Fowey

Fowey is a harbour town in south Cornwall, built on the steep west bank of the River Fowey estuary. It remains a working cargo port - the harbour handles around 450,000 tonnes of china clay cargo per year, making it the largest non-oil export port in the south-west. The first clay shipment left here in 1869.

Daphne du Maurier lived at Ferryside in Bodinnick before leasing Menabilly in 1943, where she stayed for 25 years. Menabilly was the inspiration for Manderley in Rebecca (1938). Other novels set in the area include Frenchman’s Creek, The King’s General, and My Cousin Rachel. The Du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival runs annually - founded in 1997, with author talks, guided walks, and a short story competition.

The Fowey to Polruan passenger ferry, operated by C Toms and Son, crosses in under 5 minutes and runs every 10 to 15 minutes. The Bodinnick car ferry on the same stretch carries up to 15 vehicles. Readymoney Cove sits at the harbour mouth below St Catherine’s Castle, a Henry VIII artillery fort built between 1538 and 1540 - free entry via a steep walk from the car park.

The Hall Walk circular covers 4 miles over about 2.5 hours, using both ferries - Fowey to Bodinnick, along the 16th-century Hall Walk above Pont Pill, down to Polruan, and the passenger ferry back. It is one of the most popular short walks in south Cornwall.

St Fimbarrus Church is Grade I-listed with a tower dating from 1460 and a Norman font from the 11th century. The church marks the end of the Saints’ Way pilgrim route from Padstow. Sam’s on Fore Street, open since 1987 in a 13th-century building, serves locally landed fish and is one of the town’s best-known restaurants.

Guides for Fowey

• Things to Do in Fowey — the estuary, Hall Walk, Readymoney Cove, and the town’s literary connections