Of course, this is just the rambling of someone who left The Muff in 1972. Quite a lot has happened since.

I live in the US now, but I can still smell the pasties in Cornwall Street and the coffee as you passed Cowardine's. And The Barbican smelt of fish. Farley's smelt too. And Smith's Crisps in Ernesettle.

I used to walk home to Plymstock from the Van Dike, and sometimes was in time to pop in the chippie on Exeter Street. They used to break up submarines under Laira Bridge. Giant lugworms in Billacombe Creek.

Took the 5, 6 or 7 bus from the Yard after work, sometimes, on a Tuesday, stopping off in town to get to Pete Russell's for the new releases.

Also miss the (occasional) pint in The Dolphin Hotel, The Minerva, even The Millbridge (vodka and lime). The Magnet. The cafeteria on The Hoe. The Barbican Fair.

Lawson's model railways, Bogie Knights, Popham's, Coster's, Underhill's, and Gould's in Ebrington Street. Maison Terry's.

Steam engines at North Road, Scarabs towing deliveries out of Friary and vans driven by The Blind Man.

Just my reverie ...

I left Plymouth as a 14 year old in 1965 and again as a 17 year old in 1968, some of the things I remember as a kid are:
Living in West Park area, walking up to catch bus on Crownhill rd, jumping off the platform of said bus as it was still moving.
Exploring Fort at Knowle Primary school
Going to Stuart Road Primary school
Playing in the ruins of the old bombed out church across from Stuart road school
Meeting my grandfather and going to lunch at Dingles before going to watch Argyle play.
Playing tennis at Stonehouse Tennis Club at Devils Point and swimming in the pool at Devils Point.
My mum driving my gran and me up to the Hoe to get a ice cream Walls 99.
Going to the Magnet restaurant
My mum taking me to get a fancy cake after going to the dentist
As rodgethegrim says going swimming with school at flipping freezing Mount Wise outdoor pools in winter! Brrrrrrr.
Much better going there in summer when that one day it was sunny
Taking the boat ride over to Bovisand or Cawsand
Going to Whitelegs fair at Home Park
Sitting on the Hoe waiting for hours to see Sir Francis Chichester come home
Also sitting on Hoe for hours waiting for the wind so Mayflower 2 could leave (It did'nt and was eventually towed out to sea)
In 1967 lived right next to Victoria Park
I spent many hours playing football with whoever showed up, games would last for ever
Getting burnt Dewdney's pasties from the store in Millbridge for 3d
walking or riding bike up to the Hoe just loved it up there
Took the Pilgrim Express a number of times up to London all by myself, leaving Plymouth early in the morning and not getting back until the next morning (who new they would allow 14 year olds into the strip clubs in Soho)
Worked for Pesters newsagent in Millbridge, delivered morning and evening 7 days a week
Buying Penny Bangers and lighting them and dropping down the drains
Putting pennies on the railway track and watching the great steam trains flattening them

OG....remember going to away games in the sixties and actually going via Tavistock/Okehampton when we played at Southampton.Also going on Argyle trains to London,mostly against Charlton or Leyton Orient,we always seemed to play them a lot in the sixties,and ending up at a strip club..couldn't have been more than 14 years old at the time,and then getting a train from paddington around midnight arriving in plymouth at 5-00am sunday morning... also playing footy in lipson arena on a sunday afternoon way before sunday league football with mathews and spanner and didi,and ian leonard and his brother and old bob who must have been about 70.....and then pennies on the lines for the spam cans to flatten.....you wouldn't believe it nowadays......

Great reading some of these personal memories. I left Plymouth as a 13 year old in 1983 and some of the things I remember as a kid are:
Walking through the tunnel under Budshead Road and into Ernesettle Woods.
Going to swimming with school at flipping freezing Mount Wise outdoor pools in winter! Brrrrrrr.
Saturday morning pictures at Drakes cinema.
Rollerskating and ice skating at Top Rank and Rollerena.
Going for bike rides to Cornwall beaches with the Browns newsagent paperboys.
Going up to Whitleigh fair when it came and going upside down on 'The Cage.'
Shouting 'BENDER' and getting chased by a weird man who used to stick his tongue out at kids!
Also watching the mad diver bloke up on the Hoe. I remember him as 'Skinhead John.' Use to attract a right crowd. Wouldn't be allowed these days, he'd be locked up under the mental health act.
Wearing jeans on the bus to school until the Whitleigh Comp kids got off, then putting my school trousers on over the top to go to St. Bonifaces at Beacon Park. (Cos I thought I was 'ard wearing jeans to school!)
Ivor Dudney pasty every Saturday in town.
Riding over Honicknowle Bridge to BCM cycles for something for my bike.
CB radio, meeting other 'breakers.'
Getting a day ticket for the bus and staying on the 44 all evening, just because you could.
Garden running. Hedge jumping. Swinging on peoples conifers.
Plymouth in general. Great place. Great going back every Easter break with my family for a home game.

Great post, all of a sudden its 1985 again!!
I was a whitleigh bey,that tunnel you refer to was it the the one with water going through it,the same one that that my mate and me drank from believing it was pure water straight from the earths core,apparently 3 days with the Sqits
proved other wise!
Browns Newsagents ...from a pound
Mad diver we called him Colin..unbelivable
Swimming on the Hoe in the Spring Tide,massive waves
First Dive of the Top Board
Thinking about swimming to Drakes Island
CB Radio, had a hand held one, it didnt catch on, range of about 100metres
Whitleigh Fair,strangley addictive
44 Bus, getting annoyed when people got on OUR bus from Town and got off at Mutley/Crownhill
When i was a bit younger getting a Ivor out of mum "if I had been a good boy" after being dragged aroun C&As
Oh to be young again..
Come on Argo

Just learning how to reply with those quotes in boxes! Yeh, that tunnel had a bit of water running through it. You had to waddle to walk along it with your feet either side of the water so as not to get wet, or shi**y feet if that's what it was. I didn't taste it!