PLYMOUTH 's predominantly bland and modern face belies its great historic role as a naval base, a role assured in the sixteenth century by the patronage of such national heroes as John Hawkins and Francis Drake. It was from here that the latter sailed to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, and 32 years later the port was the last embarkation point for the Pilgrim Fathers, whose New Plymouth colony became the nucleus for the English settlement of North America. The sustained prominence of the city's Devonport dockyards as a shipbuilding and military base made it a target in World War II, when the Luftwaffe reduced the old centre to rubble, apart from the compact area around the Barbican. Subsequent reconstruction, spurred on by growth that has made Plymouth by far Devon's biggest town, has done nothing to enhance the place. That said, it would be difficult to spoil the glorious vista over Plymouth Sound , the basin of calm water at the mouth of the combined Plym, Tavy and Tamar estuaries, which has remained largely unchanged since Drake played his famous game of bowls on the Hoe before joining battle with the Armada.

One of the best local day excursions from Plymouth is to Mount Edgcumbe , where woods and meadows provide a welcome antidote to the urban bustle, and are within easy reach of some fabulous sand. East of Plymouth, the aristocratic opulence of Saltram House includes some fine art and furniture, while to the north of town you can visit Drake's old residence at Buckland Abbey .