The Beautiful Ports of Cornwall

I have picked these ports for their scenic nature and my need, when I am travelling, to while away time enjoying my surroundings. Each of these Cornwall sites will cause you to slow down and savour the world around you. . . particularly if you are able to see them out of the high season. All of them are equally wonderful for the promotion of "doing nothing." Pass the time browsing through small shops, enjoy a bitter by a fire in a small pub, have a quiet lunch. Sorry about the lack of cathedrals and castles.

Quick Tips:

Nice souvenirs from this area include little nautical things and what I call "tourist art". . . prints suitable for framing or small sculptures.

Best Way To Get Around:

You really, really need a car, but navigating through these little towns can be a fright. Most of them feature large public lots a short walk from the attractions. Once in, all are small enough to walk.

Mevagissey is worth a wander, particularly around its picturesque harbour, which features dramatic tides, leaving the boats high and dry. It is a maze of narrow streets, which feature a variety of pubs and shops.

It is a working double harbour with a fleet of fishing boats and has been active for hundreds of years. It is a place to come and spend the half day and relax. You will not feel compelled to visit the local church or fortification (there isn't one).

A small town on a steep hillside overlooking a natural harbour. I should think that a summer visitor would find that he has to park at the top of the hill and walk down. In the off-season it is possible to navigate the narrow streets and find parking lots on the water. . . but they are limited.

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.

A natural harbour, it is most noticeable for its lack of things to do. There is a youth hostel and a souvenir shop, but you have come here to see the harbour. The day of our visit was grey and windy. . . and in this bleak setting, it was extraordinarily beautiful. Come here to look, and do be sure to walk to the harbour mouth, or on the heights above it, which are accessible by walking paths.

Now Padstow harbour really is beautiful, and you will want to walk about its three sides. The town was once a major port until a sandbar (the Doom Bar) closed it off. Now Doom Bar is the name of a rather good local bitter.

The quayside here features a number of fine old buildings including the Harbour Master's office and Raleigh Cottage, once the office of sir Walter Raleigh.

Now Padstow does have a couple of sites that you may wish to visit: a church, St. Petroc Major, and a great house, Prideaux Place, which unfortunately, does not stay open in winter.

Having said that, spend your time in Padstow's streets and shops, and you will consider it time well spent.

St. Ives is my favourite of all the coastal towns, partially due to its size (it is reasonably large) and partially due to its attractions. I have written about the Barbara Hepworth Museum separately, but it's also the site of the Tate St. Ives.

The Tate is a remarkable, white building, which overlooks the beach and features wonderful views out to sea. It features changing exhibits of the best in British art and is well worth the visit on two grounds: architecturally and as an exhibition.

Now I confess, what I really liked about St. Ives were the narrow shopping streets and the views over the beaches. This town is worth a part of your day; wander about, pick up a Cornish pastie, visit the local pub, shop and stare out to sea.

I have chosen this small part of Plymouth because it is Old Plymouth. It is the site from which the Pilgrim Fathers set out in 1620, and it is the part of Plymouth that retains some charm.

There are a number of things to do here. We found it easy to park on the east side of the harbour near the National Marine Aquarium. The aquarium is large, and since we were there, it has added even larger tanks, so it is well worth the visit...a great place for both kids and adults.

From the aquarium, one can cross the mouth of Sutton Harbour on a footbridge. If you're lucky, a boat will cross when you're there and the bridge will "swing" into action. On the opposite side you will find the barbican.

Having crossed over, you will immediately be drawn to the Barbican Glassworks... it is very attractive and contains a wonderful showroom for blown glass and other artworks. There is a large variety of merchandise at all price points.

An interesting industrial tour may be the Coates Black Friars Gin Distillery. It features guided tours at specific times.

There are a number of other sites in the Barbican including St. Andrew's Church and the City Museum and Art Gallery, so it is possible to spend a day here. I can only suggest that if your time is limited in Plymouth that you start in this area (which is really quite small) and work your way over to Plymouth Hoe or into the commercial zone (great stores) if you have time... both are just a short walk away.

Barbara Hepworth came to St. Ives in 1943 and lived there for over 30 years. Her house is now a gallery, and her workshop is very much the way she left it. The gallery is filled with her modern sculptures, but the place to pass time is in the large garden.

The garden is filled with bigger-than-life sculpture, a remarkable place and a wonderful way to pass time in serene surroundings. (Another advantage to travelling in the off-season is the ability to enjoy a site like this in peace without the hurly-burly, shoulder-to-shoulder that marks high-season travel.)

If you enjoy art, even just a little bit, and you enjoy serenity, you will enjoy this site.