Fowey, Cornwall: A Family Day Out at the Daphne du Maurier Town

Fowey (pronounced ‘Foy’) sits on the steep western bank of the Fowey estuary in south Cornwall — a small fishing-port-turned- working-harbour with a Daphne du Maurier history (she lived here, wrote here, and the modern Fowey Festival celebrates her and the wider Cornish literary tradition). It is a proper walking town — narrow streets, the foot-ferry across to Polruan, the small Readymoney Cove just south for a family beach afternoon.

Main things to see and do

1. Polruan Ferry. Small foot-passenger ferry across the harbour to Polruan — five minutes’ crossing, runs frequently in summer. Polruan is properly small and quiet. Walk the Hall Walk back round the harbour for a proper Fowey day.
2. Readymoney Cove. 10 minutes’ walk south of Fowey — small NT cove with sand and shallow swimming. The path continues on to St Catherine’s Castle (a Henrician artillery blockhouse, free to visit).
3. Daphne du Maurier walks. The Hall Walk loop (around the harbour via the foot-ferry) passes the locations she wrote about in Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek.
4. Fowey harbour and the Esplanade. The town quay is the centre of life — pasties, ice cream, boats, the daily harbour-master notices. The Esplanade walk south is flat and pushchair-friendly.
5. Bodinnick Ferry to Polperro side. The car ferry across to Bodinnick connects with the Polperro and Looe coast — combine for a longer day.

Where to stay

If you are making a weekend of it, Cornwall has more good self-catering than is reasonable. We use Sykes Holiday Cottages for most of our family breaks here — their holiday cottages in fowey and along the south cornish coast cover most of the price brackets and most of the dog-friendly properties. (Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

Practical bits

• Postcode: PL23 (centre)
• Region: south Cornwall
• OS map: OS Explorer 107 — St Austell & Liskeard, Fowey & LooeBuy from OS →
• Public transport: Cornwall Transport for “First Kernow” services cover the coast; the Cornish Main Line trains stop at most major towns.