This tour can be accessed by rail. Start the tour via Liskeard rail station (direct main line trains from London) or Looe rail station (branch line trains from Liskeard), then hourly direct bus from Liskeard or Looe to Polperro. End of F6E tour St Austell rail station (frequent bus from Mevagissey). Those travelling with their own car can leave their car at a private car park in Polperro for the duration of the tour. Cost about £45 per week.

Rail service. Direct from London Paddington rail station via Reading Station to/from Liskeard (change for local train to Looe) and at end of F6 tour direct train back from St Austell. Journey time from Paddington 4.5 to 5 hours; from Reading Station 30 minutes less. Also direct trains from Bristol and Exeter to/from Liskeard and St Austell.

Airports. From London Heathrow (LHR) airport there is a frequent bus shuttle to Reading Station, where direct Paddington to Cornwall trains stop to pick up passengers. There is also a frequent rail service from London Gatwick (LGW) airport to Reading Station. Bristol airport is served by international flights from continental Europe, and has a frequent shuttle bus service to Bristol Temple Meads rail station for direct trains to Cornwall. Exeter airport is even closer to Cornwall, with frequent direct trains. The closest airport for this tour is Newquay (NQY), with flights from London Gatwick. Taxis can be pre-booked at reasonable rates between Newquay airport and Polperro/Mevagissey/Darite.

Tour code F6E:
6 nights tour, ES or private facilities every night: £750. Single room*: £1200. STS**: £60.

Please read these notes below on pricing:

• Single room* This price applies for 1 room when booking is for 1 or 3 or 5 persons
• STS** = solo traveller supplement (applicable when booking is for one person only)
• Extra nights: Up to £90 per person per extra night.  Single rooms will cost more.  

Prices quoted are per person on basis of two people in double or twin-bedded rooms. Included in the price are bed and breakfast each night, with baggage transfers, maps and route directions. ‘ES’ (en suite) facilities means that there is a private bathroom with shower or tub and toilet within the main door of your room. ‘Private facilities’ means that the private bathroom may be outside the main door of your room. When the booking is made for a party of 3 or 5 customers, a single room supplement is payable. When the booking is made for a single traveller, a solo traveller supplement is payable. Note: normally a maximum of 1 single room per booking.

In 1939 Oscar Kokoschka painted a series of studies of Polperro and the narrow rock-girt entrance to its tiny crowded harbour. Almost 80 years later the fishing village is still as picturesque as ever. Extending for miles both east and west of the harbour entrance is a line of lofty cliffs, along which runs the South West Coast Path (a well marked National Trail). After exploring the sheltered estuary (tidal river) of the River Looe, our self-guided hiking route follows the dramatic and uninhabited coastline westwards from Polperro to the next well-hidden inlet where we catch the little passenger ferry from Polruan across to Fowey. Fowey, clinging to the steep banks of the beautiful estuary of the same name, is an ancient port town retaining fortifications from the time of Henry VIII; its narrow streets and quaint pubs are fascinating to explore. We also describe walks through the dense natural woodland along the estuary and along the well marked Saints’ Way hiking trail. Just west of Fowey, at Menabilly, is the former home of the novelist Daphne du Maurier; her celebrated novels Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel were both set here. The coastal path continues round the panoramic headland of Gribbin Head to Tywardreath, where du Maurier set her time-travel fantasy The House on the Strand. Kaolin (china clay) is extracted from the granite mass of St Austell and exported in bulk from the docks at Par, but this short industrial interval is soon behind you and the coast reverts to an unspoilt and natural wilderness for the strenuous hike between Charlestown and Mevagissey. En route is the important coastal nature reserve of Ropehaven Cliffs. Mevagissey’s fishing harbour is wider and if anything even prettier than that of Polperro, and here there are usually fewer day trippers. An hour or so’s walk (or a short bus ride) inland from Mevagissey are the celebrated and award-winning Lost Gardens of Heligan (open daily – www.heligan.com). Also accessible via an easy day excursion from Mevagissey or from Fowey is the world-famous Eden Project garden (www.edenproject.com). Another option for a day from Mevagissey is to continue along the spectacular coast path via Gorran Haven (excellent sandy beach) to the next panoramic headland, the Dodman.

 

Routefinding is generally easy on this tour, as the coastal path is a well marked national trail. Gradients can be steep with repeated short ascents and descents. On a short section west of Polperro where the coast path is rather narrow and exposed we describe an alternative inland route in case of bad weather. An attractive feature of hiking on this coast is the number of pubs and beach cafes encountered along the way.