Fowey

Fowey clings to the steep west bank of the River Fowey where it opens into a deep natural harbour on Cornwall's south coast, roughly midway between Looe and St Austell. It is a town built for boats rather than cars: narrow medieval streets twist between pastel-painted merchants' houses down to a quay still busy with sailing yachts, china clay ships and the little passenger ferries that shuttle across to Polruan and Bodinnick. For centuries this harbour was the making of the town, first as a base for privateers during the Hundred Years' War, later as one of the busiest ports in England for tin, fish and clay.

That maritime wealth is still visible in the town's fabric, from the fortified gun battery at St Catherine's Point to the grand Georgian townhouses along the Esplanade. Fowey is also inseparable from the novelist Daphne du Maurier, who lived at nearby Menabilly and set much of her fiction along this stretch of coast; the annual literary festival that bears a version of her name draws visitors every May. Out of season Fowey is quiet and residential, a place of dog walkers and fishing boats; in summer, and especially during Regatta Week in August, it becomes one of the liveliest small harbours in the county, its water filled with racing yachts and its pubs spilling onto the quay.

What makes Fowey rewarding for a longer stay is the combination of a genuinely handsome, walkable town with some of the finest coastal scenery in Cornwall on its doorstep. The South West Coast Path runs both directions from the harbour mouth, the wooded Fowey estuary offers some of the best sheltered kayaking and sailing in the county, and the town sits within easy reach of the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Lanhydrock House without ever feeling like a staging post for them.

Top things to do in Fowey

Fowey rewards slow exploration on foot, but there is plenty to fill a few days beyond wandering the lanes.

• Fowey Harbour and the Town Quay is the natural heart of any visit, a working waterfront where fishing boats, yachts and the passenger ferries to Polruan and Bodinnick come and go throughout the day.
• St Catherine's Castle is a small Henrician artillery fort on the headland above Readymoney Cove, reached by a short coastal walk with fine views back over the harbour mouth.
• Readymoney Cove is the town's own sandy beach, a short walk from the centre and a good spot for a swim before the castle walk above it.
• Fowey Museum, housed in the old town hall, tells the story of the port's maritime and literary history, including material connected to Daphne du Maurier.
• The Hall Walk is a circular route across the estuary via the Bodinnick and Polruan ferries, following wooded paths with some of the best views of the harbour from the Lanteglos side.
• Polruan, reached by passenger ferry, is Fowey's quieter twin across the water, with its own working harbour, boatyards and a good pub or two.
• Lanhydrock, a short drive inland near Bodmin, is one of Cornwall's grandest National Trust houses, with extensive Victorian service quarters and formal gardens.
• The Eden Project, around 25 minutes away by car, makes an easy day trip from Fowey for its biomes and gardens.

Getting to Fowey

Fowey has no railway station of its own; the nearest stop is Par, on the Cornish main line, about five miles away. Great Western Railway runs regular direct services from London Paddington to Par, with the fastest journeys taking around four hours, and a branch line connects Par to St Austell and onward towards Newquay. From Par station, Fowey is reached by local bus in around fifteen to twenty minutes or by taxi in under ten. By road, Fowey sits just off the A390 between Lostwithiel and St Austell; the approach into town is steep and narrow, and the centre itself is largely pedestrianised in season, so most visitors park at one of the town's main car parks, such as Caffa Mill or the Passage Street car park, and walk in. Drivers arriving from further afield generally leave the A38 or A30 near Bodmin and follow the A389 or A390 south towards the coast.

Best time to visit Fowey

Spring brings daffodils and early camellias to the wooded estuary and the surrounding gardens, along with the Fowey Festival of Words and Music in May, and considerably thinner crowds than high summer. Summer is Fowey at its busiest and best-looking, with warm water for swimming at Readymoney Cove, sailing regattas on the harbour, and Regatta Week in August turning the town into a week-long carnival of racing, fireworks and quayside parties; it is also the busiest and most expensive time to visit, so booking accommodation well ahead is essential. Autumn is a quieter, mellow season, with good walking weather on the coast path and lower prices, while the harbour still sees plenty of boat traffic into October. Winter is the town at its most local and atmospheric, with storm-watching from St Catherine's Point, cosy pubs by open fires, and a good number of restaurants scaling back their hours, so it suits visitors happy to trade choice for solitude.

Where to stay in Fowey

The town centre itself, around Fore Street and the Town Quay, is the obvious base for anyone who wants to step straight out into the harbour atmosphere, with hotels and inns often occupying converted merchants' houses just steps from the water. The Esplanade, a little further round the headland, suits those who want estuary views and a slightly quieter setting while still being a short walk from the shops and restaurants. Across the water, Polruan and Bodinnick offer a more residential, working-harbour feel with the added novelty of a foot ferry into Fowey itself, appealing to visitors who don't mind a short crossing for a quieter night's sleep. Just upstream, the village of Golant and the countryside around Lanteglos-by-Fowey provide a rural alternative, with country house B&Bs set in woodland or farmland a short drive or riverside walk from the town, good for those prioritising space, gardens and views over immediate proximity to the harbour bars.

Food and drink in Fowey

Fowey's food scene leans heavily, and rightly, on what comes out of the harbour and the bay beyond it: daily landings of crab, lobster, scallops and whatever the day boats bring in feature on menus throughout the town, often no further than a few dozen yards from where they were unloaded. Several of the town's hotels and inns run their own well-regarded restaurants serving Cornish seafood alongside local beef and lamb, and a proper Cornish cream tea, complete with the county's insistence on jam before cream, is easy to find at cafes along Fore Street and in the gardens above the Esplanade. St Austell Brewery, one of Cornwall's best-known independent brewers, has deep roots in this part of the county and its ales turn up on cask throughout Fowey's pubs, several of which occupy some of the oldest buildings in town. A small farmers' and producers' market operates in the town on a regular basis, good for Cornish cheeses, baked goods and local produce, while the fishmongers and delis along the main street are worth a browse even for self-caterers staying nearby. For a picnic on the coast path or a paddle on the estuary, the town's bakeries and pasty shops are reliably good, and it is entirely possible to eat extremely well in Fowey without once venturing beyond a five-minute walk of the quay.