Marinas in Plymouth: Getting There, Harbour Information and Destinations

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Plymouth lies in the county of Devon on the south coast of England, on the large bay of Plymouth Sound. Here you can read how to get to Plymouth for the start of your sailing trip, which marinas there are and how they relate to one another, where to park and shop, what sailing weather to expect, which destinations are nearby and what skippers should bear in mind when entering and leaving harbour.

Which marinas are there in Plymouth?

There are three marinas close together in the east of Plymouth. Sutton Harbour Marina fills the old Sutton Harbour basin at the Barbican, the historic quarter of the city, and a lock separates it from the sea. South-east of the lock lies Queen Anne’s Battery, just east of the Citadel. On the other side of the Cattewater, sheltered by the Mount Batten peninsula, lies Plymouth Yacht Haven. A passenger ferry runs between the Barbican and Mount Batten.

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In the west of the city there are two further marinas: King Point Marina in the inner Millbay basin, right next to the ferry port, and Mayflower Marina at Richmond Walk.

Arriving in Plymouth for the start of your sailing trip

You can reach Plymouth by train, car, coach or ferry.

From the airport to Plymouth

From Exeter Airport, it takes around 50 to 60 minutes to reach Plymouth by hire car. The airport has no railway station: taxis wait outside the terminal to take you to Exeter St Davids or Exeter Central stations, both about six miles away. From there, a direct train runs to Plymouth in 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. A National Express coach runs from the airport to Plymouth coach station, with the fastest connection taking 2 hours 10 minutes.

Bristol Airport has direct flights to over 100 destinations in Europe. From the terminal, the A1 bus takes you to Bristol Temple Meads station in around 30 minutes, and from there a direct train runs to Plymouth in about two and a half hours.

Newquay Airport in Cornwall is served depending on the season, less frequently in winter. From there, Plymouth is just over an hour away by car.

By car, train, bus or ferry

By car, you can drive straight to Plymouth on the M5 motorway, which becomes the A38 dual carriageway after Exeter. For your satnav, the postcodes are PL4 0DW (Sutton Harbour Marina), PL4 0LP (Queen Anne’s Battery) and PL9 9XH (Plymouth Yacht Haven). To reach Plymouth Yacht Haven in Mount Batten, you drive over Laira Bridge.

By train, it takes around three hours to get from London to Plymouth, operated by Great Western Railway. There is a taxi rank at the entrance to Plymouth station. From there, Sutton Harbour Marina is five minutes by taxi or 20 minutes on foot, and Queen Anne’s Battery is around five minutes by taxi or a good 15 minutes on foot.

Mayflower Coach Station is around 900 metres from Sutton Harbour Marina. By ferry, you can arrive from Roscoff in Brittany and from Santander in northern Spain at Millbay ferry port, close to the city centre. As things stand (November 2026), the ferry to Roscoff runs from around April to November and takes 5¼ to 9½ hours depending on the vessel, while the ferry to Santander runs twice a week from around March to November and takes 20 to 21½ hours.

Entry to the United Kingdom

If you are not travelling on a British or Irish passport, you will usually need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or a visa for the UK. You apply for the ETA before your journey on the UK Government website, it costs £20 and allows stays of up to six months.

Parking

At Plymouth Yacht Haven, you can park free of charge on site. At Queen Anne’s Battery, the first two hours are free, a full day costs £15 and a week costs £80. At Sutton Harbour Marina, there are parking spaces close to the pontoons. Public car parks are at Shepherds Wharf, around 150 metres away, and on Exchange Street, around 200 metres from the marina. In the city, parking generally has to be paid for.

Showers and sanitary facilities

Plymouth Yacht Haven has showers and a laundry, both accessible around the clock. Sutton Harbour Marina has shower rooms and a laundry, and Queen Anne’s Battery has a laundry.

Shopping for the trip

From Sutton Harbour Marina, the nearest supermarket is a Co-op Food, around 400 metres away. From Queen Anne’s Battery, it is around 600 metres to the Asian Food Supermarket. At Queen Anne’s Battery itself, a small shop sells the basics. At Plymouth Yacht Haven, there is a small shop with essential groceries and a cash machine; the convenience store in Hooe is a ten-minute walk away, and the bus takes you to the Broadway shopping centre in ten minutes. For a big shop by car, there is an Aldi around 1.3 kilometres from Sutton Harbour Marina and a Sainsbury’s around 1.4 kilometres from Queen Anne’s Battery.

Doctor, pharmacy and emergency services

The nearest pharmacy, Day Lewis Pharmacy, is around 450 metres from Sutton Harbour Marina, and from Queen Anne’s Battery the closest is Cattedown Pharmacy at around 700 metres. Friary House Surgery, a GP practice, is around 600 metres from Sutton Harbour Marina. The emergency department is at Derriford Hospital in the north of the city, around 5.5 kilometres from Sutton Harbour. If you need medical help quickly and cannot reach a GP, you can contact the NHS on 111.

• 999: Emergency number for police, fire brigade and ambulance service
• 999 and “Coastguard”: emergency on the coast or at sea; HM Coastguard will take the call
• VHF Channel 16: Distress and calling channel at sea

Where is Sutton Harbour Marina?

Sutton Harbour Marina is in the historic harbour at the Barbican, the district with the city’s oldest buildings, between the city centre and the sea. The basin is separated from the waters of Plymouth Sound by a double lock, the Sutton Lock. This means there is enough water under the keel at any state of the tide, and boats lie sheltered even in heavy weather.

Facilities at Sutton Harbour Marina

The marina has room for 420 boats on floating pontoons, which you step onto directly from the shore. All berths have power and water connections, and there is free wifi, shower rooms, a laundry and diesel. Access to the pontoons is secured and monitored by CCTV around the clock. The marina office is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm; outside these hours, the lock can be reached on +44 1752 204732 or on VHF channel 12.

Where is Queen Anne’s Battery?

Queen Anne’s Battery marina is in the Coxside district, just east of the Citadel, which stands at the eastern end of Plymouth Hoe. It belongs to the MDL marina group. The Royal Western Yacht Club is based here, and the Fastnet Race has finished here in the past.

Facilities at Queen Anne’s Battery

The marina has 235 berths for boats up to 18 metres in length, plus a visitors’ pontoon where boats up to 42 metres can moor alongside. On the visitors’ pontoon, you may need to raft up. There is a fuel station with diesel and petrol, a chandlery, a small grocery shop, a laundry, wifi, the Waypoint Bar and Bistro and the Lower Deck Café. A 40-tonne boat hoist operates seven days a week, and riggers, sailmakers and workshops work on site.

Where is Plymouth Yacht Haven?

Plymouth Yacht Haven lies on the south side of the Cattewater at Mount Batten. The Mount Batten peninsula shelters it from the prevailing winds, and there is no lock. You can enter and leave at any state of the tide.

Facilities at Plymouth Yacht Haven

Plymouth Yacht Haven has over 450 berths on floating pontoons. Every berth has water, 16 or 32 amp electricity and Wi-Fi. The team is on site around the clock. The fuel pontoon on the water sells diesel 24 hours a day, and gas bottles are available from the chandlery. The boatyard lifts boats of up to 75 tonnes five days a week, all year round. For food and drink, there are The Bridge Bar & Restaurant and The Galley Kitchen at the marina.

Comparing marinas in Plymouth

Feature	Sutton Harbour Marina	Queen Anne’s Battery	Plymouth Yacht Haven
Location	Sutton Harbour, Barbican	Coxside, east of the Citadel	Mount Batten, Cattewater
Operator	Sutton Harbour Group	MDL Marinas	Yacht Havens Group
Berths	420	235 plus visitors' pontoon	over 450
Access	via the lock, free passage up to three hours either side of high water	Approach at least 3.7 m deep	at any state of the tide
VHF	Channel 12 (Sutton Lock)	Channel 80	Channel 80
Visitor berth per metre per day (as at November 2026)	not published	£5.30 up to 12.5 m, electricity included	£4.65 until 31 March 2027, electricity £15 per day
Phone	+44 1752 204702	+44 1752 671142	+44 1752 404231

What is the sailing weather like around Plymouth?

The south-west of England is one of the windiest parts of Britain. The wind usually comes from the south-west. When lows pass in from the Atlantic, it often starts out from the south or south-west and later veers west to north-west. When lows track through the English Channel, easterly to north-easterly winds can also become strong, and in spring they come from the north-east more often.

From November to March the wind is on average at its strongest, and from June to August at its lightest. In its inshore waters forecast, the Met Office lists winds of Beaufort 6 and above separately and issues a gale warning from Beaufort 8.

Which sailing destinations are near Plymouth?

You can reach Fowey and Falmouth to the west, and Salcombe and Dartmouth to the east, in day sails, while the Isles of Scilly and Brittany call for longer trips. The distances are rounded figures over water on the usual course; for precise planning, rely on the chart.

• Cawsand: about 4 nm. The anchorage off the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand is sheltered in south-westerly winds, but not in easterlies.
• Fowey: about 24 nm. The harbour can be entered around the clock, and leisure boats keep clear of the channel used by cargo ships.
• Salcombe: about 24 nm. This sheltered natural harbour has a sandbar, which you should not cross on the ebb with a strong onshore wind.
• Dartmouth: about 37 nm. The harbour on the River Dart can be entered around the clock and has plenty of moorings.
• Falmouth: about 41 nm. One of the largest natural harbours in the world, with several marinas and a visitors' harbour.
• Isles of Scilly: about 94 nm. The island group lies west-south-west of Land’s End, and the harbour is on the largest inhabited island, St Mary’s.
• Roscoff: about 97 nm. Queen Anne’s Battery is a departure point for the crossing to Brittany.

You can read more about the harbours on the Breton coast in our profile of the Marinas in Brest, and about the harbours further east on the English south coast in our profile of the harbours of Cowes.

What can you do on a harbour day in Plymouth?

• Barbican: The old town quarter on Sutton Harbour has cobbled lanes and over 200 listed buildings. On Southside Street you will find the Plymouth Gin Distillery, the oldest working gin distillery in England.
• Mayflower Steps: This spot at the entrance to Sutton Harbour is where the Pilgrim Fathers are said to have boarded the Mayflower in 1620.
• National Marine Aquarium: The largest aquarium in Britain stands at the entrance to Sutton Harbour, just a few steps from the pontoons.
• Plymouth Hoe: The large green space above Plymouth Sound, with the lighthouse Smeaton’s Tower and the Art Deco open-air pool Tinside Lido, which is open in summer.
• Royal William Yard: The restored Georgian naval complex in the west of the city, right next to King Point Marina, has restaurants, galleries and waterside walks.

For skippers: berthing and marine weather in Plymouth

Plymouth is a naval port: the harbour regulations of the naval port apply (Dockyard Port of Plymouth Order), and the King’s Harbour Master Plymouth is the responsible authority. In Sutton Harbour, the regulations of the Sutton Harbour Group also apply.

Registration and Berthing

For Sutton Harbour Marina, call the lock on VHF channel 12 before approaching, using “Sutton Lock”, and wait for instructions. The lock is open for up to three hours before and after high water, and you pass straight through without locking. At other times you are locked through on request; the lock is staffed around the clock and free of charge. Three green lights one above the other mean enter, three red lights mean stop. In the chamber you make fast with bow and stern lines and stay on board.

Call Queen Anne’s Battery and Plymouth Yacht Haven on VHF channel 80 for a berth allocation. At Queen Anne’s Battery you pay for your berth at the marina office. At Plymouth Yacht Haven the team helps you berth around the clock, and you can reserve visitor berths via the form on the website or by phone.

Harbour rules

• Keep at least 50 metres away from warships, naval auxiliary vessels and the facilities of the naval base, and 100 metres from moored submarines.
• If a vessel shows two black diamonds one above the other by day, or two flashing red lights side by side at night, an exclusion zone applies around it: 250 metres ahead and 100 metres to the sides and astern. You may enter this zone only with permission from the Harbour Master.
• North of the breakwater, a speed limit of 10 knots applies; in the Cattewater, east of Fisher’s Nose, the limit is 8 knots, and in the approach to Sutton Harbour it is 4 knots. Boats under 15 metres in Plymouth Sound more than 400 metres from the shore are exempt from these limits.
• In Sutton Harbour, barbecues and open fires are permitted only on board, never on a pontoon or quay.

Approach

You enter Plymouth Sound through the western or the eastern channel past the breakwater; both are buoyed and lit. For Queen Anne’s Battery, head north of the breakwater towards the South Mallard buoy; the least depth on the way is 3.7 metres. The marina is then about 0.5 nautical miles away on a bearing of 027 degrees. For Plymouth Yacht Haven, head for Smeaton’s Tower on the Hoe, keep the Mount Batten breakwater to starboard and follow the Cattewater channel. The marina is then on your starboard side, with a water depth of at least 2.4 metres at mean low water springs. The Sutton Harbour lock is 44 metres long and 12 metres wide, and the sills are 1.5 metres below chart datum.

Entering the country with your own boat

If you arrive directly in Plymouth from abroad, you report the voyage online to the British authorities and hoist the yellow flag Q when you reach the 12-nautical-mile limit. Unless you are coming from Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, everyone on board without a British or Irish passport needs entry clearance from the Border Force before going ashore.

Which marine weather forecast applies to Plymouth?

For Plymouth, the Met Office inshore waters forecast applies, with the section “Lyme Regis to Land’s End including the Isles of Scilly”. It is issued four times a day, is valid for 24 hours each time and extends up to 12 nautical miles offshore. You can read it on the Met Office website, and BBC Radio 4 also broadcasts it at around 00:48 UK time overnight.

For the open sea, the Shipping Forecast applies, with the Plymouth sea area, which the Met Office issues four times a day. At sea you can also receive the forecasts via NAVTEX.

Sailing trips from Plymouth on Törnfinder

You will find more sailing trips on the English south coast, across the English Channel and in all other sailing areas in the trip overview.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from Plymouth railway station to the marinas?

By taxi from the rank at the station entrance, you can reach Sutton Harbour Marina or Queen Anne’s Battery in about five minutes. On foot, it takes about 20 minutes to Sutton Harbour and a good 15 minutes to Queen Anne’s Battery.

Which airports are near Plymouth?

Exeter, Newquay and Bristol. From Exeter Airport it takes around 50 to 60 minutes to reach Plymouth by car. Without a car, take a taxi to Exeter St Davids station and then the train, which gets you to Plymouth in just over an hour.

Where do I park at the start of the sailing trip in Plymouth?

At Plymouth Yacht Haven, parking on the marina grounds is free. At Queen Anne’s Battery, a day costs £15 and a week £80. At Sutton Harbour Marina there are parking spaces at the marina and public car parks a few steps away.

Can I enter the marinas in Plymouth at any state of the tide?

At Plymouth Yacht Haven, yes, as it has no lock. You reach Sutton Harbour Marina through the lock, which is staffed around the clock. Up to three hours before and after high water you can pass straight through, otherwise you lock through on request on VHF channel 12.