Report 1 - Millbrook Lake, Plymouth

Millbrook 'Lake' is an inlet to the west of Devonport on the Cornish side of the Tamar behind Rame Head. It dries completely at low water to a flat area of mud and is well sheltered as it is tucked behind the large headland, although strong SW winds may funnel down the valley. You can access the creek about 2 hours either side of H/W but it is poorly marked. Beyond Cremyll there are two sets of moorings. Follow the gap between these moorings SW towards a lit post on the shore called Millbrook. As you near the shore turn towards the marina/boatyard you can see ahead. There are a few red and green buoys towards Southdown but they are not 100% reliable. Follow the gutway on your Chart Plotter if you have one. There are a couple of options for places to stop within this inlet.

On the north side is the somewhat erroneously named Southdown 'marina', which is part of the Huggins Brothers Marine Ltd (they also own a lot of the moorings on the river downriver of Torpoint and Torpoint Yacht Harbour which is only really suitable for small boats). It would be better referred to as a boatyard. The marina contains a few rickety pontoons which are largely occupied by liveaboards in an interesting array of boats. However, we did manage to berth here for a short period in the summer of 2024, drying out on each tide – see photo – at a reasonable price so it always worth a phone call to see if they can accommodate you (yard manager in 2024/25 was Nathan – 07815 005474). The shore facilities are excellent with a shower block, laundry, wonderful cafe and lift out. We overwintered ashore over the winter of 24/25. A lot of care was taken with the lift out/in and chocking up of the boat. We would caution you that communication is not their strong point!

Further up the creek is the Multihull Centre, which, as its name suggests, specialises in providing facilities for catamarans and trimarans. It has one long pontoon, which also dries – see photo. They may have space alongside this more substantial pontoon. They also provide lift out facilities and storage ashore. You would have to pick your way carefully up the creek at H/W to reach this facility. The route is not marked but you do need to leave a large post in the river to starboard on your way up as it marks the end of a pipe. This boatyard is much nearer to the village of Millbrook which has shops, take-aways and a pub. Excellent walks out to Mount Edgcumbe and Rame Head. There is also a good bus service which will take you to Cremyll from where you can catch the ferry into Plymouth or you can continue on the bus to the Torpoint Ferry.