South Cornwall - Devon and Cornwall - page 371

SOUTHEAST CORNWALL
East of the Roseland, Cornwall's south coast opens up through a string of beaches and ports
that have long since swapped fishing gear for beach togs. Looe, Mevagissey and Polperro
are among the most heavily touristed towns in Cornwall, although things are more upmar-
ket in Fowey.
Further on is the Rame Peninsula, sometimes known as 'Cornwall's forgotten corner'.
It's mainly worth visiting for its aristocratic estates, including Antony, Mount Edgcumbe
and Port Eliot.
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St Austell
Once a busy market town, St Austell's looking decidedly down in the dumps these days
(and that's after the multi-million pound redevelopment of its town centre). Still, it's a
handy spot for shopping and supplies before you venture out along the southeast coast.
Buses from St Austell are the 522 (hourly Monday to Saturday), 524 to Fowey (10
daily), 525 to Charlestown and Fowey (10 daily Monday to Saturday), 526 (hourly Monday
to Saturday, four on Sunday) to Mevagissey, Heligan and Gorran Haven, and 527 (hourly
Monday to Saturday, six on Sunday) from Newquay to St Austell and the Eden Project. St
Austell is on the London Paddington-Penzance line, with connections along the branch line
to Par.
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Charlestown
In centuries past most of the china clay from the St Austell quarries was shipped out from
Charlestown, but it's now a favourite location for film crews; several blockbusters and cos-
tume dramas have used its quayside as a backdrop. The town's seagoing heritage is ex-
plored at the Charlestown Shipwreck & Heritage Centre ( 01726-69897; www.shipwreckcharlestown.com ;
adult/child £5.95/2.95; 10am-5pm Mar-Oct) . It houses a massive collection of objects and ephem-
era recovered from 150 global shipwrecks - ranging from telescopes, muskets, scrimshaw
and coins to howitzer cannons and a few choice pieces from the Titanic and Lusitania .