We've recently returned from a wonderful and needed week away in Cornwall. My mother-in-law found a lovely house through Polruan Cottages ( www.polruancottages.co.uk ) and so we went for it even though we didn't know much about the area. We figured we couldn't do too badly seeing as a lot of Cornwall is accessible when you have a car. Using the house postcode Fowey was very easy to find (after a quick stop at Par train station to pick my mother-in-law up). There is little to no parking by the houses and I wasn't entirely clued up as to where the car park was so I dropped everyone and the bags off at the door and set off to figure it out. There are a few around the immediate area so it didn't take too long to get the car safely parked and wonder back down to the house.

The house was fabulous. Very clean and modern with a welcome basket of essentials. A day before we arrived I placed an order with ASDA to deliver some basic foods and they came nice and early so we were able to head out and see what Fowey had to offer. Seems the ASDA order wasn't overly needed as there's a little grocer down the road but oh well.

I had tried to apply for a Cornwall week parking pass (Rover Ticket) before we came out but there had been a little mix-up so I jumped into the Tourist Information shop and bought one there quickly. £35 for a week pass and it allows you parking in a number of Council Car parks including Fowey, Hayle, Newquay, Truro and more. It came in handy for sure. The ladies working the desk in the Tourist Information shop were lovely and answered a number of our questions over the holiday. The following website is also really good for local stuff and the beach guide was great http://www.fowey.co.uk/

Fowey is a lovely little fishing village with a number of shops, restaurants, pubs and ice cream parlours. It seems the perfect little place for a family on holiday at the coast. After a day of travelling we were all hungry and stopped at a restaurant on the harbour to refuel. 'The Boat House' wasn't overly packed and seemed family friendly so it was an easy decision to make. We were sat at a table and seen by a waitress rather quickly. As we were on the coast we all ordered something fishy (aside from the 3 year old who is still stuck in a world of pizza rules!). The fish soup was the best I have had in many years so highly recommended. My eldest son ordered an adult size mussels platter and did a Man Vs. Food thing when it arrived ... the chef came out to watch him defeat the platter! So proud of my son who eats like a hoover!

We didn't bother taking the Fowey Town tour ride but I'm sure the views are lovely. Fowey has a lot of hills and they are very steep but once you get to the top of any of them there will be a nice view waiting for you.

One place worth a little visit is the small aquarium on the harbour. It looks from the outside like nothing much but once you've paid your couple pounds for entry you'll realize how much it actually contains. Each tank has hidden gems found in the waters around Fowey. The man there was informative and helped to kit my son out ready to go crabbing later that day. We got some fish that was headed for the bin from the fishmonger and our crabbing day was very successful. We didn't keep the crabs as it was fishing for fun and it really was great fun!

One of our days out was planned for Mevagissey so we left early and got the Fowey-Meva Ferry from Whitehouse Quay. Adult £7 (£12 return) Children £4 (£6 return) www.ferry.me.uk The ferry was great fun. We all love the water so enjoyed every moment of it. There were only a handful of us on the ferry as it was the early trip but we were the only ones sat at the back. We couldn't care less about getting a little wet (it was a warm day so dried quickly). We spent a few hours in Mevagissey shopping and having lunch before heading back over the waters to Fowey.

The children and I were eager to visit some beaches and Readymoney is a very nice one. Walking distance from Fowey village centre and directly opposite the home once lived in by author Daphne du Maurier. The beach is sandy so my youngest was happy as he really wanted to build a castle and then be the dinosaur that knocks it all down. My eldest was happy he could climb the rocks, my husband ran off into the woods looking for St. Catherines Castle and I jumped straight into the waves and paddled out to a floating pontoon where others were jumping on and off. We had a lovely afternoon finished off with an ice cream from the vendor.

Only a 5-10 minute drive from Fowey is a lovely family owned bird and animal sanctuary called Wingz. Not in Fowey but so worth a mention! It will only take you and the family a couple hours to see what this place has to offer and then have a play and maybe a snack but I am so glad we visited. There are some lovely animals with amazing stories. Make sure to read every notice you come by. There is an indoor play area for the children with puzzles and colouring materials and there is even more information and news articles regarding the sanctuary's work in there. My boys had a lovely time playing with the owners' son on the outside play equipment. Wingz has a cheeky Meerkat that knows how to get out and roam the park. There is a sign near the office saying no matter how big his eyes get he's not that hungry. He did cross our path and OMG he is soooo adorable. We put the meal worms we'd purchased in the Meerkat area and he very quickly got back to where he was supposed to be and helped to eat them up. http://www.wingzbirdsanctuary.co.uk/ If you're planning a beach afternoon spend the morning at Wingz.

My mother-in-law took off to see the Eden Project for a day and found that although the bus system is good connects to other places easily it doesn't follow the most direct routes. Very interesting on the way out but a bit boring on the way back.

During the Second World War Fowey was the centre for air-sea rescue and one of the places from which the D-Day invasions were launched from and there are a number of plaques and reminders along the coastline. There is a lovely covered bench area donated by the US Navy in a quiet area near Whitehouse Quay.

We visited many different places during our week away but coming home to Fowey was lovely. Our little holiday fishing village home. On our last day in Fowey I woke up with a horrible sore throat. I spoke with the local surgery and they got me booked in first thing and helped me to register and a temporary resident. The doctor was really nice and gave me the needed prescription right away. I wondered from there down to the village to fill the prescription at Boots. It was only that day when the hills bothered me. I had very bad strep throat and my whole body was aching but I made it back to the house and stayed there for the day. The family took a ferry over to Polruan that day. I kept my youngest with me at the house and we juggled between watching cartoons and the Olympic highlights. Thankfully there was a nice café (The Lifebuoy Café) on the same road as the house that did soup to go so for lunch we headed that way and picked some up. They had already seen me earlier that morning as I grabbed a coffee so welcomed me in as if I were a returning local.

I probably should put this next bit as a positive but it had my husband and I laughing for hours. We were waiting to cross the road to the car park but a blind or stupid family decided to cross without looking and a motorist had to move to avoid them and it was this elderly man in a small old car who pumped his wrinkly old fist in the air and shouted f-ing tourists as he bombed down the road. Too funny!


Was there anything I didn't like??? well yes but only because I was sick. I was trying to rest and the church seemed to be having a bell rehearsal that lasted what felt like hours! The bells go off a lot and never really bothered me but that night they were driving me mental!


We had a great time staying in Fowey and think you will too!


© oioiyou 2012