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Looe

Proudly straddling the estuaries of the wooded East and West Looe river creeks, the bustling quaysides of Looe are linked by its imposing road bridge or when the tide is in by a short ferry ride across the river divide.

East Looe retains the holiday resort theme built up since the Victorian years whilst West Looe offers quieter stunning beach walking along a rocky foreshore dominated by the offshore Looe Island. For those who want to end their trip with a dip, East Looe Beach is the centre of the town's waterside activity, whereas for those walking or cycling into the town, quieter stretches of coast at West and East Looe offer more secluded relaxing.

A labyrinth of narrow lanes by the harbour provides plenty of shops, cafés and facilities for those at the end of a walk or cycle. Those who want to explore can take in the Old Guildhall Museum or the Harbour itself, stacked high with lobster pots and the trappings of a small scale fishing fleet that plies in and out of the river mouth.

Back from the coastline are the wooded river creeks which provide a quieter home to an array of local wildlife, a tranquil spot for a picnic and the entrance for those arriving in Looe from inland on our cycle trails.

Polperro

Four miles west of Looe along another stunning and desolate section of the Coast Path is the famous pilchard and smuggling haven of Polperro. Walking in and out on one of our coast path trips is by far the best way to visit what is a popular "classic" Cornish fishing village and by arriving and leaving on foot you will see the village at its best without all the bustle and traffic inland that is banned from the quayside.

A warren of medieval looking lanes make this a stunning and charming little harbour surrounded by an array of ancient cottages and houses packed around a bubbling stream that separates the village as it spills into the rock lined harbour.

The Polperro Heritage Museum gives the lowdown on the smuggling and fishing of past eras and makes a good break on a walk heading for Looe. Midway between the harbours is the pretty Talland Bay with its Café - a lovely spot for a dip or a snorkel in amongst the remains of shipwrecks which reluctantly reveal the remains of their boilers at low tide.

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