Feock, Cornwall – Creekside Village on the Fal Estuary

HOLIDAYS IN FEOCK

Feock (pronounced “Fee-ock”) is one of the loveliest villages on the Fal estuary. It sits on the western shore of the Carrick Roads, the great sheltered stretch of water between Truro and Falmouth, about five miles south of Truro. Thatched and whitewashed cottages cluster around the church and its unusual detached bell tower, and narrow lanes wind down to quiet creeks full of boats.

Feock is also the name of a large parish that takes in the creekside hamlets of Pill, Penpol, Point and Restronguet Point, the National Trust’s Trelissick estate, the village of Devoran and the inland village of Carnon Downs. Its shoreline runs from the King Harry Ferry in the east round to Restronguet Creek in the west.

For families, the place to head for is Loe Beach, a sheltered shingle beach facing out across the Carrick Roads, with a café, a watersports centre and boat hire. The water here is calm, so it is a good place to try paddleboarding or kayaking, or simply to watch the yachts and the traditional oyster boats sailing by.

Feock is a peaceful base for exploring the Fal. Walk the creekside paths to Pill Creek and Restronguet, cross the river on the King Harry Ferry to the Roseland Peninsula, or spend a day among the gardens and woods of Trelissick. Truro is a short drive away, and Falmouth is reached easily by road or by boat from Trelissick.

For somewhere to stay, see Feock holiday cottages and holidays and short breaks in Feock.

Best Time to Visit Feock

Spring is a lovely time for the gardens at Trelissick and for quiet walks along the creeks. Summer brings the busiest days at Loe Beach, with the watersports centre in full swing and regattas on the water. Autumn colours the woods along the Fal, and the oyster boats begin dredging under sail. In winter the village is very peaceful, with wading birds on the mudflats of the creeks.

Loe Beach car park is small and fills early on fine summer days – arrive in the morning or late afternoon.

LOE BEACH & THE CREEKS

Loe Beach lies a short way south of the village, at the foot of a steep lane. It is a small beach of shingle and sand flanked by rock pools, looking out across the Carrick Roads to the Roseland. There is a car park behind the beach, a café, public toilets and the Loe Beach Watersports centre, which hires kayaks and paddleboards and runs lessons. An outing to Loe Beach has been a favourite for generations of local families.

There are no lifeguards at Loe Beach, but the water is sheltered from the open sea and usually calm. Keep an eye on boats coming and going, and watch the tide over the rocks. Dogs are welcome on the beach all year.

North of the beach, Pill Creek is a little wooded inlet full of moorings, reached by a footpath along the shore; at low tide you can walk around the beach at its mouth. On the other side of the parish, Penpol Creek runs down past the hamlets of Penpol and Point to Restronguet Creek. Before Devoran grew into a port, Pill Creek, Roundwood Quay and Daniell’s Quay at Point were all used to ship copper ore to South Wales.

The waters of the Carrick Roads are a Special Area of Conservation, with important habitats for wildlife. Look out for herons, little egrets and wading birds on the creeks at low tide.

No lifeguards at Loe Beach. Check the Met Office beach forecast and tide times before you go.

ST FEOCK’S CHURCH

At the heart of the village, the parish church is dedicated to St Feoca, a little-known Celtic saint; the dedication is recorded around 1264. The church itself was almost entirely rebuilt in the 19th century, but its bell tower survives from the 13th century – and, most unusually, it stands on its own, a few yards to the west of the church.

The squat stone tower has a pyramid-shaped slate roof and contains three bells, cast from one larger medieval bell. It has been suggested that it stands apart because it also served as a lookout over the Fal and the Carrick Roads, though today the view is hidden by trees. Inside the church, the font is a hidden treasure, with Romanesque carving, and there is an ancient cross in the churchyard.

Feock is also remembered for its place in the history of the Cornish language. The 18th-century historian William Hals recorded that as late as 1640 the vicar, the Reverend William Jackson, gave the sacrament in Cornish, because his parishioners understood no other language, and Feock is often said to be the last church where services were held in Cornish.

TRELISSICK & THE KING HARRY FERRY

At the eastern end of the parish, the National Trust’s Trelissick estate stands high above the Fal, with a Georgian house, a garden of rare and tender plants, and woodland walks running down to the river. It is one of the best places to see the Fal estuary, and you can arrive by boat: the Enterprise Boats between Falmouth and Malpas call at the Trelissick pontoon.

Below Trelissick, the King Harry Ferry – a chain ferry that pulls itself across the river on two chains – carries cars, cyclists and walkers between Feock and the Roseland Peninsula. It saves a long drive round by road to St Mawes and St Just in Roseland, and the crossing itself, between steep wooded banks, is a highlight of any visit.

Just inland, on the lane between Carnon Downs and the ferry, the thatched Quaker meeting house at Come-to-Good dates from 1710 and is one of the oldest Quaker meeting houses in the country. It is open to visitors, and Friends still meet there for worship every Sunday.

• Trelissick – Cornwall Online
• King Harry Ferry and Fal River ferries

HISTORY OF FEOCK

Feock’s Cornish name, Lannfyek, points to an early Christian enclosure, and the parish church was dedicated to St Feoca by the 13th century. For centuries this was a farming and fishing parish on the creeks of the Fal, where Cornish was still spoken in the 17th century.

From the 18th century the parish was drawn into the great mining boom of Gwennap and the Carnon Valley. Before Devoran grew into a port, Pill Creek, Roundwood Quay and Daniell’s Quay at Point were all used to ship copper ore to the smelters of South Wales. Point Quay was built by Thomas Daniell around 1760, and smelting works grew up at Point and Penpol. In 1826 the Redruth and Chasewater Railway reached the creek, and the new port of Devoran grew up at its head; it was part of Feock parish until it became a parish of its own in 1873.

In the 1800s, Cornish wrestling tournaments for prizes were held on Feock Downs. When the mines closed, the creeks fell quiet again, and today Feock is a peaceful residential village with a strong sailing tradition. The parish had a population of 3,752 at the 2011 census, and it is twinned with Hôpital-Camfrout in Brittany.

Key Buildings

• St Feock’s Church – the village church, largely rebuilt in the 19th century, with its Romanesque font. See St Feock’s Church above.
• The bell tower – the detached 13th-century tower with its pyramid slate roof, the only surviving part of the medieval church.
• Come-to-Good Meeting House – the thatched Quaker meeting house of 1710, on the lane towards the King Harry Ferry.
• Trelissick House – the Georgian house at the heart of the National Trust estate above the Fal.
• Point Quay – the quay built by Thomas Daniell around 1760 at the mouth of Penpol Creek, once busy with copper ore and coal.

NOTABLE PEOPLE

• The Reverend William Jackson – vicar of Feock, who according to William Hals still gave the sacrament in Cornish as late as 1640, because his parishioners understood no other language.
• Thomas Daniell (1715–1793) – the Truro merchant and mine owner who built the Mansion House in Truro, and the quay at Point, long known as Daniell’s Point, around 1760.

WALKS FROM FEOCK

Feock Parish Council has created a series of Feock Trails, waymarked walks exploring the parish’s creeks and history. A favourite circuit runs from the village down to Pill Creek and along the shore (avoid high tide, when the beach path is covered), then over the hill to Loe Beach, with fine views over the Carrick Roads and Restronguet Creek.

Other walks follow Penpol Creek and the old tram road from Point Quay towards Devoran, explore the woods and lawns of Trelissick, or cross on the King Harry Ferry for walks on the Roseland. From Devoran, the traffic-free Coast to Coast Trail follows the old mineral tramway all the way to Portreath on the north coast.

• Feock Parish Council – Feock Trails
• Restronguet Creek – Cornwall Online
• Walking in Cornwall – Cornwall Online walks

THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND FEOCK

Feock is a place for slowing down – for creekside walks, picnics on the beach and messing about in boats. The Fal estuary is on your doorstep, and Truro and Falmouth are close by for shopping and rainy days.

1. Spend a day at Loe Beach, with a paddleboard or kayak from the watersports centre.
2. See the detached bell tower of St Feock’s church.
3. Explore Trelissick, the National Trust garden and woods above the Fal – Trelissick.
4. Cross the Fal on the King Harry Ferry to the Roseland – the Roseland Peninsula.
5. Take the boat from Trelissick to Falmouth – Falmouth.
6. Walk the creeks to Pill Creek, Penpol and Restronguet – Restronguet Creek.
7. Visit the Quaker meeting house at Come-to-Good.
8. Cycle the Coast to Coast Trail from Devoran – Devoran.
9. Visit Truro Cathedral and the Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery – Truro.

LOCAL EVENTS

• Feock Regatta (summer) – sailing races off the village, including the traditional Falmouth working boats.
• Devoran Regatta (summer) – races and gig rowing on Restronguet Creek – see Devoran.
• Truro events – the Truro Food Festival in late September and the Christmas market from late November – see Truro.

Dates change from year to year – check Feock Parish Council and local noticeboards for this year’s events.

PLACES NEAR FEOCK

• Restronguet Creek – the creek between Feock and Mylor, with Point Quay and the Pandora Inn.
• Devoran – the old mining port at the head of Restronguet Creek and the start of the Coast to Coast Trail.
• Mylor and Flushing – waterside villages on the far side of Restronguet Creek.
• Truro – Cornwall’s cathedral city, about five miles north.
• Falmouth – by road or by boat from Trelissick.
• The Roseland Peninsula and St Just in Roseland – across the King Harry Ferry.