On this day in Wembury, 9 July 1887
The Western Morning News carried a busy schedule of river trips offered by Rowe’s Excursions, giving Plymouth residents several chances to visit the Yealm and enjoy the scenery around Wembury. The steamship Albert was running three trips to the river that Saturday. The morning sailing left Pottery Quay at nine twenty five, North Corner at ten, and the West Hoe Pier at ten thirty. The return trips from the Yealm were arranged for twelve thirty, five, and eight.
A second round of afternoon sailings followed the same pattern, offering passengers time ashore before returning to the city. Evening excursions from the West Hoe Pier included an hour’s landing, after which the steamer proceeded up the River Yealm to show passengers what the advert described as the delightful river scenery. The excursion returned to Devonport at nine twenty.
Separate sailings by the steamship Prince were also listed, showing how popular river trips had become in the late Victorian period. These scheduled sailings demonstrate how closely Wembury and the Yealm were tied to Plymouth’s leisure traffic long before modern tourism, with weekend visitors making the most of the calm water and the wooded banks around the estuary.
Source, Western Morning News, 9 July 1887.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.