Polperro

The name Polperro is truly an old Cornish name. Pol, pronounced Pole, has the meaning "Pool", "Pit", and "Cove". Therefore according to the Cornish language Polperro literally means Pera's Cove. Polperro has a river running through the centre and it is called the River Pol. Polperro is in South East Cornwall, Latitude 50.19N & Longitude 4.31W, and about 25 miles away from the Tamar Bridge and the City of Plymouth. Looe is our nearest town just 4 miles away and Liskeard is an old market town about 12 miles away where Cornwall Council has its local office. Polperro is ideally situated for visiting the many Cornish attractions including the now famous Eden Project. The Claremont Hotel holds a large selection of brochures, for hotel guests, of places to visit. There are many beaches close to Polperro suitable for swimming and for children. Polperro is a Historic Fishing Village with probably the prettiest harbour in the county if not in the whole country and is within a conservation area. What's more Polperro is still an active fishing village and fishing boats can be seen leaving and landing their catch according to the tides. During the winter the population is about 600 and that doubles during the summer. Polperro has a long history of fishing and more than a little smuggling and the village museum is not to be missed. Explore the maze of streets, alleys and paths nestling in the deep coombe leading down to the harbour. Polperro is the quintessential Cornish smugglers' haven. Today Polperro still offers ancient taverns and inns, as well as superb dining and Cornish cream teas. Throughout the year there is always some part of Polperro awaiting your discovery. The narrow harbour entrance faces south-west to the Atlantic. From here the South Cornwall Coast Path can be followed east to Talland bay and Looe beyond, or west towards Fowey. There are fine beaches, rugged cliffs, quiet coves and smuggling haunts to be found. Polperro has a Flood Relief Scheme that has been in successful operation for seven years, diverting flash floods from the River Pol directly to the sea thus bypassing the village, and ensuring the safety of visitors and residents, even after the severest summer storms. Looe and Liskeard have all the main Banks and several Building Societies. While Polperro's Bank closed in 2002 we do still have a Post Office and two Cash Machines. If you stay in Polperro you will not need to leave the village unless you wish to visit some of the many excellent attractions, the beaches or to walk along the cost paths where the scenery is breathtaking. It is four miles to Looe and about 6 miles to Polruan. On the other side of the River Fowey, immediately opposite Polruan and Bodinnick is the town of Fowey. It can be reached from Polruan by passenger ferry and from Bodinnick by car ferry. While Polperro is a small village it boasts a great selection of Public Houses, restaurants, cafes, ice cream parlours, pasty shops, gift shops, antique shops, art shops & exhibitions, craft shops, jewellery shops, a fish and chip shop, a fish stall that serves fresh and cooked fish and shell fish, an off licence, a village store, electrical, building, carpentry, cleaning and gardening services, a pharmacy, a newsagents, an estate agent and a Post Office. There are five Public Houses, all of which serve food, and a dozen eating places ranging from cafes to first class restaurants. Being a fishing village, fish dishes are obviously a speciality here in Polperro but most restaurants also have a large selection of meat and vegetarian dishes. There is also a British Legion Club and a snooker club and both welcome visitors. Regular live music is a weekly feature of most pubs. Polperro also has an annual Arts and Music Festival and an annual Beer Festival. New Year in Polperro is extremely popular and most people are in fancy dress. The nearest Indian and Chinese restaurants are in Looe. Many of the Polperro Pubs and several restaurants are dog friendly. The Local Doctors are based in Looe but hold a surgery in Polperro four times a week. When the Polperro surgery is closed visitors are treated at the Looe surgery during normal hours and by a special service called Kernow Doc outside of normal hours. There is a veterinary surgery held in Looe six times a week. There are several taxi companies locally in both Polperro and Looe. There is a minibus and tram service from the centre of Polperro to the main car park for guests that stay in accommodation without car parking facilities and for day visitors. There is also a horse bus service which is very popular. Polperro has three sets of public toilets which are well maintained and at least one has disabled facilities. Polperro is a very friendly village with very little or no crime. Visitors are made to feel welcome which is only one of the many reasons visitors return again and again, year after year and some several times a year. Often regular visitors become residents when they decide to stay here permanently. Try a short break here in Polperro and experience a relaxing and friendly vacation that will hopefully convince you to become one of our very many regulars.