City Centre
Thursday 17 November 2011

Plymouth city centre will be the place to be to enjoy Plymouth’s annual Christmas lights switch on. Special guest stars will be joined on stage by the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Councillor Peter Brookshaw, before switching on the city’s Christmas lights.

The festive fun starts at 4pm with music and entertainment on the Heart Radio stage at the top of Cornwall Street. Local acts will be getting the crowds warmed up before the city’s very special guests take to the stage at 6pm.

ITV Westcountry will be broadcasting the Plymouth Christmas lights switch-on live at 6.20pm, followed by more performances from local acts to wrap up the evening programme.

A Meerkat looking at you

Formerly known as Dartmoor Wildlife Park, the zoo was purchased by the Mee family and following major refurbishment work, reopened in July 2007 as Dartmoor Zoological Park. The story of those early days can be found here. It was also captured in the BBC documentary, Ben’s Zoo and in Benjamin Mee’s book, We Bought a Zoo which has been published in over 20 countries. In the Hollywood adaptation of We Bought A Zoo, Dartmoor Zoological Park becomes, “Rosemoor Wildlife Park” set in California.
The animals here include tigers, lions, jaguar, lynx and cheetah, bears, wolves, tapir, capybara, raccoons, meerkats, monkeys, deer, owls, ostrich, lechwe, a fantastic collection of bugs and reptiles and much, much more.
Our Education Centre is manned by a dedicated team of award-winning staff and volunteers. The animals in the centre include a fascinating variety of stick insects, a great collection of snakes, tortoises, bearded dragons, gerbils, poison dart frogs and geckos, many of which feature in Close Encounters.

Stripe the Tiger

The team also provides an excellent education programme for schools both at the zoo and as an outreach service.
The special design of our enclosures means that you can feel closer to the animals than at some other zoos, with great opportunities for unobstructed wildlife photography. We have a range of fantastic experiences which get you behind the scenes and even closer to the animals than you would believe was possible. Our Big Cat Keeper For A Day is a firm favourite!
We work very hard to ensure that the development of the zoo does not have an adverse effect on the beautiful woodland environment which makes it quite unique among zoos. As a consequence we have plenty of open spaces for the kids to run free and visitors are very welcome to bring a picnic and simply enjoy the surroundings.
We have regular daily events such as public talks at feeding times, animal encounters and special activities for the kids during the holidays such as quiz-trails and face-painting. Our restaurant is a great place to stop off for a coffee and cake, a snack or a hearty cooked lunch and there’s space set aside for the under-fives to roll around with toys.

The P1 Superstock UK and AquaX championships start in Plymouth for the first of their five UK dates. With up to six races over the weekend, lasting about 30 minutes each, the awesome powerboats and spectacular jet skis race close to shore, tight and fast, creating a great spectacle and superb entertainment.

We serve an excellent full English breakfast and we are happy to provide vegetarian food or indeed any special dietary requirements.

Our Food

The Waterfront main menu offers a selection of Devon reared farm assured steaks, local seafood and shellfish along with traditional pub favourites. Afternoon teas are elegantly served on cake stands reminiscent of a bygone era. As Henry James once wrote, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” And what better place is there to enjoy that most quintessential of English customs than to soak up the atmosphere at The Waterfront enjoying the view over Plymouth Sound

Our Service

The Waterfront will be open for delicious breakfasts and a selection of fantastic coffees from “The Bean Machine” will be available all day. Also on offer are cask conditioned ales, served at their peak, a vibrant and exciting wine list, tantalising cocktails and delicious smoothies.
 
Families are most welcome and to keep our youngest guests happy, our children’s menu is one of the healthiest on the market using organic and whole products with no processed ingredients.

Ideally situated B&B right on Plymouth Hoe and just a few minutes walk from the City Centre, university and the historic Plymouth Barbican with its quaint cobbled streets, cosmopolitan cafe culture and marina. Brittany ferry port, train and bus stations are also within easy reach and HMS Raleigh is a short drive away. With a warm welcome guaranteed, we sincerely hope our guests enjoy their stay with us.