Plymouth Overview
Plymouth is known for its maritime heritage and historic narrow cobbled streets which gives the city a great picturesque feel. The city is enclosed by two rivers leading in from the English Channel, on the west side of the city you have the River Tamar and to the east of the city you will find the River Plynn, both of these rivers have been used for centuries making Plymouth the port town in is today. Plymouth grew rapidly throughout the industrial revolution and became a shipping port which handled imports and passengers from the United States of America. The imports they dealt with the majority of the time was tin, lime, copper, arsenic and China clay. Smeaton’s Tower is a historic landmark dating back to 1759, the tower is a lighthouse which revolutionised the lighthouses of the future. The original tower had to be deconstructed due to the cliff it was on eroding away, the tower now sits in Plymouth Hoe and is still in use to help guide ships into the bay.
Things to do in Plymouth
Plymouth is home to the largest aquarium in the United Kingdom, the National Maritime Aquarium has over a whopping 4000 animals ranging from sharks to sea horses, they have it all. The aquarium offers student discounts which makes it a great place to visit to learn about the conservation and habitats of some of the most endangered species in the world. One of the most beautiful places to visit when living in Plymouth is the Tinside Lido. The Lido is a large swimming pool that overlooks the sea, open during the summer the lido can become very busy because everyone wants to go there to socialise, have fun and sun bathe. A spectacular place to visit whilst living in Plymouth would be Mount Edgecumbe House, with brilliantly looked after gardens and fantastic architecture the house is a great place to visit to ease yourself of the stresses of university life. Plymouth is the largest centre for shopping in the south west of England, the city has an extensive range of shopping districts and markets that have been laid out for easy access for people who enjoy to shop till they drop. There are several cinemas dotted around the city with all of them showing the newest blockbusters and some offering student discounts.
Sport in Plymouth
Plymouth has an indoor ski and snowboard centre where you are able to shred the slopes or learn how to with a wide range of lessons for beginners. You will also find the Plymouth life Centre which is an official pre-Olympic games training camp which is used by several countries in the lead up to the Olympics. A maritime city would not be complete without the opportunity to do water sports, the Mount Batten Centre is the place to go for a wide range of water sports.
Escape Plymouth
Plymouth is surrounded by national parks, valleys, mountains and water which makes escaping the city very interesting. To the north you have the Tamar Valley which has a wonderful array of walking or cycling paths accompanied by some fantastic views. Across the mouth of the Tamar River you have the Rame Head Heritage coast which has some very daunting cliffs but on a calm day with no wind it is just beautiful.
Transport in Plymouth
Travelling from Plymouth to the major cities in the UK can take some time due to the positioning of Plymouth. Rail links will get you most places with buses or coaches doing the rest of the journey. A road surrounds the city making it very easy to travel via car and reach the extensive motorway network. There are a couple of airports that are not to far from the city.
