Barn Pool - A beautiful anchorage
Getting there - Barn Pool, Plymouth Sound - we talk pilotage, tides and shelter and what you can expect when you get there.
Nestled under Mount Edcumbe and surrounded by Drakes Island and Devils Point; Barn Pool anchorage is stepped in history.
This
quiet bay has witnessed a great number of events from viking ships
readying sail to American troops embarking for the D-Day landings. The
wreck of the Catherina von Flensburg (wrecked 1786) sits in 30m between
Ravenness Point and ‘The Bridge’ lateral marks.
Arguably the most
famous was ‘The Beagle’ with Charles Darwin aboard. She lay at anchor
in Barn Pool at the end of 1831 whilst Captain Robert Fitz Roy waited
for a favourable North Easterly wind. After a couple of months at anchor
and two false starts, including hitting a rock off Drakes Island, the
Beagle finally departed on its five year world voyage on December 27th
1831.
Pilotage
Plymouth Sound has a 4.7m tidal range at springs, the resulting tidal flow can become strong at times.
Barn
Pool is located to the West of Drakes Island.
The approach is
straightforward using either the wide channel to the North of Drakes
Island or the clearly marked ‘Bridge’ channel to the South West of the
Island.
Make sure you stick between the lateral markings through ‘The
Bridge’ channel to stay clear of rocks and shallow water.
Ravenness
Point at the Southern extreme of Barn Pool has a lit marker post and to
the North the distinctive low circular building of the Battery is
visible at Wilderness Point.
Upon entering the anchorage, the
beach shelves steeply; the 2m contour line is close to the shore and in
places the 20m contour line is less than 25 yards further out.
What’s there
Barn Pool has good holding, there have in the past been
reports of anchor fouling so it may be worth using a trip line. It is
possible to land on the beach but remember to lift your dinghy above the
high water line on a rising tide.
Once ashore you are in the midst of
the 865 acre Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, where you can find; the
National Camellia Collection, formal gardens, The Orangery restaurant
and a nearby pub, The Edgecumbe Arms. Mount Edgcumbe house, first built
in the 1500s is open Sunday to Thursday from April until October
(admission charged).
Tides and shelter
Plymouth’s tidal range is
between 2.2 and 4.7 metres. Barn Pool offers good shelter from South
West to North West winds.
Charts
Charts
|
|
Imray
|
C14 |
BA |
5602 folio
|
BA |
871 |
Contacts
Name |
Phone
|
Website
|
Mount Edgecumbe House & Country Park |
01752 822236 |
www.mountedgcumbe.gov.uk |
The Edgecumbe Arms |
01752 822294 |
|
Thanks
Charts C14 are reproduced with the kind permission of Imray. Chart copyright UKHO.
© Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk). This material is not for resale, redistribution or copying. Not to be used for navigation.