Plymouth Cathedral

Travelling by GWR to Plymouth everything was going well until we were told that the train had to slow down due to the rails overheating. We got into Plymouth 20 minutes late and quite a few people missed connections. I left my noise-cancelling headphones at home and boy did I miss them. It seemed that everyone in the carriage was either on the phone or talking to their companion(s).

I stayed at the Premier Inn which was a 10-15 minutes walk from the station; some of which was uphill. While it's a budget brand, Premier Inn have focused on the most essential thing in a hotel room, the bed. It was very comfortable, and I had no issues falling asleep.

I was pleasantly surprised by Plymouth. Lots of cafes and restaurants, both chain and local. And, a good shopping centre. Of course, good weather always helps. 

I left visiting Plymouth Cathedral of St Mary & St Boniface until my last full day. It's a catholic cathedral and, I didn't get in. According to Google Maps, it was open between 10-16:00. That turned out to be a lie. When I called them after failing to get in, it was open between 9:30-11:00, with mass at 10. So, Plymouth might be the one that gets away. 

I did manage to visit St Peter's, a church of England church, that when I first entered, I thought that it was a Greek or Russian Orthodox church. As you can see from the photos.

I then went and took some photos of Plymouth Hoe, had an early dinner and made my way back to the hotel.

Update - September 2023

I finally made it back to Plymouth and the long overdue visit to the cathedral. Like a lot of Catholic cathedrals, this one is Victorian. Work began in June 1856 and completed in 1858. It’s small as Cathedrals go, more like a large parish church. It’s a very warm and welcoming building with some charming decorations. Here are a few of the photos that I took of it.