Looe
LoghSun's out, tide's in
The seaside town of Looe keeps visitors entertained all year round while still retaining a working fishing port. Children love the safe sandy beach and its nearby rockpools whilst adults love to watch the boats return every evening before dining on fresh fish in a local restaurant.
Spoilt for choice
Looe's main beach at East Looe offers soft golden sand and slopes gently to provide safe swimming and a regular sun trap. It is easily accessible from the town providing all you need for a relaxing day including cafes and shops. Bordered by the unique Banjo Pier, visitors have been enjoying the beach and its bathing waters for over 200 years.
On the opposite side of the river, at Hannafore, there’s a different beach, a rocky one full of pools rich in mini-beasts. Looe Marine Conservation Group run regular rockpool rambles for kids of all ages where you will be introduced to squat lobsters, sea lettuce, strawberry anemones and many other wonderful creatures. When the tide is in, it’s a great place to snorkel.
A short walk out of town will bring you to other beaches, usually quieter than the main beaches due to the fact that they often require a climb down to them. Probably the most popular is Talland Bay, between Looe and Polperro, with its purple and green rocks and large sandy beach., there's even cafe's for refreshments.
Fish and Ships
Looe prides itself on its fresh fish, and be it award winning fish and chips near the river, or gourmet menus in smart restaurants overlooking the harbour, you know you won't be disappointed. Happy to cook at home, there’s a fishmongers on the quayside selling everything from cockles to cod.
Boats have fished out of Looe for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years and a small fleet still call the harbour home. Visitors can sign up to spend time out at sea in search of everything from mackerel to tuna. They can even try their hand at shark fishing, Looe being the main centre for this 'sport' in England. These days all sharks are tagged and recorded when caught and returned to the sea straight away.
Younger members of the family can enjoy catching crabs from the side of the harbour. A line with a net full of fish, a bucket of water and a bit of patience is all you need to keep the kids entertained for hours on end as they haul the crabs in, watch them scuttle around in the bucket and then release them back into the river, only to be caught again.
The Looe Valley Line is perhaps the most picturesque branch line in the UK, running down the valley from Liskeard to Looe. The half hour journey includes a steep descent from the mainline before following the East Looe River as it gains in size until the railway ends up running above the water as it reaches Looe.
Looe Island
Once a holy pilgrimage site, Looe Island, which sits just off the seafront at West Looe, is now a sanctuary for rare plants and wildlife. Left to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust in 2004 by the Atkins sisters who had lived and owned the island since the mid-1960s, the trust has continued to manage the island as a nature reserve ever since. They allow visitors to explore the island throughout the summer via boat trips from the harbour at Looe.
The island is home to many nesting birds such as cormorants, shags and oystercatchers. It has the largest breeding colony in Cornwall of the majestic great black-backed gull. In 2010 a great black-backed gull ringing project was started on the island. So far over 500 birds have been rung and sightings of the young birds have been reported from as far afield as north-west Spain.
On the rocks and in the waters around the island, grey seals can often be seen in the summer months. With adult males weighing over 200 kg, they are Britain's largest mammal and although common in the seas around Cornwall, are quite rare elsewhere in the UK.
Looe’s harbour and river separates east from west and is spanned by a Victorian bridge. Surrounded by hotels and restaurants, it’s the ever changing focal point of the town as the tide goes in and out, boats come and go and there’s a constant flow of people going about their daily life.
Plan your trip
Everything you need to know to plan your perfect trip to Looe
From the M5 at Exeter continue down the A38 to Plymouth and cross the Tamar Bridge into Cornwall. At Trerulefoot Roundabout turn left onto the A374 then right onto the A387 and follow the signs to Looe.
There are car parks on both sides of the river as you reach the town, the main one being the Millpool car park, which is over the bridge on the West Looe side.
Looe is served by busses from Plymouth, Liskeard and Polperro.
The nearest National Express stop is in Liskeard, eight miles away.
The Looe Valley Line is perhaps the most picturesque branch line in the UK, running down the valley from Liskeard to Looe, the last stretch right beside the river.
All mainline trains stop at Liskeard connecting with the Looe trains.
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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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