Polperro

Eight miles west of Fowey, after walking one of the more remote sections of the Coast Path, you reach the famous pilchard and smuggling haven of Polperro. For most walkers it’s a hospitable lunch stop between Fowey and Looe, but accommodation is available for those wanting to stay though it can be hard to get for single nights in high summer.  

Walking in and out on one of our coast path trips is by far the best way to visit what is a popular, possibly the "classic" postcard Cornish fishing village. By arriving and leaving on foot you will see the old harbour at its best without all the bustle and traffic inland that is banned from the harbourside. The place does suffer from visitors in the day with a gauntlet of gift shops and cafes leading down the road from the inland car park to the harbour.

As a coast walker you will miss the tourist hoards,  and will suddenly arrive around a corner from the wildest of paths and then pause on a natural rock platform to see a stunning almost hidden and unspoilt little harbour set below the wooded valley.

Descending to the harbour you will reach a warren of medieval looking lanes hosting an array of ancient cottages and houses including the House on the Props Cafe that still sits on stilts, all packed around a bubbling stream that separates the village as it spills into the rock lined harbour.

Beside the harbour the Polperro Heritage Museum gives the lowdown on the smuggling and fishing communities of past eras. For a sundowner head to the saltiest of sea faring pubs at the harbour entrance - The Blue Peter. An award winning pub for its real ale and with its stunning harbourside position in this tranquil harbour, who are we to argue with its proud claim to be "probably the best pub in the world!”

Avoid heading any further inland and your visit to Polperro will retain its well-deserved charm.