Friday, October 18, 2019 - 09:23 by ce-press
Torquay is an established cruise port for vessels located in Tor Bay on Devon’s south coast, 33 miles north east of Plymouth and 22 miles south of Exeter. Vessels up to 10m draught can anchor within 0.5nm of the tender pier. There are no beam or height restrictions.
Two cruiseships can be at anchor at the same time, as happened in 2016 when Seabourn Quest and Hamburg called. Two tenders can come alongside the 28m by 9.6m pontoon at one time.
Passengers arriving into Torquay disembark directly into the town centre. Once cleared through the ISPS reception point, local shops, restaurants and cafes etc are just 10 minutes’ walk away which means the delights of a traditional Devonshire cream tea are on the doorstep.
Parking for coaches is immediately adjacent to the tender pier for those taking excursions further afield and interpreters can be arranged for a number of different languages.
There are many popular tourist attractions in or within driving distance from Torquay. These include: Torre Abbey on the seafront which is over 800 years old; the Agatha Christie Literary Trail; the working monastery of Buckfast Abbey just 15 miles away and Exeter Cathedral 22 miles away.
Torquay is part of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark. Within 20 miles are Dartmoor National Park and the Napoleonic fort. The Eden Project is 65 miles away. Brixham fish market is 8 miles away, Sharphams vineyard (12.5 miles), Dartmoor Whisky Distillery (14 miles) and gin tours can be booked in nearby Ipplepen or as far afield at Salcombe.
Exeter, Newquay and Bristol airports are within 90 miles.
Last year there were five calls: Artania, Hamburg twice, Amadea and The World. This year has seen an increase to eight. Artania and Amadea returned, Astor and Rotterdam called twice and Seabourn Ovation and Europa made up the numbers.
