Mevagissey is a picture perfect fishing village on the sleepy south coast of Cornwall. You are well positioned here to travel around as most places are within a hours drive away. It has a long history dating back to the early 1300s and was named after two saints, St Meva and St. Issey. In the 1800s it really prospered owing to the abundance of pilchards found in the local waters, evidence of this industry is still around, you will see the salting barrels and cellars by the waters edge. Today the town remains true to its roots with little change through the years, retaining its traditional charm and character. The oldest part of the town is around the area of The Cliff.
A steep valley takes you through a labyrinth of narrow streets with white-washed cottages, past the centre of old Mevagissey with its ancient small buildings of cob and late, down to the twin harbour. Still, a working harbour and home to a few dozen small fishing boats. The harbour offers safety to the numerous fishing boats that come here daily with their catch of skate, lobster, plaice and sole. The narrow streets are home to a selection of seafood restaurants, pubs, shops, galleries and craft workshops offering a lovely range of products.
Learn all about the history of the town by taking a trip to Mevagissey Museum situated by the harbour and run by volunteers who are extremely helpful. Packed with a vast collection of memorabilia, photographs and artefacts pertaining to the towns colourful history and its people. With lots of information on the town's association with fishing, ship building and smuggling.
Mevagissey Feast Week is a fantastic festival and thought to be the longest continuing event in Cornwall, when the town really comes alive. It combines traditional and contemporary events in the celebrations and attracts both locals and visitors to share in the fun and festivities with dancing in the streets, a carnival and local entertainment. This festival takes place in June annually.
At Christmas there is a fabulous display of lights and New Years is a big event here and celebrated with nearly everyone wearing fancy dress and enjoying the festivities.
Although not big Mevagissey Aquarium offers an interesting insight into the local marine life with a good selection of inhabitants, some unusual, you will find it on the west side of the harbour in the old lifeboat house.
Fun for all ages is the Mevagissey Model Railway, it has an impressive collection of trains. See them whizz past miniature replica houses, and people set amongst different scenes with lots of attention given to the detail. Visitors can have a go at operating some larger trains themselves.
Home to the renowned Lost Gardens of Heligan, located just a mile outside in village in a delightful position overlooking the village and sea. Two hundred acres of sprawling gardens and grounds with an amazing assortment of flora and fauna and some amazing sculptures. A wonderful natural space to explore.
The village and surrounding area has much to see and discover and this is best done on foot to appreciate the beauty and serenity here. The coastal footpath has some pretty walks however, it can be quite steep in places.
Cycle or walk on the Pentewan trail through to St Austell. It is a nice easy 5 mile (ca. 8 kilometres) round trip from the beach at Pentewan to the village of London Apprentice and back, taking in some fantastic views. The trail brings you along the bed of an old narrow gauge railway which once transported clay and tin ore to the harbour at Pentewan till the time it silted up and the railway ceased operating in 1916. Bikes can be hired at Pentewan. Whilst here you can visit the pretty sandy beach and cool off.
Experience the estuary with a ferry ride to Fowey, it is a thirty-five-minute trip along the coast and you get a different perspective of the village and coastline from here. Keep a lookout for dolphins that like to come and play in the waters, you may also see basking sharks and seals lounging on the rocks, as well as numerous sea birds. Worth getting there early as it does tend to be busy.
Alternatively you can hire a boat to explore the many nearby coves and sandy beaches, or go on a fishing trip where you can try your hand at sea-fishing. Paddle-boarding and kayaking are popular activities and equipment is available to rent. For some good traditional fun explore the rock pools when the tide goes out, or go crabbing from the harbour wall.
Mevagissey has much to appeal to all ages and will delight all that come to visit.