Beautiful Polruan, Cornwall.
It is that time of year again where I start planning my escape from cold old Melbourne and my mind turns to beautiful places I have visited in the past.
If I stop and think about my favourite holiday destinations, beautiful Polruan in Cornwall always comes to mind. I think that it would have to be my number one spot for favourite holiday ever taken.
An ancient fishing village tucked onto a steep hillside, Polruan is surrounded on three sides by water.
If you stop and think about the setting for Doc Martin then you are starting to get an idea of what Polruan looks like (it was however shot at a different location).
The streets of Polruan are narrow and steep, and there are no major shops in town to speak of. Instead there is a charming general store, a tea house and a couple of pubs. If you want to visit a supermarket or butcher, you can take a ferry ride across the water to the slightly more established town of Fowey.
When we visited we were in the unbelievable lucky position of staying in the narrow, towering house of a local family. It was cobbled together on a steep block right in the heart of town and not far from the water. Its downstairs door opened out into a narrow street that wound off in both directions and an ancient old stone path opposite that was slung between buildings that would take you steeply down toward the water. It had a dormer window on the 4th floor that looked out over the village and the waters beyond to the “neighbouring” town of Fowey.
Notably Daphne Du Maurier once lived in Polruan and reportedly wrote some of her books looking out over the steep cliff to the ocean beyond her back yard.
Visit Polruan was a wonderful experience in itself because it was steeped in history, old English culture and charm. It was accessible by a drive down those famous winding Cornwall roads, only wide enough for one car and surrounded on both sides by towering greenery. So different to our Australian coastal scrub.
If you are inclined to do a little more than wander through beautiful streets and marvel at ancient buildings then there are plenty of other things you can do when you visit Polruan.
- Take the ferry across the water and explore Fowey
- Take a trip to Polperro, Lloe and the other surrounding villages.
- Have a cream tea at the little tea shop in town.
- Enjoy one of the many stunning coastal walks.
- Do a cruise along the river with a local guide.
- Explore the old buildings. Including the Block house which used to connect Polruan to Fowey via a chain in order to keep ships out of the harbour.
- Head further inland and visit Eden Project.
- Dine at a traditional English pub. There are two in town- good luck choosing.
Polruan was a quiet, magical old English village and it I loved the experience of staying there and exploring its rugged coastline, ancient buildings and nearby villages making this one very memorable holiday.
Dani
Travel
Beautiful Polruan, is part of our travel series.
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Ooh, makes me want to visit there … but can I suggest closer to home you can always escape to Noosa, or many of the other wonderful places on the Sunny Coast. 22 degrees and Sunny today, as it has been for most of the week xo
I saw your photo the other day Bek. It looks amazing. We miss you here in Melbourne though more as the months go on.