Yet\nmodern Plymouth, while supremely conscious of its heritage, is one of the\nliveliest and most contemporary places in Britain. It\u2019s perhaps a consequence\nof taking on the challenges of the ocean for centuries that results in Plymouth\u2019s\nupbeat swagger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like their\nhearty Tudor ancestors such as Sir\nFrancis Drake,<\/a> the modern Plymouth authorities have an\nunapologetic \u201caim for growth\u201d strategy through the Vision for Plymouth<\/a> initiative.\nThe latest population figures for the city (264,200 inhabitants) date to 2011,\nand this is expected to rise to 300,000 in 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Surging\ninterest in housing in and around Plymouth has seen house prices rise to an\naverage of \u00a3194,157<\/a> by\nspring 2021, representing a nearly 10 per cent increase since March 2020. This\nis still significantly below the national average, since the city has not yet\nexperienced the levels of demand seen in neighbouring Cornwall. The south west\nproperty \u201cgold rush\u201d, it\u2019s alleged, has even left London standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Plymouth\noffering some good opportunities for homebuyers when it comes to competitive\nproperty prices, what else makes the city particularly appealing? <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just a case of location,\nlocation, location, though Plymouth\u2019s amazing access to sea and countryside is\ncertainly a major draw. Plymouth is a\ndream for those who yearn for the unique combination of a vibrant coastal city with\nthe charms of rural life close by. However, Plymouth\u2019s popularity is also about\nemployment, training, housing and good\ntransport links<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The city\u2019s railway station<\/a> is currently undergoing a major upgrade<\/a>. Journey times from London can be as\nshort as three hours, and Plymouth is four to five hours from the Midlands and North\nWest. The best way to travel from London is by the Night Riviera Sleeper<\/a> service\nfrom GWR, which ensures the traveller arrives\nrefreshed after a journey in comfort and style<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s\na choice of three airports for air passengers: Bristol<\/a>, Exeter<\/a>, and Newquay<\/a>. Exeter and Newquay are both about an\nhour\u2019s drive from Plymouth, while driving from Bristol takes about two hours.\nThere are also National Express services<\/a> from Exeter and Newquay Airports, and a\nregular Stagecoach<\/a> service from Bristol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By car, it\u2019s the M5<\/a> and A38<\/a> for most\ntravellers, with excellent links for Scotland and North West England via the M5\nand M6. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For those wishing to travel to\ncontinental Europe, Plymouth also maintains ferry links to Roscoff<\/a> and St Malo<\/a> in Brittany and\nSantander<\/a> in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a moderately sized city that is\nexpanding, Plymouth has a large number of state-funded primary schools<\/a> within its boundaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to 15 non-selective secondary schools<\/a> and colleges (the majority of which are\nrated above average or average), Plymouth is home to three grammar schools: Devonport\nHigh School for Boys<\/a>, Devonport\nHigh School for Girls<\/a>, and\nPlymouth\nHigh School for Girls<\/a>,\nall of which have high levels of EBacc<\/a> candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a few struggling years, Plymouth\u2019s\nMarine Academy<\/a> has now made great improvements. Plymouth\nhas always provided specialist training and education for the naval and\nmaritime sectors, and today it is also a vibrant student city for those\nattending Plymouth University<\/a>, City College Plymouth<\/a>, and Plymouth\nCollege of Art<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plymouth\u2019s eclectic built heritage,\nincluding its largest shopping centre, Drake\nCircus<\/a>, can be something of a marmite\nexperience even for the locals<\/a>. Despite being the recipient of the\ninaugural Carbuncle Cup<\/a> for Britain’s ugliest building in 2006,\nDrake Circus is a draw for shoppers from all over the west country in search of\nHigh Street names. A more traditional setting is the Grade II listed building\nwhich houses the Pannier Market<\/a> and Plymouth\u2019s pedestrianised town\ncentre also offers plenty of parking nearby, local independent shops, and food\nand drink sufficient to satisfy shiploads of hungry mariners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For those in search of creative\nindependent retailers, Royal William Yard<\/a> and the Waterfront<\/a> are home to artists and artisanal food\nand drink outlets and many of the city\u2019s best restaurants are located at the Barbican and Sutton Harbour<\/a> on the waterfront. Mouth-watering\ncosmopolitan cuisines ranging from the Himalayas to Mexico can all be found\nhere, along with traditional local fare. When it comes to alcoholic\nrefreshment, the choice has to be Plymouth\nGin<\/a>, distilled in the city since 1793. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plymouth\u2019s famous Hoe<\/a>, where Drake is alleged to have played bowls while\nawaiting the arrival of the Armada, is not just a tick-box on a tourist\nitinerary. It\u2019s a stunning open-air amenity for locals and visitors, offering\nsplendid views over the Sound. As well as a statue in honour of Drake, the Hoe is\nalso now the location of the Anthony Gormley statue Look II<\/a>, which communicates the human need to\nseek out new destinations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the summer, taking a dip at Tinside Lido<\/a> is a popular way to relax for local\nresidents. Unsurprisingly, swimming and diving are popular sports in Plymouth,\nwhich is home to one of the UK\u2019s leading swimming clubs, Plymouth\nLeander<\/a>, as well as the\nPlymouth\nDiving Club<\/a>. Some of\nBritain\u2019s most successful Olympian swimmers and divers, including Sharron Davies<\/a> and Tom Daley<\/a>, hale from Plymouth. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, of course, it\u2019s impossible to visit\nor live in Plymouth without taking advantage of the superb sailing\nopportunities. After all, Plymouth is often the starting point for\nround-the-world sailors, from Drake to Francis Chichester<\/a>. Plymouth has several commercial marinas and ports<\/a> in addition to the Port\nof Plymouth<\/a> itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n West Hoe Park<\/a> provides\nfun for kids of all ages, with a Secret Garden, traditional crazy golf,\nminiature railway, bouncy castle, accessible swings and a wheelchair-friendly\nroundabout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the city\u2019s most appealing future\namenities is likely to be The Plymouth and South Devon Community\nForest<\/a>. Plans to plant\n1900 hectares of various woodland habitats within the city and beyond are\nintended to create jobs, improve community health and well-being, provide a\nsource of carbon capture and support wildlife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plymouth\u2019s cityscape has been shaped not\nonly by its maritime heritage but also by widespread destruction during WWII.\nIncendiary bombing by the Luftwaffe was directed at the docklands, but the city\ncentre and housing received extensive damage as well, and over 1000 civilians\ndied as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the waterfront at Plymouth\nstill has over 200 listed buildings, some of which date back to the days of\nDrake and his sea-faring countrymen. Some important pre-WWII buildings have\nsurvived, including The Prysten House<\/a>, Smeaton’s Tower<\/a> lighthouse and the seventeenth century Royal Citadel<\/a> on the Hoe, which houses 29 Commando\nRoyal Artillery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plymouth Hoe has experienced many\nmilitary and naval engagements in the past. Today it hosts not only Plymouth\nArmed Forces Day<\/a> but\nalso the less martial but still impressive explosions of the British\nFireworks Championships<\/a>.\nWest Hoe Park also hosts a children’s festival<\/a> every August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The city\u2019s spectacular new museum and\narchive centre, The Box<\/a>, takes the visitor back into Plymouth\u2019s\nremote past, with an exploration that begins with the Devonian period. The\nmust-see exhibit for many visitors is a remarkably life-like model of a mammoth<\/a>, and there\u2019s much more to explore in\nthis acclaimed building. Plymouth is also home to the National\nMarine Aquarium<\/a>, which has full disabled access including parking\nspaces and wheelchair availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tours of the famous Plymouth Gin Distillery<\/a> showcase not only the skills of the\ndistiller, and of course, the gin, but also the medieval building dating to\n1431 in which the distillery is housed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plymouth was not just the starting point\nfor round-the-world voyagers and various naval engagements, but also more\npoignant journeys such as that of the Mayflower Pilgrims. This is remembered\ntoday at the Mayflower Museum<\/a> and Mayflower Steps<\/a> memorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a lively city that welcomes many\nvisitors and students, Plymouth isn\u2019t immune to crime, although much of this is\nlimited to anti-social behaviour and public order offences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plymouth\u2019s dedicated policing team<\/a> can also call on expertise and support\nfrom outside the city when required. The local council takes a proactive approach to deterring crime<\/a> and this is supported by various other\nlocal institutions. Plymouth City College offers a BTEC course in Police, Crime and Community<\/a> too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out current properties\navailable in Plymouth here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\nTransport links<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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