Some marinas leave you a drive from anywhere worth going. Sutton Harbour is the opposite. Step off your boat here and you are straight into the Barbican, the oldest and most characterful corner of Plymouth, where cobbled streets, centuries of history and some of the city’s best food and drink are all within a few minutes’ walk. For a berth holder, it is a summer on a plate.
History under your feet
The Barbican wears its past proudly. The Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrims set sail for the New World in 1620, are moments from the marina, and the surrounding streets are lined with Tudor and Jacobean buildings, among them the Elizabethan House and the Plymouth Gin Distillery, one of the oldest working distilleries in the country. It is a rare pleasure to keep your boat somewhere with quite so much story to it.
Eating and drinking on the quay
When it comes to stepping ashore for supper, few marinas can match it. The quaysides are lined with restaurants, bars and independent cafes, from fresh Plymouth-landed seafood to relaxed waterside dining. The famous Dolphin pub, a Barbican institution painted many times by the artist Beryl Cook, is the perfect spot for a pint after a day on the water, and you will find one of the city’s Beryl Cook sculptures standing right outside it.
Markets, art and more
There is plenty to fill a day ashore too. Plymouth’s historic covered market is a short walk up from the harbour, the galleries and independent shops of the Barbican reward an unhurried wander, and through the summer the Beryl Cook Sculpture Trail dots the city with life-size figures to seek out, part of the wider celebration of one of Plymouth’s best-loved artists.
All of it from your berth
What makes it special is that none of it requires a car or a plan. A secure walk-ashore berth at Sutton Harbour puts the whole of the Barbican on your doorstep, so you can sail in the morning, lunch on the quay, and be back aboard by evening as the harbour settles for the night. In summer, with the waterfront buzzing, there is nowhere quite like it.
Thinking about basing your boat in the heart of Plymouth’s historic waterfront? Talk to the team about berthing at Sutton Harbour Marina on 01752 204702 or marina@sutton-harbour.co.uk, or call ahead on VHF Channel 12.
