Fowey, Cornwall

.../> I first found fabulous Fowey, pronounced Foy (like toy) rather than Fow-wee, back in December 2001. Our friends Alex and Claire had come to stay. Claire was pregnant with their first child and was feeling a little uncertain about going on holiday the following year with a small baby. I suggested a UK holiday together (we had been to Spain together previously) as you, generally, know what to expect from the accommodation, you know you can get ...
...historical buildings and story of Fowey, you can not help but notice the wonderful countryside in which it sits. Someone official has also noticed this and has designated Fowey as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is probably due to a combination of this and the fact that Fowey's harbour is so deep that it is now a popular destination for several cruise liners! It is a very odd sight to see - these gigantic ships slowing floating up the river ... more

GENERAL:
I first found fabulous Fowey, pronounced Foy (like toy) rather than Fow-wee, back in December 2001. Our friends Alex and Claire had come to stay. Claire was pregnant with their first child and was feeling a little uncertain about going on holiday the following year with a small baby. I suggested a UK holiday together (we had been to Spain together previously) as you, generally, know what to expect from the accommodation, you know you can get your usual brand of nappies etc and, should you need one, you know how the health system works and would have no stress regarding language problems. Al and Claire were up for it, so while the lads discussed important issues (ha ha) downstairs, Claire and I spent an hour or so on the internet looking at various cottage rental sites. As we both fancied going to the Eden Project in Cornwall, we looked at areas around St Austell.

After much searching we found a lovely looking place near Fowey (Penventinue Manor Farm - review to follow in due course. Note this is pronounced Pen-tinney and not Pen-ven-tin-u!) and booked up for a week in early September 2002. We chose this date as it was the first cheapest week after high season and we thought we would have a chance of good weather.

So nine months later we found ourselves travelling down to glorious Cornwall from Essex (this is my only gripe - it takes ages to get there but it is worth it!). When we arrived at our accommodation we were warmly greeted and given details of local amenities and a few suggested places to visit. That year we went to the Eden Project (it had only recently opened but was absolutely outstanding) and the Lost Gardens of Heligan (also fabulous and really interesting) - I loved the contrast between the two sites one looking back to traditional methods and ideas and one looking forward to the future but both equally 'green'. We also mooched around Fowey itself and the lads did some walking too. We loved our time in Fowey so much that we booked to come back the following year, and the year after that and the year after that and the year after that! In fact we have been to Fowey for a week every year for five years! Each year we also return to Penventinue Manor Farm which is equally as enchanting as Fowey.

FOWEY FACTS:
Fowey can be found on the Cornish Riviera between Mevagissey and Looe. A natural harbour, Fowey has been used as a port for hundreds of years. Previously the centre of the Cornish China Clay industry (it is still the major exporting port), it is now more famous as a yachting destination. I can strongly recommend, for those with a brave disposition, a river trip on the little yellow steam boat. This boat sits very low in the water and is powered like a steam train. I imagine, on a clear day it is a gentle and lovely journey but on the rather choppy day we went, it was neither gentle nor lovely. It was, however, very informative thanks to the 'skipper' and rather exciting!

Regardless of the obvious interest in the historical buildings and story of Fowey, you can not help but notice the wonderful countryside in which it sits. Someone official has also noticed this and has designated Fowey as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is probably due to a combination of this and the fact that Fowey's harbour is so deep that it is now a popular destination for several cruise liners! It is a very odd sight to see - these gigantic ships slowing floating up the river past all the tiny Cornish cottages!

If you are not visiting Fowey to discover it's history or to look at how pretty it is, then you will probably be visiting to learn more about it's most famous resident - Daphne du Maurier. To follow is a potted history of this famous Fowey lady.

Daphne du Maurier (1907 - 1989). The famous author and poet spent many years in Fowey. Her family used to holiday in Cornwall though out her childhood until finally taking a second home in Fowey in 1926. You can see this home, Ferryside, rather unsurprisingly given the name by the Bodinnick Ferry! It is a lovely cream and blue home on the Polruan side of the river which overlooks Fowey. When we went on the above mentioned river trip a couple of years ago, we were told that it had only been sold out of the family recently but was still a private home. Daphne wrote her first novel, called The Loving Spirit, here.

As a married woman she, once again, spent many family holidays in Cornwall but during the war in 1943 she rented a home in Fowey and lived there with her children. The house is called Readymoney and is found, again rather unsurprisingly, in Readymoney cove! Again, it is a lovely house, more 'twee' but still sizeable. This is also a private home. The cove itself is a convenient sandy beach at the end of the town however as it is right near the mouth of the harbour it tends to collect a lot of silt that is churned up by the large boats and also the water can sometimes be a bit gross - boat fuel and some sort of scum floating about. However, none of this has stopped my knutter of a husband going for a swim (regardless of the temperature and general weather conditions!)!

After Readymoney, she moved to a rented house in Menabilly until 1969. This is one of the most beautiful settings - a beautiful bay (linked at low tide to Polridmouth Cove) with the house sitting on a lake by the beach. We often go to this double bay and call it 'our beach.' It is a bit of a trek to get to it but it is certainly worth it. You can either get to it along the Saints Way (local coastal walk) or by road to a car park (for which you have to put 40p in a milk churn to use) and a steep foot path down to Polridmouth Cove.

Back to Daphne, she moved from Menabilly in 1969 to another rented house in Kilmarth about a mile away. She continued to write until she died in 1989 and Cornwall was a strong influence though many of her works.

The good folk of Fowey hold an annual Festival to honour the good lady in May. Next year the festival will run from the 10th to 19th of May. You can get more information about what's on during the Festival on the Fowey Tourist Information website www.fowey.co.uk . As a foot note to this section, I must confess that I a) had never heard of Daphne du Maurier before visiting Fowey; b) have never read any of her works; and c) will try to absolve myself of these sins by letting you know that, upon reading through her list of works on the above site, discovered that I had heard of two of her works - Birds and Jamaica Inn!

FOOD:
Over the years eateries have come and gone, so it is hard to suggest where to go and where to avoid. However, I will briefly mention two places that have been there every time we've been, one place that was new this year (2006), one place that sell very yummy pasties and one place that had the best cream teas…ever!

The Lugger Inn, 5 Fore Street, 01726 833435 - we have visited this pub every year because they sell the best fish stew (filled with fresh and local mussels, prawns, fish, etc) which the no-veggies in our group love. I'm not too keen on the veggie options for main meals but the have the most divine sticky toffee pudding but satisfies me. The staff are very friendly (although the managers/landlords always seem a bit grumpy) but the establishment is not entirely family friendly. They have no baby changing facilities, the toilets are up some rather steep and narrow stairs and, be warned, if you have a pram, you can only be seated in the main bar area rather than the restaurant section. I don't really mind this, as you can see out into the street and watch the world go by!

The Waterfront, Town Quay, 01726 832221 - we have only been to the more relaxed restaurant part of this building (there is a chippy in the middle where we have bought…chips! But also ice creams and drinks and then there is a very posh looking restaurant which we have not been to). They are very friendly (again) and have a good range on the menu. They have high chairs and have always accommodated our rather random requests for special food for the littlies. However, they also do not have baby changing facilities. They do, however, have rather yummy cakes!

The Fowey Hotel, The Esplanade, 01726 832551 - although this is a very old establishment, this is the first year (to our knowledge) that they have opened a tea 'room' in their garden. It may well be there every year but this year we went in June rather than September, so as far as we are concerned it is new! The service wasn't great, the cream tea was ok but oh, the view! It is fantastic and you feel so decadent sipping tea and nibbling on (well, stuffing in) a scone topped with clotted cream and strawberry jam!

Kittow Butchers, 1 & 3 South Street, 01726 832639 - we have visited this butcher every year to buy sausages and black pudding (being a veggie, I can't personally comment on these but the rest of the group raved about them!). This year, on our last day, I was dashing around Fowey trying to find some pasties to take on our journey. The local bakery, which is very good, had not yet had it's delivery, the delicatessen had a huge queue and the Mace had sold out. So, in desperation, I popped into the butchers to enquiry if a) they had any pasties and b) if they had any veggie pasties. I felt like a fool asking a butcher for veggie pasties but the lady was very nice and said yes and that they also did veggie sausages too! To top it all, the veggie pastie was fantastic! The pastry was buttery and flaky, the filling was tasty and very well, yet, delicately seasoned. Yummy and highly recommended!

Finally, the best cream tea ever! To find this holy grail, you need to catch the steam train from Bodmin General Station to Boscarne Junction and turn left down the Camel Trail. You will go across a road and then continue along the Camel Trail for a short while and you will see a sign on your right for a tea room (many apologies but I can't remember the name). The team room is essentially a large, well equipped shed, in someone's back garden. There are several little seating areas dotted around the very pretty garden and it is all very pleasing. The cream tea we had when we visited was wonderful! I think the main thing was that the scones were home made rather than factory made so had a completely different texture and taste. I also think the jam was home made and the tea, although obviously not grown in Cornwall, was made to perfection! As a foot note to this entry, if you turn right and walk up the Camel Trail for about ten minutes you will come to the Borough Arms pub which is very good and serves good meals including a carvery, should you require something a little more substantial!

DRINK:
Not being much of a drinker I can't really comment on the quality of the ale in Fowey. Mark and Al are generally on their best behaviour, seeing as it is a family holiday with young children, so only have the odd pint when eating out. For the remainder of the time, it is just the usual cans/bottles of wine/spirits from Tesco or Asda. Not very exciting, I know, but the pub crawls will have to be on hold until our littlies are old enough to come and scrape us up off the floor and take us home! Needless to say, there are several pubs and increasing numbers of bars/cafes that do alcohol in Fowey for you to enjoy.

PLACES/ATTRACTIONS TO VISIT:
There are many places and attractions to visit in the area - too many to cover here. So, I will just summarise those that I have been to. As we have been going to Fowey for several years now, I can't quite remember what we saw or visited or when but over the years we have visited:

The Eden Project - a real must. We went for the second time this year and we were blown away by it all over again.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan - a real treat, especially for those with an interest in gardening.
The Bodmin and Wenford steam train - great fun for young and old.
The Royal Horticultural Society garden at Trebah - a bit of a trek in the car, but worth it. It is a wonderful garden and remember to take your swim suit with you!
Charles Town - home to a Georgian harbour and some 'square rigged' sailing ships. Interesting but we were only there for a short while.
Polruan - take the ferry across the river and visit this lovely little village. Not a great deal there (at least one pub, one tea room and a few shops as far as I recall) but very pretty.
Golant - beautiful, peaceful with a pub and an art gallery. Mark runs here from our accommodation and loves it.
Ben's Play World - ok for a rainy day if there is nothing else to do! These kind of play barns are all over the UK, so I would rather be visiting something that I don't see at home. However the littlies love it!
Local walks - there are many of these of which I have been on very few but Mark and Al have a 'lad's day' each year and head off into the blue yonder. The photos they take, apparently, can't convey the beauty they see! The two most well know walks are the Saints Way and the Camel Trail. A good book to get hold of is Bob Acton's 'Around the River Fowey: Circular walks' (ISBN: 1-873443-42-0)

BEACHES:
As with much of the Cornish coastline, you will not be disappointed with the many beaches, coves and bays that Fowey and its surrounding countryside have to offer. The Fowey website (www.Fowey.co.uk) has an excellent section which provides details of, directions to and facilities at the various beaches in the area, which is very helpful.

We have visited and enjoyed a few of them to date. Within Fowey itself you can visit the little beach at Readymoney Cove, where you can see one of Daphne du Maurier's homes. It has public toilets (which are generally ok and have baby changing facilities) and there is usually an ice cream van there, which is always a bonus! It isn't the best beach in the area but it is convenient.

Par Sands beach is huge! It is all lovely sand and provided you look to the left, the views are lovely. Look to the right and you can see some of the clay works (I think) which are less lovely! It has a caravan park linked to it which provides a shop (in season) and toilet facilities which I have not tried out (see Tommee Tippee Potty review for more details!).

Polridmouth Cove is truly blissful if rather difficult to get to! However, it is definitely worth the effort. It has no facilities at all but you can see yet another of Daphne's residences in the bay next to it - Menabilly. It was while walking down to Polridmouth Cove one day, Daphne saw a flock of birds flying about in the sky - it was this sight that inspired her to write a series of short stories entitled Birds which was then famously adapted into the thriller of the same name! If you saw David Dimbleby's 'A Picture of Britain' series last year, you would have seen him point out the exact spot!

Finally, according to the lads, Lantic Bay is the most beautiful beach in the world! Unfortunately it has quite a steep path to get to it, so they have only ever looked at it from above as they are usually in the middle of their 'lads day' and don't have the energy to climb back up!

SUMMARY:
Well, if you haven't dropped off yet or lost the will to live, you now find yourself at the end of my review of Fowey! I apologise that it is sooo long but also that I have not covered everything in more detail. In addition to this, I could probably have included more information but was worried about making it too long! So, for those of you who gave up half way through her is my conclusion - Fowey is fab, go see it soon!

Useful websites:
www.fowey.co.uk - the local Tourist Information site which is very comprehensive
www.visitcornwall.com
www.edenproject.com
www.dumaurier.org
www.golant.net
www.polruan.org.uk

Useful books:
Around the River Fowey: Circular walks by Bob Acton (ISBN: 1-873443-42-0)
Visitors' Guide To The Fowey Estuary by Liz Luck (ISBN: 1-898166-29-3)

Useful contacts:
Penventinue Manor Farm - 01726 833393
The Lost Gardens of Heligan - 01726 845100
Bodmin & Wenford Steam Railway - 01726 73666
Ben's Play world - 01726 815553

 

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