Fowey Holiday Guide

FOWEY WEATHER

How to get there

Driving to Fowey is fairly straightforward. Most visitors come via the M5 to Exeter, then continue into Cornwall on either the A30 or the A38, depending on their route. From there, local roads lead you into Fowey, with the B3269 providing the final approach into town.

If you’re driving to South Cornwall in a plug-in electric vehicle, see our list of charging locations here.

By rail, the nearest mainline station is Par, which is around 5 miles from Fowey. From there, you can continue by taxi or local bus. Penzance, Plymouth and London Paddington are all connected by regular Great Western Railway services, and sleeper services also run between London Paddington and Cornwall.

If you are flying, Cornwall Airport Newquay is the nearest airport and is around an hour away by car, depending on traffic.

Where to park in Fowey

Parking is limited and time-restricted in the charming heart of Fowey, so your best bet is to leave the car just outside the centre and enjoy a scenic stroll in – a pleasure in itself with Fowey’s estuary views and pretty streets.

Main Car Park (Hanson Drive)
Perched just above the town, the Main Car Park is a popular choice with 269 spaces and is suitable for both cars and coaches. It’s around a five-minute downhill walk to the centre, though the return is uphill. The town shuttle bus runs from Easter to the end of October, with a reduced winter service. Current parking charges are £2.50 for up to 1 hour, £5.10 for 1 to 2 hours, £7.50 for 2 to 4 hours, £11.50 for 24 hours and £29.00 for a weekly ticket. Evening parking from 6pm to midnight is £2.30, with no charge from midnight to 9am.

Readymoney Car Park
Close to the beach and coastal path, this 60-space car park is perfect if you are beach-bound. It’s about a 10–15 minute walk into town, with lovely views of the estuary along the way, and it can fill up quickly in peak months. Recent local visitor guidance notes that it is free from the beginning of November until mid-March.

Caffa Mill Car Park
Situated right by the Bodinnick car ferry, this Cornwall Council-run car park has 104 spaces and is great for ferry users or for a fairly level 5–10 minute walk into town. There is also a slipway here for boat launching. From 1 April to 31 October, current charges are £1.30 for up to 1 hour, £2.50 for 1 to 2 hours, £5.50 for 2 to 4 hours, £7.00 for 24 hours and £17.40 for a weekly ticket. From 1 November to 31 March, prices fall to £1.00 for up to 1 hour, £1.80 for 1 to 2 hours, £3.00 for 2 to 4 hours, £4.20 for 24 hours and £10.20 for a weekly ticket. Parking is free from 4pm to 9am all year.

Albert Quay Car Park
This is a short-stay option with a maximum stay of 2 hours and no return within 4 hours. It is extremely central, but access is through the narrowest part of town, only 2 metres or 6ft 6in wide, so it is not recommended for larger vehicles. There are 17 spaces. Current charges are £1.60 for up to 30 minutes, £2.50 for up to 1 hour and £5.10 for 1 to 2 hours. Evening parking from 6pm to midnight is £2.30, with no charge from midnight to 9am.

Station Yard Car Park
Located next to Caffa Mill and administered by Fowey Harbour Commissioners, this private car park is a fairly level 5–10 minute walk into the town centre along narrow streets. Cornwall Council tickets cannot be used here.

Town Quay (Winter only)
Short-stay parking for cars is permitted here in winter only, from 1 October to 30 April, with a maximum stay of 2 hours. There are 15 spaces, and access is through the narrowest part of town, again only 2 metres or 6ft 6in wide, so it is best suited to smaller vehicles.

Blue Badge Parking
For disabled visitors, there are limited spaces in central locations: two outside Barclays Bank on Trafalgar Square, one on Town Quay close to the King of Prussia in winter only, and one on Albert Quay. Weekly Rover tickets are available for Cornwall Council long-stay car parks including Main, Readymoney and Caffa Mill.

Best places to eat in Fowey

In Fowey for artistic culinary delights we highly recommend heading to MasterChef finalist Charlie Walter’s new restaurant Narla, on Fore Street. The creative menu showcases a diverse selection of freshly prepared dishes using seasonal ingredients and bold, familiar flavours.

The Ship Inn is the oldest pub in Fowey, built by John Rashleigh in 1570. Grade II listed, it is also known as ‘The Old Lady of Fowey’. It is one of those higgledy-piggledy buildings, full of intriguing curios, but on the practical side is also cosy and dog-friendly, a haven for visitors and locals alike. Atmospheric, it has incredible, intricate stained glass. The food, by the way, is unpretentious and local produce is celebrated.

If you go to Polkerris, try Sam’s on the Beach, which is based in a converted RNLI lifeboat station. The restaurant’s front is made entirely from glass offering sublime views. There is also Sam’s Fowey, restaurant and cocktail bar, for Cornish produce. Try their award-winning burgers.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion, the Harbour Hotel in Fowey offers a stunning setting for afternoon tea with breathtaking views over the estuary. The Secret Garden afternoon tea is the hotel’s take on the quintessentially English treat. Expect freshly baked buttermilk scones, an elegant savoury selection, and indulgent cakes served with Cornish charm. It’s a perfect spot to relax, watch the boats, sit back and savour!

On North Street towards the car ferry you will find Captain Hanks Crab and Snack Shack which is a cheery water’s edge food van. The sandwiches are stuffed with extremely fresh crab. It is not cheap but the quality is excellent. They also sell excellent halloumi fries and use environmentally – friendly compostable takeaway packaging.

For coffee, try Brown Sugar which is a rather hip hang out; it is opposite the church and is a good spot for breakfast and lunch, but the main draw is the coffee. It is made using single-origin sustainably sourced beans roasted in Falmouth so the beans are extremely fresh.

For something a little different, head towards the Esplanade where you will find Pinxto Tapas bar in between the townhouses. This is Spanish cuisine at its best, where you will find manchego with orange blossom honey, patatas bravas and Iberian ham. Try Spanish brandy or sherry. Across the road from Pinxto is the old grammar school garden overlooking the river, a great place to relax after your meal.

The Old Quay House is a swish hotel and restaurant over three floors and is as close to the waves as you can get. It was once a refuge for sailors and stands proud on the shoreline with wonderful views and a huge bifold glass door that is flung open during the summer months so you can watch the yachts go by as you eat.

You really are spoiled for choice, food wise.

What to do:

Child-friendly activities in Fowey

Fish! Always a hit with youngsters, so check out Fowey Aquarium. Perfect for wet weather days, too. It is located at the historic Fowey town quay. Small, but perfectly formed.

But even historic buildings are interesting for the kids in Fowey if you tell them the right tales. For example, Fowey was a popular place with pirates during the 13th-15th centuries. The story goes that when French soldiers also later ransacked the town, the lady of the manor repelled them with molten lead. How gruesome is that? Her old gravestone is on the south side of the church porch. Fowey was also occupied by the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) during the Civil War, so it is a place that brings history to life. There is also an alabaster memorial to John Rashleigh (see below).

If they like running up hills to see curious things, try the corner of Rawlings Lane and Green Lane, where you will find ‘the house of the dragons’ (a garden decorated with dragon sculptures). Alternatively (or also) if they like climbing up things, then try Gribbin Daymark on the headland, which has 109 steps up to wear them out.

Children may also enjoy a trip out to see the Bird Lady of Fowey, to meet the owls and learn a little about some of our best-loved birds of prey.

Watersports

Polkerris is the place for water sports. Here you can learn to sail, stand up paddleboard (SUP), windsurf or powerboat. Immerse yourself in the water for the time of your life. Try an escorted canoe trip with Fowey River Expeditions. At lovely Golant, a small waterside village on the river near Fowey, Encounter Cornwall also offers kayaking expeditions and hire.

If you don’t fancy being in the water, go on it. The Fowey River & Sea Cruises company offers excursions along the river or out to sea. Some of the excursions have commentary, so you will certainly learn something along the way.

Art & Crafts

Fowey River Gallery is a private gallery creating a platform for local artists, and putting on around six exhibitions a year of varying media. Its Georgian townhouse site is rather grand, too. Jo Downs is also in Fowey with her beautiful handmade glass.

Nearby Golant is the nearest village to the iconic Sawmills Studio, established in 1974. Bands who have recorded there include the Muse, Oasis and Razorlight among others. The studio is unique as it can only be accessed by boat or via a railway line that runs past it.

Best beaches to visit in Fowey

Try Readymoney Cove, a south-east facing, sandy beach, which is very relaxing. It does get busy in summer as it is the only beach which has sand at both high and low tides but, out of season, you may even find you have the beach almost to yourselves stop. Daphne du Maurier moved to Readymoney Cove in 1942 – her presence is to be found everywhere in fabulous Fowey.

Polridmouth Cove disappears at high tide, so keep an eye on the water level, but otherwise it is great for swimming and has spellbinding views to Gribbin Head.

Polkerris beach is the other side of Gribbin Head, sandy, with wonderful water quality. Sandcastles and rockpooling beckon. Or try a yoga class on the beach.

Polkerris Beach © Andrew Jones

Shopping

You are spoiled for choice if shopping in Fowey with lots of little boutique, independent shops. Check out Treasures of Fowey for ladies’ clothing and the Liga Eco Store which supports our oceans. The Webb Street Company offers stylish contemporary gifts and homeware. Brocante is similarly inspired. The Romantic Englishwoman is like stepping back in time. Laura Lane, formerly White Doll Arts, is an interesting pottery of renown.

For food, try the Quay Bakery which is the best for bread and pastries from springy sourdoughs to Belgian butter croissant and rosemary focaccia.

Things to do on rainy days in Fowey

Pay a visit to the Fowey Museum which is compact but packed to the rafters with miscellany. During a recent excavation, a Medieval garderobe (toilet) has been unearthed. Also see Fowey Aquarium, mentioned above.

Something different

Be ‘king of the castle’ by popping along from Readymoney car park to St Catherine’s Castle. The castle was built in 1540, commissioned by Henry VIII as protection against French invasion. It remained in use up to and including World War II. It is worth a trip along the woody trail from Readymoney Cove to see the incredible view from up high, although the Castle itself is only a single tower. While you are there, take in the Rashleigh Mausoleum, the burial place of the politician William Rashleigh and his wife and daughter. It is on the hill behind the castle.

If pedal power is more your thing, Woody’s Bike Park (a couple of miles outside of Fowey) is Cornwall’s first dedicated bike park, built by riders for riders, with downhill and freeride trails for a range of abilities.

The Parish Church (St Fimbarrus, who would have traversed Fowey to sail to France and travel on to Rome) dominates the skyline. Inside is an ornate 12th century Norman font, and a hexagonal pulpit, while the church tower is the second highest in Cornwall, after the one at Probus.

Pop on the ferry and check out Polruan, with more snug winding streets and a castle.

The Bird Lady of Fowey is on a farm just outside the town, where you can enjoy a bird of prey experience, meeting, handling and even flying them.

Best walks in Fowey

You can catch the ferry to Polruan and take a walk along the southwest coast path. As the path hugs the cliffs on this particular stretch you will have wonderful views but don’t go too close to the edge. You can walk to the National Trust’s Lantic Bay. You might decide to detour down to the beach but beware, as the climb back up is quite strenuous. The bay is remote, accessed by a long zig-zag path. There is a play train for mini-adventurers just by the car park at Lantic Bay.

Keen walkers might enjoy the Hall Walk Trail, along the Pont Pill creek, which is classified as moderate. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) in total with some steep ascents and descents, but is dog-friendly. The circular route involves some ferry crossings so make sure you have some money to pay the Ferryman. The official route begins at Bodinnick (ferry).

Slightly farther afield try Restormel Castle at Lostwithiel. It is a long walk, so you need to be pretty keen not to just jump in the car and do it the easy way. If you want to go inland in the direction of Padstow, the trail is The Saint’s Way.

Special things to know about

Even today, Fowey remains the main china clay port for Cornwall, while also being popular for yachting. During a typical season, more than 7000 yachts and pleasure crafts visit Fowey, the site of August’s Fowey Regatta Week. The Regatta is a racing feast, which also includes gig racing and a carnival.

Across the water is Menabilly, home to Daphne du Maurier, author of Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. She first saw Fowey aged 19, when on holiday with her mother and sisters. Du Maurier fell in love with Fowey at first sight, exclaiming: ‘like the gateway to another world. My spirits soared.’ She also wrote (in 1967): ‘…Here was the freedom I desired, long sought for, not yet known. Freedom to write, to walk, to wander, freedom to climb hills, to pull a boat, to be alone…’

The town plays tribute annually to her through the literary festival started in her name, the Daphne du Maurier Festival.

Each year local Fowey food businesses present a selection of dishes from another national cuisine, encouraging visitors and locals alike to  ‘Eat your way around the world without leaving Fowey’, find out more here Fowey Food Week. Or when winter arrives, Fowey is a magical spot at Christmas time, and its Christmas market is one of Cornwall’s most enchanting festive events. For 2026, the three-day event will start on Friday 4, until Sunday 6 December.

Fowey Weather

Summer is best in Fowey, where temperatures tend to be comfortably warm. Winter is prone to be wet and windy. Weather wise, the best time to visit is late June to early September. Coolest times are November to March.

Toilets

Public toilets are available at Readymoney Cove beach. There is no charge but there is a donation box outside towards their upkeep. The Main Car Park and the town Quay also have toilets. The ones at Custom House Quay cost 40p. Some Cornwall Council car parks are in the process of being divested, so check with the tourist information office for an update.