Saltash Passage (or Riverside) is on the

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

side of the

River Tamar The Tamar (; ) is a river in south west England that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A large part of the valley of the Tamar is protected as the Tamar Valley National Landscape (an Area of Outsta ...

, opposite

Saltash Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...

. It is part of

St Budeaux St Budeaux is an area and wards of the United Kingdom, ward in the north west of Plymouth in the England, English county of Devon. Original settlement The name St Budeaux comes from Budoc, Saint Budoc, the Bishop of Dol (Brittany). Around 480 ...

, an area of

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. Saltash Passage lies at the northern end of Wolseley Road, previously known as Ferry Road. The local railway station continues to be known as Ferry Road Station. Saltash Passage is named after the ferry route that carried passengers and vehicles between Saltash in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

and Plymouth, across the

. The ferry became uneconomic following the construction of the

Tamar Bridge The Tamar Bridge is a suspension bridge over the River Tamar between Saltash, Cornwall and Plymouth, Devon in southwest England. It is long, running adjacent the Royal Albert Bridge, and part of the A38, a main road between the two counties. ...

in 1961. Saltash Passage is a popular leisure destination for the locals as well as tourists in summer.

Features

Apart from housing, Saltash Passage is home to two pubs: the Royal Albert Bridge Inn and the Ferry House Inn. The Ferry House Inn has recently been extended to include accommodation. The area also hosts the Tamar River Sailing Club, a number of moorings and 2 public slipways. There is a small park that has a children's playground. A visit to the gardens forms part of the itinerary of some coach tours. The public toilets have recently been removed, in line with current Plymouth City Council policy. Several high value houses have recently been built nearby. The river is not safe for weak swimmers, however.

Tamar Bridge and Royal Albert Bridge

The two bridges dominate the view to the north, the

(opened 1961) carrying the

A38 road The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, Bristol, Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England. The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, mak ...

and the

Royal Albert Bridge The Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge which spans the River Tamar in England between Plymouth, Devon and Saltash, Cornwall. Its unique design consists of two lenticular iron trusses above the water, with conventional plate-girder app ...

(opened 1859) carrying the

Cornish Main Line The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. It directly serves Truro, St Austell, Bodmin (by ...

D-Day Memorial

A 12 foot tall memorial stone with a bronze plaque stands in the gardens, commemorating the embarcation of American and British troops for the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

landings of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 2004, a service was held for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

Sea Scout Hut

There is a sea scout hut currently located in the old waiting room for the Saltash Ferry. Scouts can often been seen on the river in the summer in canoes.

Wildlife

Many river birds can commonly be seen whilst sitting in the park, including a family of

swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

s, several types of

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the subfamily Larinae. They are most closely related to terns and skimmers, distantly related to auks, and even more distantly related to waders. Until the 21st century, most gulls were placed ...

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family (biology), family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and Sout ...

little egret The little egret (''Egretta garzetta'') is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on ...

s and the occasional

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

Jackdaw Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, crows and ravens ('' Corvus''). They have a blackish crown, wings, and tail, with the rest of their plumage paler.Madge & Burn (1994) 136� ...

s and

pied wagtail The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in the Palearctic zone in most of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa; it also has ...

s also work the shore when the tide is out. Sometimes

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Easte ...

kestrel The term kestrel (from , derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover ...

s and

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

can be seen hunting.

Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

s can often be heard at night. A large seal was observed resting in shallow water just off Kiln bay on Saltash Passage.

External links

Plymouth Cyber-Heritage site

Tamar River Sailing Club

The Ferry House Inn

Plymouth City Council Information Panel for Saltash Passage
{{coord, 50.403, -4.199 , format=dms , display=title , type:city_region:GB-PLY Geography of Plymouth, Devon