A Cornish Fishing Village Called Polperro

At the moment I am researching knitting from the British Isles, simply because I’m interested and would love to try my hand at some traditional knitwear. I thought I would focus my research on the Channel Islands and Cornwall because that’s where we live…on the English channel and just across the river from Cornwall.

I found two beautiful books that have a detailed history of Cornish Guernseys and Knit-frocks and have many wonderful traditional knitting patterns to knit. The Cornish fishing village of Polperro featured strongly in both books. I really wanted to visit and as we are currently enjoying the Easter holidays and the girls have a friend visiting from London, we decided to make the 1-hour journey and explore Polperro.

Boy! We were not disappointed. I know that Cornwall has many such fishing villages, we have visited Port Isaac (where Doc Martin is filmed) and I am always totally enchanted by how picture perfect they are.

Polperro retains much of its quaintness. It has not been ruined by over commercialism nor has it been overtaken by the rich snapping up properties as holiday homes. According to one of the locals, there is a happy balance of local residents and holiday home owners which is how the village retains its authenticity.

Let me tell you, I could happily settle here and spend my days writing novels (crime of course 😉), basking in the sun and watching the world slowly walk by.

This village is surreal. The buildings are built close together and at all sorts of interesting angles. Not a modern bit of architecture anywhere. Just lovely rustic fishing cottages of old.

I loved this cottage (above). Its walls have been inset with a mosaic of seashells. It’s whimsical, artistic and such fun to see. This village lends itself to the artistic spirit and inspires creativity.

Beyond the harbour walls, we spotted two caves. We wondered if they had been used by smugglers in bygone years. We would have loved to explore them but the tide was in and the route cut off. 

Apart from having my ice-cream stolen by those masters of crime that inhabit most coastal towns and villages…the seagulls, it was a perfect day, with perfect weather in a picture-perfect setting. Cornwall is full of such treasures. As we headed home I silently resolved to make 2018 the year to explore this beautiful county and its historic villages.