Polperro Beach — Attraction in Polperro

Polperro (Porthpyra in cornish, whatmeaning Pyra's cove) is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbourwithin the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Its population sits at around 5,820. The houses are so cosy that seen as that have been taken from a fairy tail. Polperro, through which runs the River Pol, is 7 miles (11 km) east of Fowey and 4 miles (6 km) west of the neighbouring town of Looe and 25 miles (40 km) west of the major city and naval port of Plymouth. It is a noted tourist destination, particularly in the summer months, for its idyllic appearance with tightly-packed ancient fishermen's houses which survive almost untouched, its quaint harbour and attractive coastline. Tourism became Polperro's main industry during the 20th century. The village is accessible by air via Plymouth or Newquay, by train via Looe railway station, by road and by boat. It was estimated that the village received about 25,000 visitors a day during summer in the 1970s. Visitors are no longer permitted to drive cars into the village, having to leave them in the main car park at Crumplehorn to the north of the village and walk through the half-mile length of the village to its harbour. The village's quaint but narrow streets make driving difficult. There are horse and cart rides and milk floats disguised as trams for those who prefer not to walk.

Attractions of Polperro include the South West Coast Path, the 630-mile (1,010 km)-long and established walk from Dorset to Somerset which passes through the village, and offers day walks along the local scenic coastline, in particular to nearby Talland Bayon the coast path heading East. Westwards, the path passes three large beaches en route to Fowey: Lansallos Beach, Lantivit Bay and Lantic Bay. Within the village is the Polperro Heritage Museum of Fishing and Smuggling, situated on the harbourside in an old fish processing warehouse, which houses interesting photographs of the village's history among other popular displays. Guided walks are available in the village, and boat trips can be taken from the harbour to view the coastline which can offer sightings of dolphins and seals.

The village has several restaurants as well as seven pubs. A holiday and caravan park is situated outside the village to the northeast...

Generations of Polperro seafarers have brought contraband goods ashore, but smuggling reached its peak in the latter half of the 18th century, largely due to the presence of Zephaniah Job who acted as the smugglers' banker for many years. High taxes on a wide range of luxury goods as well as basic commodities such as salt, imposed to finance the wars with America and France between 1775 and 1815, encouraged the fishermen to supplement their meagre livelihood by engaging in the 'trade' as smuggling was known. Much of the brandy, gin, tea and tobacco shipped across the Channel came from Guernsey where they were readily available at much lower prices than in England where they attracted heavy duty. Smuggled goods were often landed at secluded coves along the coast near Polperro. Once on the beach, the illicit goods would quickly disappear, hidden in caves or taken by well-trodden paths inland to secret...

It's just a beautiful place, even out of season. Walking through the empty streets, no hustle and bustle, just time to enjoy the beauty of the place. Still the one thing that bugs us every time is the privately owned car park which is a bloody rip off. It's the one thing that ruins the experience, you can't park anywhere else, so you are forced into using the privately owned car park and it's very expensive to park there. The owner has the whole place in his grip because he owns the only car park in the place, that means he can rip off the visitors by charging exorbitant rates for parking and therefore controlling the whole place. And it's a shame as its such a beautiful place. I feel for the shop owners etc as they are probably losing trade because of his ridiculous...