A simple stone column on Town Quay, marking the 1620 departure of the Mayflower and Speedwell with the Pilgrim Fathers aboard. They left Southampton on 5 August, but the Speedwell sprang leaks and forced the ships to put in twice for repairs — at Dartmouth, then at Plymouth — before the Mayflower finally sailed on alone. So Plymouth, technically, claims the final departure; but the voyage began here.
The memorial column was unveiled in 1913 for the tercentenary. It is one of the smaller monuments on a busy port front, easily missed; combined with a walk along the medieval walls, it makes a sensible mini-circuit. Free, always accessible.