Saltash Cornwall – Gateway to Cornwall, River Tamar & Royal Albert Bridge
Looking across the River Tamar towards Plymouth – Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge of 1859.
Saltash in Cornwall
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SALTASH – GATEWAY TO CORNWALL
Dividing Cornwall from Devon, the great tidal reaches of the River Tamar were once a busy maritime highway, with ships carrying minerals, fruit and flowers to markets far and wide. Saltash grew up at the heart of this trade, at the point where an ancient road crossed the estuary by ferry.
Saltash is still the “Gateway to Cornwall”, with most visitors arriving over one of its two famous bridges: Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge, opened by Prince Albert in 1859 to carry the railway, and the Tamar Bridge alongside it, which carries the A38 – in 2001 it became the first suspension bridge in the world to be widened while remaining open to traffic.
The old town keeps some original features, including the Guildhall of around 1780, raised on granite pillars, and, among the old cottages of Culver Road, the Grade II listed cottage traditionally said to have been the home of Mary Newman, Sir Francis Drake’s first wife.
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HISTORY OF SALTASH
The area’s oldest settlements were around Trematon, where the Normans built Trematon Castle in a commanding position over the valley; after the Conquest it was held by Robert, Count of Mortain, and in 1549 Cornish rebels took it by treachery. Saltash received its first charter in the reign of King John, from Reginald de Valletort, lord of the manor, and became a borough – one of the first ports on the system of estuaries that open into Plymouth Sound.
The town’s chapel of St Nicholas and St Faith, near the old ferry crossing, keeps its unbuttressed Norman tower and became the parish church in 1881; before that, the parish church was St Stephen’s-by-Saltash, about a mile from the town centre. Across the river, an ancient ferry at Antony Passage is recorded as early as 1324.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the Tamar Valley was renowned for its fruit – particularly cherries – and in spring the orchards around Calstock and Botusfleming still give a glimpse of that former splendour. Upstream on the Lynher is the great Norman church of St Germans, on the site of the early seat of the Cornish bishops.
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THE WATERSIDE & THE RIVER
Saltash Waterside, below the bridges, has cafés, pubs and restaurants and some of the best views of the Royal Albert Bridge. It is the focus of the summer Saltash Town Regatta, with gig races, flashboat rowing, dinghy racing, music and entertainment.
Saltash is an ideal place for sailing and canoeing. There is a pontoon for short-stay visiting boats, and on some tides it is possible to continue upriver beyond the bridges as far as Cotehele and Calstock. Plymouth Sound, Mount Edgcumbe, Drake’s Island and the historic Devonport Dockyard are all close by, with the Torpoint chain ferry and the Cremyll passenger ferry linking Plymouth to the Rame Peninsula.
The town has a heritage trail and a local history museum run by Saltash Heritage, and the National Trust’s Antony House overlooks the Lynher estuary nearby.
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VISITOR INFORMATION
Parking
Cornwall Council pay-and-display car parks serve the town centre, with more limited parking down at Saltash Waterside – check charges on the machines.
Bus & Train
Saltash station, close to the town centre, is on the Cornish Main Line with regular trains to Plymouth and across Cornwall – the train crosses the Royal Albert Bridge. Frequent buses run to Plymouth.
Facilities
A full range of town facilities – shops, banks, pubs, cafés and a leisure centre – with riverside cafés and restaurants at Saltash Waterside.
Walks & River
Follow the town heritage trail, walk the riverside below the bridges, or explore the Lynher and Tamar creeks by canoe. Visiting boats can use the short-stay pontoon.
Historic Sites
The Royal Albert Bridge, the Guildhall, the chapel of St Nicholas and St Faith and Mary Newman’s Cottage (open on selected afternoons – check before visiting). Trematon Castle is privately owned.
Disabled Access
The town centre is on a hill above the river, with a steep descent to the Waterside; the riverside itself is level. Check with the operators for access at the station and on boats.
STAY & EXPLORE NEAR SALTASH
Nearby Towns & Villages
- St Germans – approx. 6 miles
- Calstock – approx. 10 miles
- Callington – approx. 10 miles
- The Rame Peninsula
- Looe – approx. 18 miles
Back to the South East Cornwall area guide – all Caradon towns & villages
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