally, in September 1620, the Mayflower left the port - at the spot now called the Mayflower Steps - and, some 66 days later, she arrived at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
All events and characters in this review are based mainly on real events but also some other stuff.
Any resemblance to other events and characters whether real or bullshit are purely coincidental.
All review details are taken from current sources.
The identities of characters must remain secret to protect the innocent - i.e. me.
Where to go for my hols? I've worked in Plymouth and quite liked the area - could be a nice place to take a break.
So how do I get there :
Trains Planes and Automobiles, a choice. ******************************** Plymouth has a large railway station: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_railway_station
It has a coach and bus station: http://www.carlberry.co.uk/rfnshowl.asp?L1=PLY007
It has an airport: http://www.plymouthairport.com/
My advice, go by train - regular services - no stress if you get a direct journey
Flying is possible if you live in Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, London(Gatwick) or Jersey - I found prices way too high to consider and my nearest airport is Leeds about 2 hours drive away for me.
Car is by far the easiest option, you can go when you want and stop where you want - but it is exhausting. ********************************
I decided to drive: Ma Carina - my car at the time was a Toyota Carina (One Maca Two Maca Three Macarina - Heyyy Macarina ..)
That bloody song - every time I remember my old Carina (One Maca Two Maca Three Macarina - Heyyy Macarina .. aaagh!!!), the tune pops into my head and bounces around for ages. So from this point on I am referring to the car as the MV for motor vehicle.
Check out the route - I used the AA service on the internet to get a route plan Total distance according to the AA - 412 miles - might make it on one tank of petrol if I top the tank right up.
Check out the MV - tyres - oil - water - a few tapes to listen to on the trip and I'm off.
The trip: I decided to drive down on a Sunday - from experience working there, I knew that Sundays were for the hordes to exit Devon on their way back home for work on Monday - and Fridays were the day everyone headed for Devon - and it works - you see very light traffic if you are going Sunday and leaving Friday.
I won't go into any detail about motorways and service stations except to say that the bit where the M42 joins the M1 to the M5 should be avoided at all costs.
Around 7 hours continuous driving - ouch !
Accommodation in Plymouth: ******************************** There are lots of hotels from the 'very cheap' to the 'you must be joking'
I stayed at the Ibis once - which was cheap and cheerful and had a nice bistro/restaurant. It is just outside Plymouth and can be seen from the A38 as you approach Plymouth. Quite high up on a hillside, so took me a little while to actually find the road up to it from the A38.
Lodgings - Mr M. Having decided to stay at the lodgings I found while working there, I pulled up outside the house of Mr. and Mrs. M.
A very nice Indian couple who let a couple of rooms to the odd stray. (Pretty much describes me so it was the ideal place).
Mr. M. thought of me as the son he was never able to conceive !!
Weird I know but as you will discover later, Mr. M. had some funny ideas and I didn't want to confuse him with the difficult notion of males and females in the conception thing.
His grasp of the concept of romance is mentioned a bit later in the review!!
Mrs. M. was slightly less welcoming - after all she was the one who does all the work - and I mean absolutely all of it.
Still she said it was nice to see me again and showed me up to the room I would be staying in for the two weeks.
The weather in Plymouth:
Generally you can expect the Summer temperatures to be 4 or 5 degrees warmer than my home region of Teesside.
If you start off from the North East driving with your car heater on low, you end up in Devon with the aircon on medium.
During my time there 1996-1997 for work and later for the holiday , the weather was mostly very good with the winter being wet and grey - same as almost anywhere then! There were some really hot sunny days in the summer - but mainly comfortable shirt sleeve weather.
There are of course some exceptions on occasion - Michael Fish's Hurricane for example left a lot of damage and there have been some noteable winters with very heavy snow.
The locals:
The locals I met (not too many, I must admit), were all reasonable and friendly folk but they did seem to have a problem with my North East accent.
Wahy bugger me man the' diven speke proppa.
Pretty much mutual then - I sometimes had trouble understanding their accents. I found that putting on my idea of a posh accent (with a slight hint of Norf Landan), I seemed to be understood better.
Av yer gorra lerkel paipa (Do you have a local paper) - completely threw them, there is more chance of being understood these days though since the introduction of Big Brother's Jordie announcer.
Not sure but I think the Navy frequent this place!! ******************************** Plymouth has been used as a naval base since the days of Edward I and his wars with France and the port was vital in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Devonport Dockyard, originally known as Plymouth Dock, on the Hamoaze (the name for part of the River Tamar), is the largest Naval dockyard in Western Europe and dates from 1693 when a wet and dry dock was built, followed by the construction of workshops, stores, and more docks. Eventually some 54 acres formed the area known as South Yard. The dockyard was extended over the years with the addition of Morice Yard which provided ordnance, powder and shot to the fleet, and in 1844, by the Steam Yard. From 1700 a new town had been built around the dockyard and in 1824 it broke free from its older neighbour to become Devonport. Most of the dockyard is now in private hands as a commercial enterprise and the remainder, occupied by the Royal Navy, is known as the Plymouth Naval Base. ********************************
The town: ******************************** This website gives load of info on Plymouth attractions http://www.ukattraction.com/west-country/plymouth.html
I could have copied and pasted a lot of info but it is probably better left as a link.
If you like diving I think Plymouth is one of the worlds best diving centres - despite the cold water. There are lots of classes and clubs eg. http://www.plymouthdivingcentre.co.uk/ ********************************
Shopping: ******************************** Shop to your heart΄s content in the Plymouth City Centre Shopping Boulevards. Or simply relax on the waterfront and enjoy the stunning views across the harbour.
The pedestrianised shopping centre is a stones throw from the waterfront - no broken glass though when I was there.
Very good, all the usual city centre big name shops and banks.
If you prefer out of the city centre supermarkets there is a great Tesco on the road North about 4 miles out of the centre.
Also just off the A38 as you are heading towards Plymouth, you will come across a huge Sainsbury's
Night clubs: Escape from the hassles of your everyday routine and head for the bright lights of the nightclubs in Plymouth. Whatever your club scene or musical tastes you'll find masses in Plymouth to help you get the party started and transport you to another world.
Not my scene but info is readily available in local papers and on the web. ********************************
Getting around ******************************** Like most big cities, taxis are the way to go after about 7pm - with plenty of them available
Be careful as there are also lots of unlicenced cars - not quite as bad as Moscow though.
Buses are also frequent and seemed reliable - although I rarely used them. ********************************
The Moors and a visit to the Prison: I decided one day to have a run out - the Moors perhaps.
You can get maps of the Moors almost anywhere, so I picked one up - a nice big colour AtoZ for about a fiver - and set off.
I'd heard stuff about Dartmoor Prison over the years and my curiosity got the better of me - found it on my map - about 10 inches away from Plymouth centre. So here I am in the MV managing all of 20mph on most roads but up to 60mph on some of the better roads.
Great stuff, at first some moundy bits with twisty turny roads, trees and streams then suddenly better roads but absolute desolation - like Mars with goarse bushes and grass.
What seems like hours pass of endless wilderness - probably 50 minutes - and I come across a small village 'Princetown' which is closely associated with the prison.
There is a notice outside the prison for tourists - seems they actually expect people to visit (besides the inmates relatives) .
Personally I think I'll give it a miss today - nice place to visit but would I want to stay (who am I kidding - it's depressing, lets go to the local boozer)
******************************** Shed loads of activities available on Dartmoor from climbing and hiking to cycling and fishing.
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
Also a huge prison - nice!
Built in 1809 Dartmoor prison held French and American prisoners of war. It became a criminal prison from 1850. Most of the buildings date from the late 19th century but 3 wings have recently been fully refurbished. Integral sanitation in all but one wing, and a new kitchen has been built. Dartmoor is a category C training prison. Following a Performance Test in 2003 Dartmoor now operates under a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Dartmoor has done much in recent years to shake off its historically austere image - yeah right!
There is a pub close by and a brewery - wonder who the customers are! *******************************
The pub near the prison - reminiscent of American Werewolf
So it's a one pub town - no obvious traffic - the sensible folk are enjoying themselves in Plymouth centre.
The pub is a pretty ordinary looking place with whitewashed walls - can't remember the name - something like The Hangmans Rest - nice!
So inside I get the American Werewolf in London treatment - the few people in there stop and turn but nobody speaks - standing transfixed for a few seconds, I am startled by a cough from a corner - a guy who looks sort of Long John Silverish is eyeing me with a predatory stare.
Paranoid Rob, paranoid - just go to the bar and get a beer.
'Half a bitter please' - was met with heavy duty sniggers from the others in the bar.
So time to down it in one say 'cheers me deers' in my worst West Country accent and leg it for the car (One Maca Two Maca Three Macarina - Heyyy Macarina .. oh cobblers), the MV.
Well then I suppose the pub was for the screws at the prison and people who have come to collect inmates on their release.
That would make me someone picking up an inmate or just there to case the joint prior to a breakout.
Horse's Arse - never in this world:
So I'm driving slowly back from prison along the roads through endless moors (which are actually quite spectacular) and eventually come to a place with some more hilly bits - well some slight slopes and dips.
******************************** The earliest reference to the Dartmoor Pony appeared in 1012 in the Will of a Saxon Bishop, Aelfwold of Crediton. Much later during the heyday of tin mines on Dartmoor, the ponies were used extensively for carrying the tin to the Stannary towns.
When this finished they were left to roam free apart from those required for work around the farms.
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I spot some Dartmoor ponies - they look more like flipping Shire horses to me and being afraid of any critter big enough to squish me, I decide to stop and have a closer look.
Camera in hand I left the car (One Maca Two Maca Three Macarina - Heyyy Macarina .. oh no not again), sorry the MV by the road side - pulled onto the grass in case shed loads of tourists suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Great, I got some nice shots of the horses and foals (I lost the photos over the intervening years) and found I was maybe 100 yards from the MV.
Feeling good, warm sun on my back, whistling a tune - Oh . My . God !!! - there's a bloody great horse and it appears to be scratching its nuts on my MV.
As I get closer, it turns out that the damned thing is sitting on the bonnet. I took a photo, which was a conversation starter for years after.
Being a bit Tim nice but dim, I eventually lost this photo and the others - I have however constructed a composite image which sort of looks a bit like the original (see below).
So the dilemma - I'm scared witless by big animals and there is a hairy monster causing a huge arse print on my MV.
Decisively I decide to do nothing at all - well perhaps there was a slight whimper.
Low and behold about 10 minutes later another car appears - full of what look like drunken rugby players (strange but not as bad as a horse sat on your car).
Lots of jeers and questions like - Nice horse, how did you get it to do that?
All the while I'm praying they don't sound their horn because I'm stood on the animal's escape route.
(You guessed it ). Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Next thing you know I'm staring down the nostrils of a beast from hell which is traveling like a locomotive towards me - decisively I again did bugger all but close my eyes.
Wow, it worked, all I felt was the rush of air and violent ground shaking.
Surreal day out so far - now back to the lodgings for some well needed food, vodka and silliness.
Curry night and an introduction to Smirnoff Black Label Vodka (for M that is): ******************************** There are lots of very good restaurants of varying nationalities.
Back at the lodgings - M is fannying around looking worried.
'What's up M? me old mate' -
'I am having problems with the washing machine Rob, I am forgetting what Mrs. M told me - she said I should turn it on at three thirty - it is now nearly five thirty '
'And your problem is?'
'Where is the on switch?'
'There it is, the one marked "On" '
'Oh, so it is - really Rob, I will be honest with you, I do not wish to demonstrate an ability to perform domestic tasks or she will be expecting me to work this hard constantly'
(totally stunned and speechless for a few seconds .................. :-)
'Fair enough M, how about a glass of vodka before I phone out for an Indian - er meal that is'
'That would be really great Rob - I have a new Bollywood film you might like to watch while we wait for Mrs. M to return at six o'clock.'
(How can I get out of this one?)
'The vodka then - it's the best - Smirnoff Black Label which I bought in town for £23.00
******************************** You can get Smirnoff Black Label for around £14.00 in most supermarkets these days.
Fantastic stuff - slight woody/aniseed flavour - smooth as silk - no afterburn.
Highly recommended but drink it neat - none of that stupid mixer stuff ********************************
Now we have two small shot glasses filled to the brim and cheers M - seconds later - after a tiny sip, M collapses to the floor with a thud - soppy grin on his face so he must still be alive.
Ooops! Check his pulse and breathing and plonk him in his chair opposite the TV - thinking to place the tape in the player and press Fast Forward.
After about three minutes M's eyes blink and he sits up - 'Has the film finished Rob'
'Yep - thoroughly enjoyed it' - will he twig it's only been minutes?
Now very chirpy and keen to show he likes the vodka he picks up what is left of his glass and downs the rest
- oh crap ! - I'm off
I make sure he's safely wedged in his chair and leg it up to my room before Mrs. M arrives home.
Before going up to the room I order an Indian takeway for three - bound to smooth over the storm about to break
- Mrs. M. arrives home and surprise surprise - there is a scream - my name is bandied about and she calls me downstairs.
She was very calm and explained that Mr. M. was not allowed alcohol at all EVER - for obvious reasons
- point taken Mrs. M.
Mr.M winks and indicates by making a drinking motion and pointing to the bottle that he would love to have some more. The meal arrives and as expected the storm dies down - think I'll have an early night though - it's been a hard day - I need to think of something less weird to do tomorrow.
The Pilgrim Fathers ******************************** The Pilgrim Fathers, left England on board the Mayflower, to settle in America early in the 17th century (hence Plymouth Argyle's nickname, the Pilgrims).
Two boats were purchased by a group who were looking to leave England as a result of religious persecution.
One was called The Speedwell; the other was the Mayflower. In 1620, the boats set off from Southampton for the New World.
Before too long the Speedwell started to take in water and both vessels came into Dartmouth.
Repairs were carried out, but again the Speedwell started to take in water... this time, off Land's End.
Both ships headed back to Plymouth, and it was decided that the Speedwell just wasn't up to the voyage.
Some of her passengers were switched to the Mayflower (others gave up on the idea and went home instead!).
Finally, in September 1620, the Mayflower left the port - at the spot now called the Mayflower Steps - and, some 66 days later, she arrived at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The settlers created a new town there, and called it Plymouth. There were 102 people who'd departed from Devon - but not all, of course, were from the county.
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One evening M said he and Mrs. M were going on a romantic walk to see the Mayflower Steps - would I like to come along -
Yep here we go again, the concept of romantic eludes Mr. M completely. I decline as Mrs. M is scowling at me over his shoulder.
Falconry show - fascinating - where's the restaurant and bar. ******************************** There is a falconry centre in Devon - it's 20 miles out of Plymouth on the way to Exeter but it was a great place so I included it here.
http://www.devonbirdofprey.co.uk/
One very slight problem was that the restaurant / bar only opened if somone actually asked for it to be opened - which wasn't displayed anywhere so I stood outside for ages until sombody told me. ********************************
Summing up and opinions:
Great family place and also for the slightly older traveller like me.
Fantastic scenery around Plymouth and plenty of things to do and see.
I like it a lot.
Unfortunately for me it only gets 4 stars as it id such a long way away and I think the ease of getting somewhere is a pretty import partof a holiday.
Advantages: Caters for all ages. Disadvantages: None
I lived away from Plymouth for many years and when I returned there I was amazed at how much there was to do and see in Plymouth without spending an absolute fortune.
The sea front is well laid out for walks and historically very interesting to see where Sir Francis Drake supposedly finished his game of bowls before defeating the Armada. There is an area called The Barbican which is the older part of town and which now caters for the artistic as ... ...antique shops and parades as well as a huge complex selling glassworks which is nice to visit. There are restaurants to cater for all from cheap to chic, and the evening life is also very good for even old fogies like me. There are many pubs and clubs, and the City centre seems to hum with activity both night and day.
The theatre Royal has productions most of the time and I was impressed at the professionalism of the theatre, its layout and its ...
thingywhatsit 14.08.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Plymouth, England (PLH)
