Fowey

Introducing Fowey

Nestled on the steep tree-covered hillside overlooking the River Fowey, opposite the old fishing harbour of Polruan, Fowey (pronounced Foy) is a pretty tangle of pale-shaded houses and snaking lanes. It has a long maritime history, and in the 14th century raids on French and Spanish coastal towns were conducted from here. To defend the town against Spanish raids, Henry VIII constructed St Catherine’s Castle (EH; admission free), above Readymoney Beach, south of town. The town later prospered by shipping china clay, quarried at the clay pits around St Austell, but the industrial trade has long disappeared and Fowey has now reinvented itself for summertime tourists and second homeowners.

The tourist office (833616; www.fowey.co.uk; 5 South St; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun) shares a building, phone and opening hours with a literary centre devoted to Fowey’s most famous resident, the British thriller writer Daphne du Maurier (1907–89), who lived most of her life in a house at nearby Polridmouth Cove. Every May Fowey hosts the Daphne du Maurier Literary Festival (www.dumaurier.org) in her honour.

Fowey is at the southern end of the Saints’ Way, a 26-mile waymarked trail running to Padstow on the northern coast. Ferries (car/pedestrian £2.30/90p; in summer last ferry 8.50pm) cross the river to Bodinnick. The 4-mile Hall Walk leads along the river to Polruan, from where you can catch a return ferry to Fowey.

Last updated: Sep 21, 2008