Pope's Quay slipway, Newton Creek

Newton Creek narrows upstream to Bridgend at its head, whose two slipways are usable only within about two hours either side of high water, and widens downstream toward the main estuary and the sea, where a sand bar at the entrance shoals to about a metre at springs.

Two tidal causeways known locally as vosses cross the mud beside the quay and are passable on foot at low tide: Newton Voss runs from near the Swan Inn to Riverside Road West, and Noss Voss crosses Noss Creek between the Swan Inn and the Ship Inn.

The quay was once an important trading point for the local fishing industry and for the steamer link to the railway at Steer Point; it fell into disrepair before being rebuilt and extended in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the community and leisure facility it is today. St Peter's Church stands on the hillside above the quay, a landmark visible from the water.

The estuary is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation, and lies within the South Devon National Landscape and Heritage Coast; its intertidal mud and saltmarsh support migratory and native birds.