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LIke
our family does: I know you'll love the picturesque and magical
Cornish fishing village of Looe, with old buildings, twisting streets,
smugglers taverns and some fine restaurants, it is just a lovely
place to BE. Get a pasty
and a book and go for
a walk, have a sit
and stare every now and again and it'll soon be time for an early
evening beer
before dinner ! What a life!! Although my family are from the north
coast of Cornwall, I've been visiting Looe ever since I can remember!
One day Smuggler Cottage will be our dream home - until then you
are all very welcome to 'share it' with us !
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click it - love this picture!
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Only
quarter of a mile from the beach is St George's Island, once a popular
landing place for smugglers and popularised by the Atkins sisters
in their books 'We Bought an Island' and 'Tales from our
Cornish Island'. There are boat trips to the island in the summer
season, as well as along the coast. Enjoy its unspoilt beauty.
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| Popular
with tourists for years, Looe still retains its importance as a major
Cornish fishing port, with a sizeable fleet and busy fish market.
Important in the middle ages and during the French wars, Looe continued
to be busy in the 19th century, shipping stone and copper from the
quarries and mines in the north. |
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Over
the seven-arched Victorian bridge is West Looe, with the famous 16th
century Jolly Sailor Inn and St Nicholas Church. Explore the culture
and wildlife of the area at the South East Cornwall Discovery Centre,
by the Millpool, and at Hannafore you can stare into the rock pools
on the beach, and across to St George's Island, which has 12th century
monastic cells and once belonged to the Abbot of Glastonbury. |
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To
the east lies the stunning four-mile stretch of sand and surf at Whitsand
Bay, popular with beachgoers and shore fishermen. Guarding the entrance
to Plymouth Sound is Rame Head, with its superb views, 400ft cliffs
and 14th century chapel, where a beacon blazed at the time of the
Armada. Look out for the many stone fortresses known as Palmerston
Follies, a legacy of an 19th century defence initiative. |
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around the headland from Looe you will come across the little-visited,
attractive and unspoilt coastal villages of Kingsand and Cawsand,
backed by high wooded cliffs. Here the future Henry Vll landed before
the Battle of Bosworth, later the villages were a smugglers' haven. |
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'It's
the best fish in the world' ....... says top chef and restaurateur
Rick Stein in his television series 'Food Heroes' - 'Where better
to experience superlative quality fish than Looe - my favourite
market'. Rick explained that Looe's fishing boats are all quite
small ones because of the nature of the tidal harbour - they are
day boats which go out in the morning and come back in the evening
- 'whenever you get fish from Looe it's fresh and that to me
is the best fish in the world - it's the fish we seek out in our
restaurant'.
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