The Hoe is a wide grassy promenade on the clifftop above Plymouth Sound, with sweeping views across the water to Cornwall. It's where Plymouth comes to walk, run, and watch the ships. The red-and-white striped Smeaton's Tower stands here — the upper section of the old Eddystone lighthouse, moved to the Hoe in 1884 when the rock it stood on crumbled. You can climb it for the best view over the Sound.
Plymouth Hoe
Clifftop promenade where Drake watched the Armada approach
A story
Drake was playing bowls on the Hoe when the Spanish Armada was sighted in 1588. He reportedly insisted on finishing the game before setting sail — whether true or not, the story has stuck for four centuries.