Video - Polperro in Cornwall

A video guide to Polperro in Cornwall. Polperro village and is small fishing port on the south-east Cornwall. Situated on the River Pol,four miles west of Looe.

Polperro boats a picturesque fishing harbour lined with tightly packed houses.

Visitors cannot take their cars into the village; they leave their vehicles in the main car park just outside the village as they approach from the north and walk the remaining half mile to Polperro harbour.

There are horse and cart rides and milk floats disguised as trams for anybody who feels they cannot manage the walk.

Attractions for visitors include the Polperro Heritage Museum of Fishing and Smuggling which is housed on the harbour side in an old fish processing warehouse, The Museum has interesting photographs from the village's history. In the summer months there are boat trips from the harbour to view the coast line and occasionally dolphins and seals.

For centuries Polperro was a pilchard fishing and processing port. The fish were drawn to the south Cornwall coast to feed in late summer and brought rich pickings for local fishermen. Once ashore, the fish were salted and pressed and the oil was collected as a by-product and used for heating and lighting.

Today the port still has around supports a small fleet of boats that fish for  flat fish, scallops, crabs, monkfish, ray, pollock, bass and cod.

The Polperro Festival is held every year starting on the third Saturday in June and running for 9 days: the Festival includes musical performances, dancing and various other artistic activities.

On New Year's Eve, a large number of the local Polperro population dress up in costumes, traditionally as pirates, and head to one or the other of the village pubs.

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