Fowey
FowydhA safe harbour
Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this pretty harbour town is situated on the west side of a deep estuary, where the Fowey River reaches the sea. Yachts tack back and forth across the water while gulls cry overhead. As you walk the narrow streets where mediaeval and Georgian buildings cast shadows over each other, a vibrant maritime history comes to life. Small, independent shops selling unusual gifts, art, clothing and books vie with cafes and pubs for your attention, whilst small alleys offer glimpses of the river every now and again.
Take in the views
Get an overview of the beautiful harbour with a stroll out along the Esplanade, passing the grand parade of Edwardian and Victorian houses, to the beach at Readymoney Cove overlooked by the medieval St Catherine’s Castle guarding the harbour entrance. Across the water, the village of Polruan is said to be far older than Fowey, its medieval blockhouse once housing a chain which could be pulled up to stop boats entering the harbour.
Alternatively catch the ferry across to Bodinnick and explore the Hall Walk as it meanders through the woodland above the river all the way to Polruan where another ferry brings you back to Fowey. A slight diversion takes you to Lanteglos Church where Daphne Du Maurier got married, arriving by boat up the beautiful Pont Creek.
Those wanting a longer walk should carry on past St Catherine’s Castle and follow the South West Coast Path out to Gribben Head with its iconic red and white daymark. On the way you will pass Polridmouth Beach, with its pond and lonely cottage. Du Maurier is thought to have been inspired by this beach when she was writing ‘Rebecca’.
Messing about in boats
Nobody should leave Fowey without spending some time on the river. The easiest way is to take the passenger ferry across the harbour to Polruan, weaving in and out of boats of all shapes and sizes. For a longer trip, pleasure boats regularly depart from the Town Quay steps taking you on a guided tour up stream. Out of sight of most visitors you will quickly come across the China clay docks where large ships are loaded with the white powder mined not that far away above St Austell.
The more intrepid might want to take to the water on an escorted trip in a canoe, kayak or SUP. This is the perfect way for observing the abundant river wildlife and wooded creeks and is a real adventure even if you’re a total novice. Let the tide carry you up river perhaps veering off to the pretty villages of Lerryn or Golant, or carry on up to St Winnow where a lonely church sits by the waters edge. On a very high tide you might even reach Lostwithiel, Cornwall ancient capital.
For those with their own craft, Fowey provides a popular safe harbour with plenty of moorings, some with power, fresh water and fuel, wifi is also available as are showers at the yacht clubs. A private water taxi is available to ferry visitors to and from the quayside.
A writer's haven
Immortalised in 'The Wind in the Willows' as 'the little grey sea town…….that clings along one steep side of the harbour’ Fowey has been an inspiration for authors for over 100 years.
Probably its best known writer is Daphne Du Maurier who lived in and around the town and based several of her novels, including ‘Rebecca’, ‘The Loving Spirit’ and ‘House on the Strand’ in the area.
Kenneth Graham, author of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ holidayed in the town several times, staying with his friend Arthur Quiller-Couch, who also wrote several novels about the town, including his last ‘Castle Dor’ a retelling of the Tristan and Iseult legend, which was finished by Du Maurier after his death.
Plan your trip
Everything you need to know to plan your perfect trip to Fowey
From the M5 at Exeter, take the A38 to Plymouth and continue over the Tamar Bridge into Cornwall. Shortly after bypassing Liskeard, take the A390 towards St Austell passing through Lostwithiel. Shortly after climbing out of Lostwithiel take a turning on the left signposted to Fowey.
There is a large carpark off Hanson Drive above the town (a town bus takes people back and forth from the centre) or another at Caffa Mill by the Bodinnick Ferry. There is also a car park on the way out to Readymoney Cove for people visiting the south end of the town.
The National Express London to Penzance coach stops in St Austell (2022) from where there are bus services into Fowey.
Fowey is served by buses from Newquay and Mevagissey, both go through St Austell.
A bus also runs to Polruan from Looe, allowing you to access Fowey via a ferry.
Although a railway line still runs from Lostwithiel to Fowey, it is only for goods to the docks.
The nearest train station for passengers is Par from where busses head to and from Fowey.
Newquay Airport is only 20 miles away but there is no direct public transport to Fowey.
The No 25 bus runs from Newquay to St Austell and onto Fowey.
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Travel to Cornwall by train
GWR operate high speed train services frequently from London Paddington station including the Night Riviera Sleeper Service to Penzance. There are also direct trains daily from Bristol and beyond. More info from: nationalrail.co.uk
Once in Cornwall, there's a great rail network for getting around the county, ideal for when the roads are busy in the summer. Give the driver a rest and grab a cheap day return to St Ives or Looe. Sit back and enjoy the scenery on the Tamar Valley Line or head to the beach at Newquay or Falmouth. For more info, go to Great Scenic Railways
For National Rail enquiries telephone 08457 484950
The First Group co-ordinate bus services from many Cornish stations.
Park-and-ride schemes run in season at Liskeard (for Looe) and St Erth (for St. Ives).
Travel to Cornwall by road
It takes less than five hours to get from London to the heart of Cornwall by either train or car. Drive along the M4 motorway from London, or M6 from Manchester, and then the M5 to Exeter and finally either the A30, that is mostly dual carriageway, or the A38 passing Plymouth and Saltash into South East Cornwall. Alternatively if you enter Cornwall from North Devon, there is the scenic A39 Atlantic Highway running through Bude, which you can join from Junction 27 on the M5. Due to the high volume of traffic on Cornwall's roads during the summer months the main routes can become congested especially at weekends. Travelling overnight or outside peak rush hours is recommended to avoid long delays.
- To plan your journey use the AA Route Planner for a tailor made travel plan with timings and mileage
- For information on possible delays or roadwork's throughout the UK or in Cornwall visit Traffic Watch
- Travelling to Cornwall with a caravan? Check out our Caravan Towing guide
PLEASE BE AWARE. Sat-Navs can lead you to some wonderful places in Cornwall, many of them down narrow country lanes with high hedges and few reversing points. If you are not sure...don't go on. Better to turn around and find another route than end up lost in the middle of nowhere.
Travel to Cornwall by coach and bus
National Express operate a full service into Cornwall as far as Penzance, Megabuss also go to a few towns including Newquay and Falmouth.
Coach travel times from London or Birmingham to the city of Truro are around 7-8 hours
Many tour operators offer coach holidays to Cornwall, contact your local travel agent for details.
For information on public transport, including local bus timetables, once you are in Cornwall, Click here.
To plan your journey in advance, journey planning websites such as Traveline South West can be useful.
If you are bringing a coach to Cornwall, did you know Cornwall Council now offers a weekly coach rover ticket. This is available for all car parks where coaches are permitted and costs £15 for 24 hours or £50 for 7 days and £35 for 4 days. These can be obtained by creating an account to use the ZatPermit system.
Travel to Cornwall by air
Flying to Cornwall can offer an attractive alternative to the long and sometimes frustrating journey by train or car.
Newquay Airport is served by a variety of routes from across the UK and beyond. For more information, please visit the Cornwall Airport Newquay Website or call +44 (0)1637 860600 or e-mail Info@newquaycornwallairport.com
The Airport offers year-round onward connectivity to the Isles of Scilly with Skybus.
Exeter Airport is also withing easy reach of Cornwall via the A30 and A38.
Travel to Cornwall by ferry Travelling across the Channel from France to the UK can take as little time as 35 minutes on the Eurotunnel from Calais to Folkestone and just 1 hour and 20 minutes on one of the ferry services between France and Dover.
Plymouth is the closest ferry port to Cornwall, being just across the River Tamar. Brittany Ferries offer services from Roscoff in France and Santander in Northern Spain into Plymouth as well as further services from France and Spain into Portsmouth and Poole.
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