01326 574270
Categories: Couples holidays, Family Holiday in Cornwall, Porthleven
Porthleven’s sandy beach is popular for bucket and spade adventures and in the winter is a beachcombers paradise. Dogs are welcome between October and April and at the far side towards to Loe Bar the rest of the year. Another popular beach for walkers is Praa Sands which is just a 10 minute drive from Porthleven. With a long stretch of golden sand and The Welloe Rock cafe overlooking the beach it is fabulous in any season.
With Penrose National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk/penrose) on our doorstep and the South West Coast Path running through the village, there is plenty to do outdoors. The Penrose estate has miles of tarred and gravel tracks for walkers and cyclists. It is an easy cycle to and from Helston with the Penrose Café on the Porthleven side and the Lakeside Cafe on the Helston side. There is plenty of woodlands for the children to explore en-route.
You can hire a bike from the Ride One ebikes located next to the market in the Porthleven Shipyard. The chaps at Ride On are really knowledgable about the local area and will provide you with lots of ideas and maps.
For foodies, Porthleven is a gem! There are too many wonderful eateries to explore them all in a weekend.
Mussel Shoal is a lively open air cafe on the harbour head. Enjoy alfresco moules and fries and other lovely eats. Open April to October. You can order your food at Mussel Shoal and eat it in the Shoal Brewery in the winter months.
Equally as enticing are The Square, Porthleven (01326 573911 thesquareatporthleven.co.uk) and Kota Kai which is a fabulous family restaurant serving Asian fusion dishes and plenty of choice for the little ones, plus a games room (01326 727707 www.kotakai.co.uk), perfect for Sunday lunch. Amelie is a popular choice is great for seafood lovers, serving up the freshest fish dishes with local ingredients (01326 653653 ameliesporthleven.co.uk).
If it is a relaxed café you are after, Nauti-but-Ice provides lovely lunches, cakes and ice-creams. The popular Twisted Current on Fore Street is a traditional cafe with incredible cakes and lunch time dishes.
There is plenty for families at any time of year!
Autumn and Winter are perfect for a 3 or 4 night getaway with the family. Explore a quaint fishing villages and bring your wellies for countryside walks.
Some of our favouite at this time of year are beachcombing on Praa Sands beach, walking the cliff path to Loe Bar, visiting our local National Trust properties, hunting for treasure in beach caves at Poldhu with a hot chocolate at the Poldhu Beach cafe afterwards. Take a walk at low tide, over the historic causeway at Marazion to St Michael’s Mount (stmichaelsmount.co.uk) Spend the day exploring the gardens and the castle at this fascinating National Trust property.
If your children love the thrill of a roller coaster or want to sit in the cockpit of Concord, you can nip up the road to Flambards, a traditional theme park with the added attraction of an enormous Victorian village to explore (01326 573404, flambards.co.uk). Open Spring to Autumn.
Porthleven’s Harbour Market is open from April – October, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and has an array of beautifully craft local goods such as ceramics, photography, candles, clothing and homeware. The Christmas market is on the first weekend of December each year and brings around 30 local traders, entertainment and plenty of Christmas cheer!
The Salt Cellar Workshops (01326 565707, saltcellarworkshops.co.uk) house many small, independent craftspeople and is worth a scout around. Don’t miss Porthleven’s galleries around the village. Take a look at Four Crows and the Customs House Gallery (01326 569365, customshouse.co.uk/gallery) for the best of local talent. The Cornwall Art Gallery is located on Fore Street. The Lifeboat House has weekly exhibitions from well known local artists and wonderful views across the harbour!
