Holidays in Porthleven, Cornwall – Harbour, Beach & Loe Bar

HOLIDAYS IN PORTHLEVEN

Porthleven is a lively little harbour town on the shore of Mount’s Bay, about two and a half miles south-west of Helston, between the Lizard Peninsula and Marazion. It is often described as the most southerly port in Britain, and its granite harbour, lined with cottages, net lofts and old warehouses, is the heart of the town.

Guarding the harbour mouth is Porthleven’s famous landmark, the Bickford-Smith Institute with its clock tower, built in 1884. On stormy days, huge waves break over the pier and the institute – a sight that draws photographers from all over the country.

Today Porthleven is best known for its food. The harbourside is lined with restaurants, cafés, pubs and bakeries, many serving fish and shellfish landed by the town’s small fishing fleet, and the Porthleven Food Festival each spring is one of the biggest in Cornwall.

Running south-east from the harbour is Porthleven beach, the start of a long sweep of sand and shingle towards Loe Bar and the National Trust’s Penrose estate, where Loe Pool, the largest natural lake in Cornwall, lies behind the bar.

Porthleven is also one of Britain’s most famous surf spots: on big winter swells its reef produces a powerful right-hand wave for experienced surfers. For walkers, the South West Coast Path runs west towards Praa Sands and east over Loe Bar to Gunwalloe and the Lizard.

The town has galleries, independent shops, a surgery and a choice of pubs, including the Grade II listed Ship Inn on the harbour. For bigger shopping trips, the market town of Helston is only a few minutes away.

Porthleven makes an excellent base for exploring West Cornwall – St Michael’s Mount, Penzance, the Lizard Peninsula and Falmouth are all within easy reach. Accommodation ranges from harbourside cottages to holiday homes with sea views – see Porthleven holiday cottages and holidays and short breaks in Porthleven.

Best Time to Visit Porthleven

Spring brings the Porthleven Food Festival in late April and wildflowers along the coast path. Summer is the season for the beach, with RNLI lifeguards on Porthleven beach and long evenings on the harbourside.

Autumn and winter are dramatic: Atlantic storms send waves crashing over the clock tower, the reef comes alive for surfers, and the harbourside restaurants are cosy and quieter. Watch storms from a safe distance – never on the pier.

PORTHLEVEN HARBOUR & THE CLOCK TOWER

Porthleven’s harbour was built as a harbour of refuge. In the days of sail, ships caught in Mount’s Bay by south-westerly gales were often driven ashore, and after many losses an appeal was made for a safe haven between Falmouth and Penzance. Work began in about 1810, with the pier built out from the seaward end to stop the sea washing the foundations away.

The harbour faces south-west, straight into the prevailing winds, and it struggled at first. Its fortunes changed after 1855, when a new breakwater created the locked inner harbour. The harbour then thrived on fishing, boatbuilding and trade – china stone and clay from Tregonning Hill went out, coal and timber came in – and dozens of fishing boats were built here in the late 19th century for ports around Britain and beyond.

The Bickford-Smith Institute, with its 70-foot clock tower, opened at the harbour mouth in December 1884, on the site of an old inn. It is listed Grade II and is home to the town council. The old lifeboat station of 1894 stands on the west side of the harbour entrance; the RNLI lifeboat served here from 1863 until 1929.

Look out too for the old cannon set either side of the harbour – recovered in the 1960s from the wreck of HMS Anson, lost at Loe Bar in 1807 – and the plaque to Guy Gibson VC on the clock tower building. The harbour is still privately owned and is used by a small fleet of fishing boats and pleasure craft.

PORTHLEVEN BEACH, LOE BAR & LOE POOL

Porthleven beach begins just south-east of the harbour, below the clock tower, and at low tide stretches for miles along the coast towards Loe Bar. It is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards in the summer season and has rock pools at its western end; the sea here can be rough, with strong currents, so always swim between the flags. A seasonal dog ban applies to the part of the beach nearest the harbour – see our Porthleven beach guide.

About a mile along the coast is Loe Bar, a great bank of sand and shingle that seals off the valley of the River Cober. Behind it lies Loe Pool, the largest natural lake in Cornwall, and the woods and parkland of the National Trust’s Penrose estate, crossed by easy paths around the lake. Legend has it that Loe Pool is where Sir Bedivere threw King Arthur’s sword Excalibur.

Swimming at Loe Bar is extremely dangerous – the beach shelves steeply and there are powerful undertows. Enjoy it for walking, not bathing. For more, see our Loe Bar guide.

Loe Bar was the scene of one of Cornwall’s worst shipwrecks. In December 1807 the frigate HMS Anson was driven ashore here in a storm and more than a hundred men drowned within sight of the shore. Watching helplessly was Helston man Henry Trengrouse, who went on to invent a rocket-fired line to carry rescuers’ ropes to stricken ships, and the disaster led to a change in the law in 1808 so that drowned sailors could be buried in consecrated ground. A white memorial cross stands on the cliff above the bar.

THINGS TO DO IN PORTHLEVEN

Porthleven combines a working harbour, a long beach and some of the best places to eat in Cornwall, with the Lizard and Mount’s Bay on the doorstep.

For families, the beach, rock pools and lifeguards in summer, walks around Loe Pool and days out at Flambards or the Cornish Seal Sanctuary make for easy holidays. On rainy days, Helston’s museum, Flambards’ indoor attractions and the galleries and cafés of the harbour are all close by.

For walkers, the coast path runs both ways from the harbour. Here are some of the best things to do in and around Porthleven.

1. Eat your way around the harbour – fish, pasties, bakeries and fine dining.
2. Spend a day on Porthleven beach – Porthleven beach guide.
3. Walk to Loe Bar and around Loe Pool on the Penrose estate.
4. Watch the surfers – or surf the reef if you are experienced – south Cornwall surf guide.
5. Visit the Porthleven Food Festival in late April.
6. Explore the Lizard Peninsula – Lizard beaches.
7. Walk the coast path at Mullion – Mullion and Polurrian Cove walk.
8. Visit St Michael’s Mount – St Michael’s Mount.
9. Have a family day at Flambards – Flambards.
10. See the seals at Gweek – Cornish Seal Sanctuary.

HISTORY OF PORTHLEVEN

Porthleven’s name is thought to come from St Elwen, and a chapel dedicated to him stood here before 1270. For centuries the village was a small fishing cove in the parish of Sithney, close to the old manor and market of Methleigh, which dates back to 1066. Helston, just inland, was once a port itself, until the growth of Loe Bar cut it off from the sea.

The building of the harbour from about 1810 transformed the village. After the inner harbour was completed in 1855, Porthleven grew into a busy port for fishing, boatbuilding and the export of china stone and clay; the church of St Bartholomew was built in 1842, and Porthleven became a parish of its own in 1844. The Bickford-Smith Institute followed in 1884, and the RNLI kept a lifeboat here from 1863 to 1929.

In the 20th century fishing and trade declined, and Porthleven was part of the borough of Helston from 1934 until 1974, becoming a parish again in 1985. Today it is a thriving town of over 3,000 people, known for its restaurants, its food festival and its surf, while its harbour and old buildings are protected within a conservation area.

KEY BUILDINGS & LANDMARKS

• The Bickford-Smith Institute – the Grade II listed clock tower building of 1884 at the harbour mouth, now home to the town council.
• Porthleven harbour – begun around 1810 as a harbour of refuge, with its inner harbour of 1855.
• The Ship Inn – the Grade II listed pub on the west side of the harbour.
• St Bartholomew’s Church – the parish church, built in 1842.
• The old lifeboat house – built in 1894 at the harbour entrance, the station closing in 1929.
• The HMS Anson memorial – the white cross above Loe Bar, remembering those lost in 1807.

LOCAL EVENTS IN PORTHLEVEN

The biggest date in Porthleven’s calendar is its food festival, but there is plenty going on nearby through the year.

• Porthleven Food Festival (late April) – three days of free entry, chef demonstrations, street food, local producers and live music around the harbour.
• Helston Flora Day (8 May, or the nearest Saturday when it falls on a Sunday or Monday) – Cornwall’s famous Furry Dance, a few miles inland.
• Summer on the harbour (July and August) – lifeguarded beach days and evenings on the harbourside.
• Winter storm watching (October to March) – waves over the clock tower, best seen from a safe distance.

Dates change from year to year – check our Cornwall events guide for current dates.

PLACES NEAR PORTHLEVEN

• Helston – the market town of Flora Day, about 2½ miles north-east.
• Gunwalloe – Church Cove and its church in the dunes, beyond Loe Bar.
• Praa Sands – a mile of golden sand, about 4 miles west.
• Mullion – the gateway to the Lizard, with its harbour cove.
• Marazion – facing St Michael’s Mount, about 10 miles west.