One of my main aims for my visit to Cornwall was to see tiny, picturesque, fishing villages because I just love them where ever they are. On our travels around Cornwall we had visited several (I have written about these in earlier blog posts) Charming and all as they were I have to admit it was love at first sight when I arrived in Port Isaac and found exactly the Cornish village I'd hoped for.
Port Isaac dates from the middle ages with the current village centre dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. As a designated conservation area with 90 listed buildings and a population of only 700+ it is a joy to wander its quiet, narrow lanes and alleys. It has always been a fishing village and still is today with a fish market operating right on the water's edge offering fresh fish, crab and lobster for sale.
Below: The quiet main street in the early morning
Our good fortune was to arrive early in the morning when few people were around so we had the streets almost to ourselves. As a very well known film location - TV series, Doc Martin, where it goes by the fictitious name of Port Wenn, and the movie, The Fishermen's Friends, one of many, the quaint streets and beauty of the village draws in location spotters and movie fans. This has brought fortune to the village but can also be rather tiresome for residents when hordes of tourists arrive clogging up the streets. Incidentally, The Fishermen's Friends was based on a local group of singers, specialising in sea shanties and who have achieved wide acclaim.
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| The chemist's in Doc Martin. It is actually an ice cream shop - filming took place both inside and out. Moveable shelves easily transformed it for filming |
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| Doc Martin's Aunt's house |
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| Squeezee Belly Lane. In the Guinness Book of records as the world's narrowest lane. Legend has it that smugglers used it as an escape route from the tax man. |
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| Our guide outside Doc Martin's home and surgery. Inside shots were filmed elsewhere. |
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Very old building by the boat harbour. Deemed architecturally significant |
All too soon our visit to Port Isaac came to an end. I could have stayed there for days. The idea of renting a cottage for a week ( for Doc Martin fans you can rent his house which is now a holiday home) to enjoy the coastal walks and the life of the village would be a dream that is unlikely to come true nevertheless I will always remember my visit very fondly. Port Isaac is enchanting, the Cornwall of my dreams.
As an aside, tourism both enriches and destroys villages. A lot of the long term residents are finding many of the cottages are now being bought as holiday homes for people from London and other places. This pushes the prices up making it hard for the residents and their families to remain in the area. The holiday home owners arrive in huge four wheel drives which clog up the narrow streets and make life difficult for everyone. As a tourist I tried to do my bit for the local economy by making a few purchases but it is a real dilemma for tourists; do you visit and help the local economy or do you leave the village a bit poorer but more peaceful. The tyranny of being beautiful, I guess.
If you do visit there are a number of lovely places to eat and some excellent craft shops to explore.
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