A dry afternoon, a bit of autumn sunshine and an hour to spare: sometimes that’s all you need for a different kind of day out.
Plymouth’s streets, parks and waterfront are full of stories, artwork and details that are easy to miss when you’re heading somewhere else. Take a sketchbook, set yourself a phone photography challenge or follow a trail that helps you see a familiar place differently.
Here are 10 ways to combine fresh air with a little culture and creativity. Most are free, and you can make them as short or as adventurous as the daylight allows.
1. Turn the Barbican into a history hunt
You might know where to get a coffee on the Barbican, but how much do you know about the streets around it? The Mayflower Trail explores Plymouth’s maritime history and the people and buildings that shaped the town around 1620. Follow the bronze trail markers or use the free Plymouth Trails app to bring the route to life.
Make it a creative challenge by photographing three details you’ve never noticed before, or asking the children to draw a building that looks as though it belongs in a story.
Where: Start around the Mayflower Steps, Barbican.
Time: The full trail is approximately 1.2 miles and takes around an hour; allow longer for exploring.
Cost and booking: Free, self-guided; no booking.
Good to know: There are cobbles and an uphill section on Looe Street. Check the route information if you need to avoid uneven surfaces.
Explore the Mayflower Trail
Download Plymouth Trails
2. Create your own public art walk
You don’t need to go inside a gallery to spend time with art. CitySee Plymouth brings public art, murals, sculptures, plaques and other visible details together on a free map.
Pick a few places close to each other and build your own route, rather than trying to see everything. You can save it and open it in Google Maps when you’re ready to head out. Go with someone and choose a favourite piece each. Or photograph a detail from every stop to make a tiny digital exhibition of your walk.
Where: Choose locations across Plymouth using the map.
Time: Set your own route; three nearby stops could be plenty.
Cost and booking: Free map; no booking for exploring public streets.
Good to know: Check each location and the terrain. A point appearing on a map doesn’t guarantee step-free access or permission to enter a building.
Build a public art route with CitySee
3. Take a sketchbook to the waterfront
A boat, a railing, a crooked roofline or the curve of the coast: there’s plenty to draw without attempting a perfect panorama.
Plymouth’s Waterfront Walkway combines coastal views with art and heritage. Choose a manageable section, stop somewhere comfortable and give yourself ten minutes to sketch what you see. A pencil and scrap paper are enough. For children, try drawing the same boat together and comparing the results. For adults, it’s a good excuse to slow down and look properly. You’ll also find brass rubbing all the way around Sutton Harbour - don’t foget to take your own paper and crayons.
Where: Choose a section of the Waterfront Walkway, which runs between Admiral’s Hard and Jennycliff.
Time: A short walk and a ten-minute drawing stop, or longer if you fancy it.
Cost and booking: Free, self-guided.
Good to know: The full route is 9.3 miles. There are cobbles, steep sections and steps; the Mount Batten–Jennycliff stretch is off-road and hilly. Pick a section suited to your group.
4. Give yourself an autumn photography challenge at Saltram
You don’t need a fancy camera to make something worth keeping. Take your phone to Saltram’s historic parkland and look for colour, texture, reflections and changing light. Try a five-photo challenge: one wide view, one close-up, one reflection, one pattern and one image that sums up the day. Children could search for five different colours, while friends could compare their versions of the same scene afterwards.
The parkland is an 18th-century landscape with riverside and woodland routes, so the outing has a heritage story as well as a seasonal backdrop.
Where: Saltram parkland, Plympton.
Time: Choose a short stroll or a longer route; pick up a map at the welcome centre.
Cost and booking: Parkland entry is free. Parking is advertised at £3 for non-members and free for National Trust members. House and garden admission is separate.
Good to know: The park and car park operate dawn to dusk. There is a mix of easier-access paths and rougher tracks; check conditions after rain.
Explore Saltram’s parkland
Check opening times and parking
5. Look for sculpture across the water at Mount Edgcumbe
A trip across the water can make an ordinary afternoon feel like a small adventure. Mount Edgcumbe’s country park combines views, historic landscape and artwork, with plenty of room to explore.
Look for Sound, Kevin Deery’s sculpture in the Jubilee Garden, and blacksmith artist Mark Stevens’ life-size fallow deer at the Barrow Centre. Try sketching their shapes or taking photographs that show how the artwork sits within its surroundings.
Where: Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, Cremyll, Cornwall, across the water from Plymouth.
Time: Allow for the crossing or drive and a daylight walk.
Cost and booking: The wider country park is free to enter; transport and parking cost extra. No booking for a general park visit.
Good to know: The house and Earl’s Garden are closed for winter apart from during special events such as the Christmas Fair. Check current park hours, ferry departure points and return sailings directly before travelling.
Plan a Mount Edgcumbe visit
Discover the gardens and Sound sculpture
Read about Mark Stevens’ sculpture
Check current ferry information
6. Follow Devonport’s stories through its streets
Devonport has its own history, identity and striking architecture. Its Heritage Trail links cultural and historic locations, with more than 70 numbered and themed plaques designed by artists Gary and Thomas Thrussell.
You can follow the full route or explore one section, looking for details around Mount Wise, Ker Street or Devonport Park. Use the Plymouth Trails app to discover the stories behind the places. For a creative twist, choose a doorway, window or plaque and make a quick drawing, or write three sentences imagining the scene a century ago.
Where: Devonport Heritage Trail; the full circular route starts at Admiral’s Hard.
Time: The full route is advertised as 4.5 miles and around 3.5 hours. Choose a shorter section if daylight is limited.
Cost and booking: Free, self-guided.
Good to know: Terrain varies. The app suggests alternatives to avoid some steps, cobbles and steep hills.
Explore the Devonport Heritage Trail
7. See Royal William Yard as an open-air museum
It’s easy to visit Royal William Yard for lunch and barely look up. This time, make the buildings the main attraction.
Its free, 11-stop History Trail uses QR codes to unlock archive images, plans and first-hand audio accounts. Follow the plaques and discover how the former naval victualling yard worked, then look again at the architecture around you. Set yourself a photo challenge: find repetition, symmetry and a detail showing the Yard’s working past. You can turn a short visit into a surprisingly absorbing history lesson.
Where: Royal William Yard, Stonehouse.
Time: Explore a few stops or follow the whole trail at your own pace.
Cost and booking: Free trail; no booking. Parking, refreshments and other activities cost extra.
Good to know: Bring a charged phone for the QR content. There are cobbled surfaces around the Yard.
Follow Royal William Yard’s History Trail
8. Write something inspired by Plymouth Sound
You don’t have to call yourself a writer to enjoy putting a few words on a page. Find a spot on the Hoe and describe what’s in front of you without using the words “sea”, “blue” or “beautiful”.
Or try writing a postcard to someone who has never visited Plymouth. What would you want them to notice: the sound of the gulls, the changing light, the ships or the landmarks? The Hoe’s historic setting, memorials and wide views provide plenty of starting points. Keep it short, bring a friend and swap your descriptions if you feel like sharing.
Where: Plymouth Hoe.
Time: Ten minutes of writing can be enough; add a walk if you fancy it.
Cost and booking: Free; no booking.
Good to know: Choose a daylight visit and a spot away from exposed edges. Warm layers make a stationary writing break more comfortable.
9. Discover the people behind Plymouth’s past at Ford Park
For a quieter heritage walk, Ford Park Cemetery offers another way to encounter the city’s history through the people remembered there.
Take time to notice lettering, carved symbols and dates. You could make a few notes about a name that interests you and research the person later, or sketch an architectural detail from the public paths. This is a place for thoughtful observation, with nature and local history alongside one another.
Where: Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth.
Time: Choose a short visit within opening hours.
Cost and booking: No admission charge is stated for a general grounds visit; check directly for organised events and exhibitions.
Good to know: Winter grounds hours are advertised as 9am–3.30pm. Respect mourners and services, keep to paths and avoid touching, rubbing or marking memorials.
Check Ford Park Cemetery’s visitor information
10. Find art and inspiration among Central Park’s trees
A familiar park can look different when you go with something to notice. Central Park has sculptures and sculpted benches in its wooded valley, alongside trees, paths and open spaces.
Make a simple nature journal: draw the outline of a tree, note three sounds and describe one texture without touching it. Children could make a “colour collection” using photographs rather than picking plants. The free Love Exploring app also offers walking trails and virtual games, adding another reason to explore.
Where: Central Park, Plymouth.
Time: Make it a short creative wander or a longer afternoon.
Cost and booking: Free park visit; the app is free to download and use.
Good to know: Wear shoes suited to damp paths and check your chosen route. The drawing and journalling ideas are activities to try yourself, rather than booked workshops.
Explore Central Park and its activities
You don’t need a whole day or perfect sunshine. Pick a dry spell, take something to write or draw with, and give yourself permission to stop and notice what’s around you.
Information checked on 3 November 2026. These are self-guided outings and creative suggestions, rather than organised workshops. Check weather, daylight, opening hours and transport before setting off; some routes have uneven surfaces or steps.
