Today: A place of rare beauty, and an unspoiled fishing village, Porthleven is the most southerly port in mainland Britain. The harbour is the centre of village life, with marine activity dominating as the colourful boats come and go. It offers a safe haven for fishing boats, and a place to book a pleasure or fishing trip along the coast to catch fish for your supper. Around the harbour to the left narrow streets jostle with the early granite fishermen's cottages. The more elegant and imposing Victorian and Edwardian villas climb in ranks on the surrounding steep hillside. With its constantly changing marine vista, substantial granite quays and delightful restaurants and pubs it is one of Cornwall’s best kept secrets.

The Village: The village is alive with local craft shops that include a stained glass studio, a resident Potter and good art galleries trading alongside the original fishmongers, boat builders and chandlers. During the summer the Town Band plays on the harbour side on Sunday evenings. Various events take place on the Harbour Head during the summer, the biggest being Lifeboat Day and Gig Day. Sports facilities in the village include tennis, football, cricket, bowling and snooker clubs. There is a children's play area close to the centre of the village, post office, a supermarket and off licence, which also has the user friendly Tourist Information System, a Doctors surgery and chemist. For more information look at this page.

Nearby: Porthleven is the perfect place to investigate the villages of the Lizard Peninsula and the wild moors of West Penwith, or the magnificent rugged coastline of South and West Cornwall. There are marvelous walks from Porthleven harbour. Start to the left at the Institute clock tower and stroll out to Loe Bar, (shown) then along the side of Loe Pool; even as far as Helston if you have the time.

Or start on the other side of the harbour (Breageside) and go out along the cliffs to the Megiliggar Rocks. Take care to stay on the coast path because there has been considerable erosion in recent years due to storms and it is dangerous to stray too close to the edge. The area around Tremearne Par is one of geological and scientific interest and nearer to Porthleven is an extensive wave-cut platform of dark slate. When the tide is out at the Megiliggar Rocks lots of interesting rock pools are exposed; a great place to spend a quiet afternoon. To the west of the harbour you will discover the Pargodonnel Rocks, where at low tide you will see a 50 ton 'pebble' known as the Giant's Rock, formed from stone found nowhere else in Britain. The coastal footpath runs right through the village.


The village of Breage (pronounced Brayg) lies just over a mile from Porthleven and just off the main road to Penzance. The church here is a beautiful granite construction and well worth a visit, the original church was dedicated to St Breaca in 1130. The interior boasts one of the most remarkable wall paintings (shown) belonging to a style which has been labelled "Christ as Piers Plowman". It depicts a crowned near naked and wounded figure of Christ surrounded by the tools of husbandry, fishing, cloth and metalworking trades.

Helston: Porthleven is two miles from the historic market town of Helston, first granted its charter in 1201 and famous for Flora Day on May 8th. The photo shows the Midday Dance in 1958 winding its way through the gardens of Lismore in Cross Street. This mystical celebration welcomes spring in the ancient way of garlanding the town with laurel and bluebells. Throughout the day there is dancing through the winding streets and houses. Helston is one of the ancient coinage towns of Cornwall where the tin ingots were taken to be weighed to assess the duty payable to the Duke of Cornwall. It is one of the least changed of all Cornish towns but it still manages to have all the facilities of a modern town with shops, a sports club, and boating lake plus banks, a folk museum, library, pubs and restaurants, including the famous Blue Anchor pub, claimed to be the oldest brewpub in Britain it was built in about 1400 and was originally a monk's rest house. When Henry Vlll dissolved the monasteries the building became a village Tavern. At the height of the tin mining era of Cornwall the miners were paid their weekly wage of about 5 shillings (25p) in the pub. It produces powerful ales known locally as 'Spingo' from it's own brewery on the premises. Helston has been appreciated for centuries, see the pre-Raphaelite William Holman Hunts sketch of Helston countryside done in the autumn of 1860.

Godolphin House. This grand house has existed here since the 15th century and the Godolphin family were the owners through to the end of the 18th century. The family had always had connections with the monarchy and being fiercely Royalist in the Civil War, they were rewarded after the 'Restoration'. It is thought that Charles II stayed here briefly whilst trying to escape abroad. It is a Tudor Grade I listed mansion, with medieval gardens both under repair. More than 400 recorded archaeological features ranging from Bronze Age enclosures to dramatic 19th-century mine buildings. Exhibition of local unrestored wagons in c1600 Stables as well as walks on the National Trust estate with panoramic views. The nearby Godolphin Hill is one of the high points in West Cornwall. The Godolphin Christmas lights are switched on in the middle of December and remain on throughout the festive period

Beach and swimming: It is safe to swim in the harbour, and the locals enjoy jumping off the wall at habour wall at high tide, dare you! The beach on the sea side of the old quay is said to be the best surf break along the south coast, check out this site for more information. On the left of the harbour, the beach stretches all the way to the far side of Loe Bar. If the tide is well out, it is possible to walk the whole distance on the sand. The sea along here is subject to strong rip currents and swimming is discouraged. You can see where a large area of the sea wall has been rebuilt after the damage of the storms in 1989. Loe Bar is a narrow shingle bar that separates the beach from Cornwall's largest inland freshwater lake, Loe Pool, which is owned by The National Trust. According to Tennyson, this is the resting place of King Arthur's Sword - Excalibur and the home of the Lady of the Lake. Loe Bar is a mass of sand and shingle and if you look hard, you might find some tiny gem stones. It has been declared an area of special scientific interest because of its unique construction and rare plants, one of which is the Yellow Horned Poppy. There are extensive wooded walks along the lake banks, with some of the finest scenery imaginable. It is open to the public each day from dawn to dusk. Further a field is the sandy beach at Praa Sands, the rocky inlet of Prussia Cove and dramatic Rinsey Head, with old tin mine stacks towering seemingly precariously above the cliffs.

Tony Howell is a photographer who is interested in the spiritual aspect of nature in Cornwall, and the beauty and tranquility to be found in Cornish landscapes and plants. You can buy his stunning photos from here.

Places close to Porthleven:
Helston 2 miles
Mullion 8 miles
St. Michael's Mount 9 miles
The Lizard 12 miles
Falmouth 12 miles
St. Ives 15 miles
Penzance 12 miles
Truro 20 miles
Lands End 22 miles

More information:
Eating and drinking
Shops and activities

All photos of Porthleven by George Greene, copyright.