Mevagissey

Mevagissey is a picturesque fishing village on the coast of South Cornwall.

Understand
Enjoy time wandering around the harbour and the shops, eating Cornish pasties or ice cream (a recipe for a heart attack, according to a local GP!) There are restaurants and pubs, and it's a good base for visiting local attractions such as the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden project.

There's a large car park as you enter the village which is a good place to stop since the lanes ahead get quite narrow and busy, especially in the Summer months.

The winter months are also a great time to visit, especially over New Year where everyone dresses up in fancy dress and wandered between the pubs.

Mevagissey is pronounced 'Mevagizzey', with the stress on the penultimate syllable, i.e. gizz.

Get in
If you are driving, take the A390 to St Austell and turn off at McDonalds. If you are coming from Exeter or beyond, the A30 into Cornwall is half an hour quicker than the A38 via Plymouth.

There is a mainline train service through St Austell, and a regular bus service from St Austell to Mevagissey. National Express also stops at St Austell.

Newquay airport is about 45 minutes drive away, and there is an expanding range of air services flying into Newquay - try Air South West, BA and Ryanair.

Ferry from Fowey in the summer.

Get around
Best not to try to drive around the village while you are here - unless you like squeezing past other cars and pedestrians in the very narrow streets. The streets can be very busy with cars, and pedestrians must usually wedge up against a wall to let cars, vans and lorries go past. Park up and walk! The harbour car park is the best value, and this helps to support the harbour, which is a charity. Cycling is forbidden along some parts of the harbour, although there are no such restrictions for cars.

See
Most people come to see the harbour and its fishing boats. The aquarium and museum, both on the harbourside, are also worth a look. Both are charities and rely on donations from visitors.

Do
Feast week is an annual event in June when there's a carnival, live music, dancing, processions, raft races etc. It is always the week with the 29th of June in it (St Peter's Day - patron saint of fishermen and of the local parish church). If the 29th is a Sunday, that is the first day of Feast Week.

In July and August you can take an hour trip around the bay on one of the local fishing boats, or hire a self-drive motor boat from the Aquarium slipway.

Sleep

 * Mandalay, School Hill, +44 1726 842435. Friendly B&B with plenty of parking for all rooms. Prices from £25 pppn.
 * Fountain Inn, Cliff Street, +44 1726 842320. A pleasant real ale pub, serving superb home cooked food.The rooms have been updated. B&B rooms with ensuite from £30 pppn.
 * The Moorings, Polkirt Hill - +44 1726 843476. A B&B with 2 double en suite rooms from £25pppn overlooking the harbour, and with its own parking (which is a rarity in Mevagissey).

Go next
During the summer months there's a regular passenger ferry between Mevagissey and Fowey, which is a nice way to spend 30 minutes on a sunny day. Alternatively walk along the coastal path in either direction passing by some beautiful and quiet beaches, or hire cycles in the nearby Pentewan village and go for a ride along the many cycle paths nearby.