Devon

Wembury maritime walk

This coastal route from Wembury Beach to Wembury Point and back again offers wonderful sea views – and a guide to the varied ships and boats you can expect to see along the way.

Near to

Wembury

Start point

Wembury Beach National Trust car park, grid ref SX515485

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 3 (km: 4.8)

Duration2 hours

Dog friendly***

*Mostly level coastal paths with some steep climbs. For further details, see Terrain section.
**Includes steep slopes through scrubby vegetation and muddy areas. For further details, see Access section.
***Dogs are not allowed on the beach May–September.

Please be aware of livestock

Be aware that you may encounter livestock, which can include ponies, on this route. Please follow the guidance of onsite signage and take any dog waste away with you or place in the bins provided.

Address
Wembury Beach National Trust car park, Wembury, Devon, PL9 0HR
Directions via Google Maps
By train
The route is 7 miles (11km) from Plymouth station.
On foot
You can join the walk from the South West Coast Path at Heybrook Bay or Bovisand.
By bus
Take the City Bus 49, which runs a limited service from Plymouth to Heybrook Bay.
Cycling
There's an undulating cycle ride from Plymouth to Wembury along fairly busy A roads and quieter rural roads. National Cycle Network Route 2 and Route 27 pass through Plymouth.
National Cycle Network information
By road
The route begins 3.5 miles (5.5km) from the A379 at Elburton. Follow the signs for Wembury.
Postcode for satnav: PL9 0HR.
Total stages: 5
Total stages: 5
Start point
Wembury Beach National Trust car park, grid ref SX515485
Stage 1
From the car park, walk down the slipway towards Wembury Beach, passing the Old Mill Café on your left. Take the coast path on the right, running behind the beach, and follow it westward along the cliffs.
Merchant ships
You can spot a variety of merchant ships along this stretch of coastline. Further out towards the horizon you may see large vessels: tankers, container ships, bulk carriers and car transporters. Inshore, smaller ships might be carrying fertiliser, cement or aggregates. Product tankers bring petrol to Plymouth – cheaper than the equivalent road tankers, they keep local prices down. Cruise ships also sometimes call here and ferries run regularly across the channel.
Stage 2
After about 20 minutes, turn right along the narrow path signposted to Spring Road. At the next fork, take the left-hand path, climbing through hawthorn, blackthorn and elder scrub.
Stage 3
Here, the path emerges onto Marine Drive, the access road to the former HMS Cambridge. The site has been narrowed and returned to grassland. Turn left along the drive towards the sea. After the gate, continue to Wembury Point itself with a view of Plymouth Sound (for a shorter walk go down the path on the left towards the foreshore).
Stage 4
Pass through the five-bar gate and follow the track towards Heybrook Bay. Turn sharp left, following the way-marker onto the coast path.
Wembury Point
From Wembury Point, you can spot a range of shipping vessels coming in and out of the port at Plymouth, just around the bay. While renowned as a naval port, Plymouth handles more commercial cargo than any other channel port west of Southampton while fishing boats land a greater weight of fish here than anywhere in England. Look out too for tugs, buoy maintenance vessels, dredgers, survey vessels, jack-up barges or even a lifeboat out on a rescue call.
Stage 5
Follow the coast path to reach a short detour to the beach and its 19th-century boathouse. Then continue back along the path to your starting point at Wembury.
End point
Wembury Beach National Trust car park, grid ref SX515485
Trail map
Maritime walk from Wembury Beach to Wembury Point | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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Cliff and sea views towards Heybrook Bay from Wembury Point, Devon

Trail

Wembury Beach to Heybrook Bay circular walk

Follow this moderate coastal walk via a wildlife-rich Site of Special Scientific Interest and the former HMS Cambridge base, before looping back for views of the Great Mewstone.