General - Plym Bridge is a very picturesque place to visit, with green woodland and the large River Plym running along nearby. Drake’s Trail cycle route goes through Plym Bridge which starts in the City Centre and ends up at Tavistock on Dartmoor. There are many paths and places to explore around the area, with Dippers and Kingfishers seen along the river banks. But the most exciting bird to be seen here is the Peregrine Falcon, with a breeding pair not far along Drake’s Trail at Plym Bridge. The National Trust have a hut and telescopes there during the breeding season and it is a must see for all bird watchers. Car parking is not great on the Estover side of Plym Bridge as it is quite small and extremely rocky, so beware. I believe there is a much better and larger car park on the Plympton side. Unfortunately, if you are looking to have a picnic on the site, you will find lots of dog muck everywhere which is a real shame and disgusting particularly as there are bins for that sort of thing dotted around. The end of the old train line is also situated at Plym Bridge and during special events, trains run from here to CoyPool and back.
Food and Drink - as far as I could see when we visited, there were no places to purchase food and drink, so bringing your own is a must. Ice Cream vans may visit during Summer weekends but don’t count on this. Also, when they have events on, such as the train ride from Plym Bridge to CoyPool, a hut does open to provide refreshments but we have yet to go when this has been open. This would normally be a great place to have a picnic, but unfortunately, you need to be aware of lots of dogs muck everywhere so be careful especially if you have young children with you.
Disabled - Plym Bridge isn’t ideal for disabled visitors due to the rough terrain in the car park on the Estover side, and most of the paths go off through the woods and fields. These area’s are definitely not good for wheelchair users especially. We did see a disabled access point at one stage which led to a rickety bridge which crosses over the River Plym and into an open area, but the bridge itself has gaps in between the planks so I wouldn’t have called this disabled friendly. However, when you get out of the car park it is practically a clear path to get on to Drake’s Trail. There is a very short steep section so wheelchair users would need some help, but once you get on to the trail it is flat ground from there, with the Peregrine Falcon viewing station not too far down the track. There are no disabled toilets in the local area.
Toilets - there are no toilets on the Estover side of Plym Bridge and I don’t believe there are any toilets on the Plympton side, however, we haven’t really been over that side properly yet, so we will check on this next time we visit and update this review.
Children - it is a strange place to visit with children. Children will like the running river and the large areas to run about but, as I have mentioned several times before, there is a lot of dog muck around so I personally wouldn’t let my children run around especially in the long grass just in case they step or fall in it. It is also quite dangerous for younger children along the river bank as there are some steep drops into the river at certain points. However, it is a good place to take children if they can ride a bike as Drake’s Trail is perfect for them and the entire family to go for a cycle. It is also good for them to go and view the Peregrine Falcons as children should find this quite exciting (I know mine would!).
Car Parks - the car park on the Estover side is fairly small and is very rocky so it is a bit of a mission to get parked up whilst missing the rocks jutting out of the ground. It also gets full up very quickly on warm and sunny days, especially at weekends and weekdays after work. It is possible to park on the side of the road in places, but this obviously isn’t ideal. On the Plympton side, there is a much bigger car park from what I can tell and I think this has just been refurbished, so it may be a good idea to get to Plym Bridge via Plympton instead of using the Estover side.
Review Date - 2013-06-07