Things to do and see
Cornwall is packed with activities and adventure! There is no point duplicating here the many attractions further afield, so this list provides only a short list of local walks attractions and features that you may not have heard of or get on a ‘visit Cornwall’ website. These are just our personal recommendations based on experience and we have no connection with any of the attractions listed below :
Walking
There are wonderful coastal walks straight from the cottage. If you can go up Battery Lane towards the car park and follow the coastal path signs you can walk to Lantic Beach about an hour away, which is a beautiful beach that can only be reached from the coast path.
• The ‘Hall Walk’ https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fowey-estuary/trails/fowey-hall-walk is a 4 mile walk from the cottage through National Trust land taking around 2.5- 3hours over moderate terrain. It involves two ferry rides and there are good pubs at the beginning/end and a good pub in Bodinnick half way around. A great morning with stunning scenery.
• The more adventurous may wish to take the ferry to Fowey and walk the coast path to Polkerris, past Readymoney and Polridmouth Coves (home of Daphne du Maurier for a while), past the Gribbin Head lighthouse to Polkerris. It is a challenging walk, but there are good eateries and a lovely sheltered harbour at Polkerris as a reward. You can either get a taxi back to Fowey or walk back a different (much shorter) way on signed footpaths. This takes up most of the day.
Beaches
Fowey is an amazing natural harbour and this part of the Cornish coast is steep and rocky; if you want large sandy beaches, you need a day trip out to the north coast or go to Looe (30 minutes by car). That said, Fowey has a small beach – Readymoney Cove – which is sheltered and has a bathing platform in summer.
Exploring the Harbour and Estuary by boat
There are many activities available within Fowey Harbour:
- Fowey River Hire does kayak and paddleboard hire, self-drive motorboat hire, kayak tours and sea safaris. Call 01726 833627 or go to their booking office which is located in central Fowey opposite the Albert Quay. Full details available here https://www.foweyriverhire.co.uk
- Fowey River Cruises (0776 141241) offers a 45 minute trip around the harbour, a three hour round trip to Lotwithiel and a two hour trip to the upstream village of Lerryn (with one hour ashore). Other destinations can be arranged. All these trips are weather dependent. Details available here : https://www.foweycruise.co.uk/our-services/
Fowey
Fowey itself has become a super-trendy and very shushi place in recent years. Traditional local shops have been replaced with coffee and gift shops, fancy restaurants and wine bars – meaning lots to do and enjoy if you are visiting. It is easy to spend the best part of a day visiting the galleries, gift and clothes shops and buying artisan cheese, bread and meat! In our opinion, the best of Fowey is summarised below:
- The Lifebuoy café on Lostwithiel Street for a proper british cooked breakfast
- Pintxo on the Esplanade for Spanish tapas
- Fowey Harbour Hotel has a lawn with amazing views and does a great afternoon tea
- The Fowey Hall Hotel (up the top of Fowey) has a ‘family friendly’ indoor pool and spa plus a creche where you can leave the kids while you book a spa treatment. It also does excellent food, if expensive. Call 0208 0765555
- The best coffee is served in the Cornish Bakery and Brown Sugar in the centre of town. If you want a funky surf-style café, then visit Pinky Murphys which is a little out of the centre on the way to the Bodinnick Ferry on the left hand side (5 minutes from the centre)
- Kittows is a long-established local butcher who now has an amazing delicatessen in the centre of town by the church
- Sams (on Fore Street) is an ever-popular eatery. Unfortunately you cannot book and queues can develop in high season. The food is excellent. Appleton’s bar and restaurant on Fore Street is a bit more expensive and for a very special occasion, the best upmarket food is to be found at the Old Quay House (very posh).
- Sunny Spice is a really excellent Indian restaurant and take-away on Fore Street.
- There are some excellent traditional pubs too. In our opinion, the best beer and most traditional interior is at the Ship Inn in Fowey (the Lugger is also very traditional).
- Shipmates of Fowey on the Esplanade is a papershop, but now has a very wide range of specialist and Cornish spirits, especially gin.
- If you wish to delve into a little local history, visit the Fowey Museum (a one room affair but packed with local artefacts) or walk St Catherine’s Castle or to ‘the Blockhouse’ in Polruan (less than 5 minutes from the cottage), to explore the fortifications originally built in 1380 to protect the harbour from invaders. St Fimbarrus Church in Fowey is stunning:
https://www.museumsincornwall.org.uk/Fowey-Museum/Cornwall-Museums/
https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/churches/fowey.htm
REMEMBER!! If you are visiting Fowey in the evening, make sure that you catch the last ferry back or it will be an expensive taxi ride home. Ferry times vary according to season but generally the last ferry back to Polruan is 11pm in the high season. For a full list of times and prices visit : http://www.ctomsandson.co.uk/polruan-ferry/
We will try to keep a typed list of these times and prices in the house, but they change so check on the website to be sure.
Further Afield:
If you wish to get in the car and explore further afield, best check the internet, but we recommend the following (relatively) local attractions which are all within a 40 minute drive:
- Polperro is a super quaint fishing village set in a narrow valley with a little drying harbour. Parking is a nightmare, so get there early if you wish to explore the little streets and shops/pubs (no beach). 20 minutes drive if you are lucky.
- Looe is a larger fishing port with a large sandy beach (at low tide) at East Looe. Lots of shops, souvenirs, boats. 10 miles away – 30 minutes by car approx.
- The National Trust’s stately home at Lanhydrock (40 minutes by car) is a magnificent late Victorian country house with a garden and a wooded estate. Details here : https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock
- No list would be complete without mention of the world famous Eden Project which is only 35-45 minutes by car. https://www.edenproject.com
- For those interested in gardening the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery at Lostwithiel is well worth a visit. Exotic and rare plants and great gifts. About 30 minutes by car.
- Further afield still, if you fancy hiring bikes and cycling along a nice flat former railway line to Padstow, you can rent bikes at Wadebridge (a nice town in itself) and cycle alongside the Camel estuary 11 miles to Padstow with its shops and fine restaurants. This will be a full day out. There are a range of bike hire companies in Wadebridge. Google ‘Bike Hire Wadebridge’ for info’.