These are some of the ones I feel are worthy of a mention.

Firstly, there's the Hide ’n’ Seek leather shop, which occupies one of the oldest buildings in Fowey, affectionately known locally as Noah’s Ark. You can buy anything here, from a new wallet to a set of suitcases, and all rather reasonably too.

Antiques and curio shops seem to be popular here, and there are two within a few yards of each other, again on Fore Street. The first is "Odds and Ends Curios", the other "Curio Corner". To try to describe even what was on show in the windows would take a whole journal, so suffice it to say that I will leave that to the pictures. I’m sure you could rummage around in either of these for hours and still not even see a small fraction of what is on offer.

Of course, being a nautical town, Fowey would not be complete without a chandlers, and "The Upper Deck" on Fore Street has a window bursting with every sailing requisite you can think of, from knives and ropes to waterproof clothing, compasses, binoculars, torches, sweaters, deck shoes, etc., etc. I spent half an hour inside and couldn’t believe how much was crammed into a relatively small store. Even if you only buy a £3 plastic torch, do go in for a wander.

For such small place, Fowey also has clothing stores, traditional and modern, a music store, jewellers, gift shops, of course, and supermarkets, albeit small ones, and anything else you might think of.

If you decided to make your holiday base here, you probably won’t have to leave the town for anything.

Firstly, across the river mouth and adjacent to the sea is Polruan, a beautiful village clinging to the sides of the cliffs that jut out into the Atlantic. Polruan is accessible via the foot passenger ferry that picks up on the quay in front of the King of Prussia. A clear, bright day such as when I visited affords stunning views from Polruan out to Gribbin Head, Dodman Point, and if you are exceptionally fortunate, the Lizard, some 40 miles to the southwest.

Polruan has one of the ancient blockhouses situated on its shore with the river which can be visited during the summer. It also has the prerequisites of any Cornish village such as a tiny harbour, boatyards, and waterside cottages.

Travel a bit further upstream in Fowey, and the car ferry will take you across to Bodinnick, much smaller than Polruan, with a few houses and an ancient pub, the Old Ferry Inn. It too has some precariously placed cottages and an old boatyard that has long since become a private dwelling. The ferry here has existed for at least 700 years and has always been known simply as "The Passage".

Up until a few years ago, the ferry resembled something made from old oil drums held together by wire and would carry only half a dozen cars, leading to sizeable delays in the summer months. Recently, though, a new ferry has been commissioned to carry 15-20 vehicles, which will cross the wide river here in a couple of minutes without fear of capsizing!

If you don’t have the time to take either crossing, then a decent pair of binoculars will provide good enough views of these two places. But if you do have the luxury of all day or even longer in Fowey, they are both well worth the short ride.

The house has been the ancestral home of the Treffry family for many generations, most of the family members being businessmen down through the centuries.

Perhaps the most famous of all the Treffrys was Joseph, a nineteenth-century industrialist who built such devices as horse-drawn tramways, water-wheels, and aqueducts throughout the region on a scale not too far behind that of Brunel. Joseph also had much of the house rebuilt in the Victorian Gothic style between 1813 and 1845.

It has witnessed its fair share of turmoil, not least of all in 1457, when French reprisals against the "gallants" saw much of the population seek refuge behind her walls.

Unfortunately, the house is still not open to the public, which is a great pity. It holds a wonderful, lofted position in the town, on a hill to the rear of St Fimbarrus’ church. It is surrounded by high stone walls indicating that the descendents still value their privacy jealously.

Narrow alleyways sneak around the house walls on all sides, giving the visitor a slight hope of peeking inside, but alas, it is not to be. Perhaps the very fact that such a grand home does not need tourist income for its maintenance is testament to the Treffrys' engineering prowess and the fortunes that their talents earned for them.

Parking space is very limited, and there is much walking and climbing. Walk part of the coastal path and take in the views from the headlands. You can also take a car ferry across the river to explore even further.

The Fore Street is lined with attractive houses, and again, this small, protected harbour is fit just for the wandering and visiting the local pub or checking out the small shops.

Fowey is another town in which there seems to be no need to visit anything specific unless one comes upon St. Nicholas Church, which is 14th century.