Falmouth Town

We arrived in Falmouth in early August after a day sail from Fowey.  It was a beat in fairly light winds but the forecast was for  a series of low pressure systems so we abandoned our ideas of going to the Scilly Islands and decided to explore Falmouth Harbour and the Helford River.

It was late when we arrived, all the marinas were full so we picked up one of the last visitor moorings in the harbour.  The next day the harbourmaster came to collect his fees saying he could smell the bacon from miles away and he’d like to bacon rolls to take away.  He also said he’d call back if there was a marina berth available.  By lunchtime we found one at Port Pendennis Marina at the southern edge of Falmouth outside the Maritime Museum.

There are three marinas along with the visitor moorings in Falmouth alone so there usually isn’t trouble finding a space but the weather forecast, time of year and the Falmouth Regatta taking place berths were more scarce than usual.  Once moored up with Trouper’s batteries charging we wandered ashore.  First stop was the marina office to pay our berthing fees and get the shower codes.

There are full facilities but the showers and laundry are a 5 minute walk away from the moorings through a locked gate and round the back of the RNLI station.  This is, I suspect, because Port Pendennis marina is part of a waterside housing development and the good real estate has been given over to the houses overlooking the locked inner marina.  There are two showers and toilets for each of the men and women and a family shower.  There is a separate laundry.

The Pendennis area has had a makeover since I was last there in 2000 and it now feels like part of the main town rather than  separate.  The National Maritime Museum Cornwall development has been the major contributor and beside it are some restaurants some local and some high street such as Pizza Express and Rick Stein.  There’s also a few shops including a bakery, Tesco Express and a Musto.

It’s a short walk along the street into the main town area.  There is everything you could imagine by way of shops from Trago Mills through to Butchers, Bakers, Coffee Shops, restaurants and an award winning fish and chip shop and the usual high street brand names.  The tourist information is on the main quay and there are plenty of promotions to take up such as the mussel card that gives discounted ferry and harbour trips.  There are also regular bus and train routes to take you further afield.

In terms of activities in harbour there is plenty to do inside and out including: the Pendennis Castle, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, an aquarium, ferry trips, sea school, plenty of beaches, concerts, walks and swimming pools.

We spent three nights at Falmouth and could only scratch the surface of the activities available.  Further postings will follow on Food, Books, the Maritime Museum, Helford River and the Truro River.