Sopho On The Road | The Barbican & Plymouth Hoe
This week, I had a little idea. Me and the lovely Thomas (or indeed the lovely Dan if he's around) like to go on an outing or two. Well I say one or two, we are pretty much always out and about somewhere - we get bored if we're cooped up indoors for too long and we'll often jump in the Mini on a whim and take a drive. Whether thats a trip to get ice cream from our favourite little shop on the Barbican, or a trip to the Royal William Yard monthly farmers market or beyond (with Tom living in Leamington Spa technically and Dan living in Stoke, we do a lot of travelling) we go to a lot of places. We also like to think that we know a thing or two about the best places to go...well in our humble opinions anyway. On which note, I thought that I would start taking my camera along on more of these adventures and give you a little taste of our favourite spots (get ready for me to sound like the local tourist board). Who knows, you might be inspired to pay a visit yourself!
So this my lovelies is Plymouth Barbican and The Hoe - yes. Thats right. Theres a place called The Hoe...and no. It is most certainly not just a very famous, overly promiscuous Plymothian lady. Contrary to popular belief. A favourite of tourists - which translates to 'if you want to park here in the summer, prepare for road rage to end all road rage' - it's one of the prettiest and most vibrant areas in this lovely little Ocean city that we're lucky enough to inhabit. Above you'll see our famous 'Fish on a Stick' - we're still unsure of it's purpose, but it's a good place for a cheeky people watching session... Seagulls chasing tourists is always quite an amusing thing to view and we're about 99% sure we saw a seal in the harbour from here the other day. Please, David Attenbourgh, move aside.
Our favourite places to go on the Barbican? Theres loads but i'll narrow it down. For the best vintage, upcycled furniture you'll ever see, take a little trip to Kitty Rose Interiors. Jo is the loveliest lady, amazingly talented and you will leave wanting a side board you never even knew you needed... I went in last summer for a browse and came out with a pastel pink, vintage bureau and that my friends is the power of Farrow and Ball paint in the hands of a very creative lady. For those with a penchant for ink, Dust'n'Bones is, in my opinion, the best tattoo place around. Specialising in traditional tattoos (your Sailor Jerry's and your swallows and the such like) but packed to the 200 hundred year old rafters with some of the best tattooists i've ever come across who can turn their hand to almost any design you can imagine.The very lovely Sophie Gibbons is the lady behind all of my gorgeous inkings, you'll find her along with a bevy of other incredible artists in a 200 year old converted warehouse tucked in a cobbled lane. Just keep in mind that they're almost constantly booked so get in there quick! A little further down the road is a probably my favourite shop in the entire universe - The Distinguished. Selling everything from quirky home wear to pug themed- well, pug themed everything really. It's my first stop when I need a unique gift for someone and it's so reasonably priced, plus, the lady that owns it is absolutely fab. You might even catch a glimpse of Madge, the resident pug. They also offer a mail order service for those that can't pop in.
As with your usual seaside haunt, tasty treats are the order of the day and you will find seaside classics abundant. From fish and chips (quite literally) on every corner to the 'world famous' Cap'n Jaspers, a Plymouth institution, which is perfect for burgers bigger than your head or a footlong hotdog... it's ideal hangover food. Theres also more ice-cream than you can shake a stick at, we always go to Pilgrims though, just opposite the Glass Blowing House as it does every flavour of Langage Farm ice cream that you can imagine...and fudge sticks. You read that right. Fudge sticks, in your ice cream. The best. Just around the corner from there is a brilliant little vintage sweet shop which is well worth a visit for all your favourites in proper jars along with the hugest homemade fudge selection. It's tricky to go in there without armfuls of pink and white stripy paper bags.
A little wander up from the Barbican is a big old promenade that is hilariously named The Hoe. Not only does it have some of the best, uninterrupted views out to Plymouth Sound but it's the perfect place for summer sunbathing (although keep in mind that that seems to be the opinion of the majority of the Plymouth population and everyone kind of descends as soon as theres a couple of rays of sunshine). Theres also a lighthouse, Smeatons Tower, which i'm fairly sure you can go up - in fact I did once on a school trip, if that floats your boat, go for it. It's the perfect place for a wander and to blow the cobwebs away, and you can't go wrong with a scenic view can you?!
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| (T-shirt - American Apparel, Tube Skirt- Tophop, Converse - Schuh, Satchel- Cambridge Satchel, Necklace- Topshop, Sunglasses- Ray Ban, Watch- Michael Kors, Bracelet- Chambers and Beau) |
So that concludes my little run down of Plymouths seaside hot spots, where ever will we be next?
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