Cornwall


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>Sheltered in one of Cornwall&#8217;s many Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the deep water harbour at Fowey was once an important trading hub. It now attracts all manner of maritime vessels (and is still has a busy commercial port, the main export being China clay from St Austell). Culturally rich after novelist Daphne du Maurier made Fowey her home, and with more literary associations plentiful, there’s beautiful and often period property to be found &#8211; but waterside living, like most places in the Duchy, will cost you.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat"><strong>EAT</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfHgu-b09pqAdTPdz0QfRrFntw_KZTIXFtZObuyHKR3z4g2NToQ4j4EPRR9zc7Lh6kbOCooEtm_aQYUmqBGcb_HA-EXmjQ-63lQPM_3jDoxuf-E1W4KTWgk6Mv_A5NY_JpnaMSQXCs04EI_xSIepVaJSa7k?key=CkH3YQp7xQlQJt8t0nugEA" alt="north street kitchen fowey" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">North Street Kitchen</figcaption></figure>



<p>During the summer season residents and holiday makers alike are spoilt for choice, with North Street Kitchen leading the foodie charge – it was named best local restaurant in the south west in the recent Good Food Guide. Also on offer is the Italian inspired restaurant and bar<a href="https://appletonsrestaurant.com/"> Appleton’s</a> from husband and wife Duo ex-Fifteen head chef Andy Appleton and Lindsay and<a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/fowey-hall-hotel/"> Fowey Hall Hotel</a>, the inspiration for Kenneth Grahame’s Toad Hall, which also offers afternoon tea, plus the restaurant at <a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/the-old-quay-house-hotel-fowey-cornwall/">The Old Quay House</a> is open daily for lunch and dinner.</p>



<p>You’ll find a plethora of cafés, bakeries and ice cream shops (my kids like the waffles at Game of Cones) and <a href="http://www.mardybakery.com/">Mardy Bakery</a> served up delicious patisserie at admittedly random opening hours, but has sadly called time on baking. Cornish crab &amp; seafood are served from<a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain_hanks_fowey/?hl=en"> Captain Hank&#8217;s</a> vintage van on the harbour. The best pasties come from Quay Bakery – top tip is to click and collect to avoid the lunchtime queue at the hatch.</p>



<p>Locals love<a href="https://bufalafowey.co.uk/"> Bufala</a>, which serves sourdough pizzas from a spot overlooking the water, and the newly refurbed <a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/review-the-king-of-prussia-fowey-cornwall/">King of Prussia</a> is fine dining in the evening, or in the summer season serves up lobster rolls and seafood from The Oyster Shuck underneath the pink building&#8217;s stilts.</p>



<p>Sailing fans like the drinks at the Royal Fowey Yacht Club, which as you&#8217;d expect has a great view, or head upriver to nearby Golant where you’ll find the waterside pub the<a href="http://fishermansarmsgolant.co.uk/"> Fishermans Arms</a>, perfect to while away a sunny Sunday afternoon watching the gig rowers from the nearby club. On the coast the other way, you&#8217;ll find Polkerris, where you&#8217;ve<a href="https://samscornwall.co.uk/on-the-beach/on-the-beach-home/"> Sam&#8217;s on the Beach</a> at the old lifeboat house, or traditional but still excellent pub, the<a href="https://therashleighinn.co.uk/"> Rashleigh Inn</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<p>Fowey’s bijou high street is packed with independents for all your shopping needs including groceries and butcher<a href="http://www.kittowsfowey.co.uk/"> Kittows</a> and<a href="https://www.johnswines.co.uk/"> John&#8217;s Bottle Shop</a> (where you can sit in or take your bottle home). For clothes we like Muddy Award finalist Salt Society on North Street, with their new pop-up Boheme by Salt Society at 43 Fore Street, and there&#8217;s also the usual Joules, Seasalt, and Mountain Warehouse. Any Old Vintage and Webb&#8217;s have your interiors covered, plus Molesworth &amp; Bird&#8217;s beautiful seaweed art is worth a look. Book lovers like Shrew Books. A new supermarket was recently announced, but until it is ready, it is still over to St Austell for the big shop.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nearby-attractions">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeKevlR3XqfmLA5iKaqE53X-D2mEhHhgL58xwkBgbEeYVV36igZO8laqPIGiteztiT7gT-h1ivDQSa-j7L6BIy2Q3UNBwMBeL3a6I0i86tX_QatzQI4ptuKQ4jJQMZ92WHT_aJ3IyN-wnMouY1sP6BOKvba?key=CkH3YQp7xQlQJt8t0nugEA" alt="readymoney cove beach" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Readymoney Cove</figcaption></figure>



<p>Fowey has a bijou aquarium on the quay, and locals love to swim at<a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/best-beaches-in-the-south-west-cornwall-devon-dorset-hampshire-isle-of-wight/"> Readymoney Cove</a> (where Dawn French used to have a place). With a seasonal swimming platform and buoyed-off boat free swimming area, it is a fab little beach, with its own<a href="https://readymoneybeachshop.com/"> beach shop and cafe</a>. Walk round the corner to St Catherine&#8217;s Castle and on to<a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/readmoney-cove-polridmouth-cove-fowey/"> Polridmouth</a>. It&#8217;s also fun to catch the little ferry boat over to Polruan on the opposite bank of the river Fowey, where you&#8217;ll find nice pubs and a couple of cafes, and a beautiful walk to Lantic Bay beach.</p>



<p>Hire boats of various kinds from the quay including self-drive motor boats and kayaks, or take a guided tour and explore the river and local wildlife. Further afield you&#8217;ll find the<a href="https://www.edenproject.com/"> Eden Project</a> or head inland up the river to Lostwithiel where there&#8217;s more lovely shops including antiques and interiors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>As you head from town towards Readymoney Cove don’t miss the Old Grammar School Garden, at 47 Esplanade, just above Whitehouse Quay; it’s a hidden gem of a shingle garden that offers swathes of tall grasses and seaside planting on land that used to be part of the Old Grammar School. Also look out for the <a href="https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden-list">National Garden Schemes open gardens</a>, where private gardens are open to the public for charity during the summer months.</p>



<p>New for 2024 was the re-opening of the newly refurbished 1920s children’s tidal pool on the rocks at Whitehouse Quay, which has previously seen generations of Fowey’s children learn to swim; the little shingle beach there is also a lovely sunny spot – follow the signs for the summer route for the ferry to Polruan and you’ll find the pool and beach on the right, as well as a new little café.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<p>The spa at Fowey Hall Hotel is open to day guests for spa days, and treatments. Locals (and visitors) swim all year round at Readymoney Beach and also from Whitehouse Quay. Try <a href="https://foweygigclub.org.uk/">Fowey Gig Club</a> or Castle Dore Rowing Club (Morgan Bolding, one of the <a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/life/people/olympic-athletes-paris-2024-cornwall/">Men&#8217;s Eights Gold Medal Winning Team GB rowing at Paris 2024</a> started his career there) to make the most of the waterside location, or get out on paddleboards and boats.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture"><strong>CULTURE</strong></h2>



<p><a href="https://www.foweyfestival.com/">Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature</a> takes place in May and the history of the town including connections with Daphne du Maurier can be found at<a href="https://www.fowey.co.uk/things-to-do/fowey-museum-p1090633"> The Fowey Museum</a>. For art, head to<a href="https://www.foweyrivergallery.co.uk/"> Fowey River Gallery</a>. The<a href="https://www.facebook.com/funnybonetheatre/"> Funnybone Youth Theatre</a> puts on an annual Christmas panto. Find weekly live music on the farm at<a href="https://www.barsilocornwall.com/silo-sessions"> Bar Silo</a> at Golant.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-prices">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES</h2>



<p>Prices were up once again in Fowey, last year costing an average of £596,152 with detached properties a more punchy £1m &#8211; but the biggest waterfront places sell for far north of that. Flats are more reasonable, with the average costing £273,875. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2400" height="1604" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank.jpg" alt="Spacious detached 5-bed property with panoramic sea views. On the market with Knight Frank for £2.5m." class="wp-image-34963" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank.jpg 2400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank-800x535.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank-1000x668.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/09/fowey-knight-frank-2048x1369.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Spacious detached 5-bed property with panoramic sea views. <a href="https://www.knightfrank.com/properties/residential/for-sale/st-fimbarrus-road-fowey-cornwall-pl23/cho012340546" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On the market with Knight Frank for £2.5m</a>.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nurseries">NURSERIES</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.fowey-preschool.co.uk/">Fowey Pre-School</a> is for ages 2 – 5 yrs, based at Fowey River Academy and follows the same term dates as Fowey Primary School.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-schools">SCHOOLS</h2>



<p>As always in Cornwall the choice of schools is limited – Fowey and Polruan primaries are both Ofsted rated Good, and there is a local secondary academy<a href="https://fracademy.org/"> Fowey River Academy</a>. If you’re after independents, you’re going to have to travel – the nearest are in Truro, Launceston or Plymouth, all a decent drive away.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-kept-secret">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>Daphne du Maurier fans have their<a href="https://www.foweyfestival.com/"> very society</a>, which hosts a festival every May. It attracts speakers such as Oxford prof and du Maurier expert<a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/people/dr-laura-varnam-daphne-du-maurier-cornwall/"> Dr Laura Varnam</a>. Also look out for the<a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/people/thomas-thrussell/"> Thrussell&#8217;s</a> <em>Rook with a Book</em> sculpture on the quay.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commute">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>Fowey is probably the kind of place that you want to have work in or nearby, as it&#8217;s a reasonable distance from any kind of decent sized road. That said, you can be in St Austell in under 30 mins where there&#8217;s a mainline station, from where you can be in Plymouth in an hour, or London in four and half.</p>



<p><em>View the full&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live">Top 300 Best Places to Live</a>.</em></p>


Fowey

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