Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Essentials
GETTING THERE
The nearest mainline station is at Liskeard, 3
1
⁄
2
hours by
First
Great Western
train (
&
08457/000125;
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) from Lon-
don's Paddington Station, with a delightful branch line to Looe. It costs from £41 per
person one-way.
If you're
driving
to Looe, take the A38 west once you've crossed the Tamar into
Cornwall, and then the B3253. To get to Polperro, follow the A387 southwest from
Looe. For Lostwithiel, take the A38 west, then the A390. Continue on this southwest
to branch off for Fowey.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Looe Tourist Information Centre,
Guildhall,
Fore Street (
&
01503/262072;
www.visit-southeastcornwall.co.uk), is open Easter
to September, daily 10am to 5pm; October, daily 10am to 2pm; and November to
Easter, Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm.
Fowey Tourist Information Centre,
5
South St. (
&
01726/833616;
www.fowey.co.uk), is open daily 10am to 4:30pm.
Lostwithiel Tourist Information
is at Lostwithiel Community Centre on Liddi-
coat Road just off the A390 (
&
01208/872207;
www.lostwithieltouristinformation.
webs.com). It's open Easter to November Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday
10am to 1pm; November to Easter Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm.
Exploring the Area
If you love beer and trains then a trip on the
Looe Valley Line's
Rail Ale Trail is a
must. Running from Liskeard to Looe, along the river valley, it stops close to four
historic pubs along the way. Ranger tickets give you the freedom to travel the line for
a full day, visiting pubs and maybe enjoying country walks too. Visit www.railaletrail.
com for more information.
LOOE
Looe Island
NATURE RESERVE Nature lovers can take the 20-minute boat trip
out to this small island, which is home to nesting seabirds, seals, and wild flowers. A
Benedictine chapel was built here in the 12th century, but by the 1700s it was the
haunt of smugglers.
The
Islander
boat leaves from the lifeboat station slipway in East Looe.
&
01873/273939.
www.cornwall
wildlifetrust.org.uk. Return boat trips £6 adults, £4 children, landing fee £2.50 adults, £1 children. Trips
run Easter-Sept, are tide dependent, and last around 2 hours.
Old Guildhall Museum & Gaol
MUSEUM Dating back to the 16th century,
Looe's former courthouse is the oldest building in the town. It has been converted
into a small museum tracing the town's history, with model ships, photos, and domes-
tic artifacts.
Higher Market St., East Looe.
&
01503/263709.
Admission £1.80 adults, 80p children 16 and under,
£4.50 family ticket. Easter, then late May-late Sept daily 11:30am-4:30pm. Closed Oct-mid-May.
FOWEY
When the river silted up and Lostwithiel could no longer function as a port, Fowey
(pronounced
Foy
) took its place. Raided by a Spanish fleet in 1380, its strategic
importance was endorsed when an artillery fort,
St. Catherine's Castle
(www.
english-heritage.co.uk; free admission; daily) was built here in the 16th century by
Henry VIII. Reached by a winding footpath from Ready Money Cove, it offers great
views of the harbor. A ship sailed from here to fight with Drake against the Spanish
Armada, and Fowey was later a departure point for forces massing for the D-Day
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