Mevagissey is a picturesque fishing village on the south coast of Cornwall.
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.
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.
- Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, St.Austell, PL26 6EN. 19th-century Gardenesque-style botanical gardens. 80 acres of stunning landscaped scenery with a huge complex of walled flower and vegetable gardens
- Caerhays Castle and Gardens, Caerhays Estate, Caerhays, Gorran, PL26 6LY, +44 1872 501310. The gardens will be open daily from 19 Feb-June 17, 2018. The castle will be open for 45-minute guided tours from the 19 Mar-15 June 2018, M-F only, including bank holidays. Tour times: 11:30AM, 1PM and 2:30PM. gardens that are the home of the Williams family. The gardens originated from the work of plant hunters in China at the start of the 20th century. Caerhays bred the very first williamsii camellias and is today the home of a Plant Heritage National Collection of Magnolias containing over 600 species and named hybrids from around the world. The gardens have an international reputation. Admission to the gardens or castle tour: adults £8.50, seniors £7.50, children 5-16 £4.50. A combined ticket costs £13.50, £12.50, £6.50 respectively. Children under 5 enter free.
- Mevagissey Museum, East Wharf, Inner Harbour, PL26 6QR (left hand side of the harbour. Easter to October: Daily 11AM - 4PM (July Aug: 10AM-5PM). The Mevagissey Museum is very interesting. free.
- Mevagissey Aquarium, 27 Polkirt Hill, PL26 6UR. Easter - Oct, daily 10AM - 6PM.. A charity run small aquarium in the old lifeboat station. The station was built in 1897 and has housed an aquarium since the 1950s. free, donation requested.
Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, St.Austell, PL26 6EN. 19th-century Gardenesque-style botanical gardens. 80 acres of stunning landscaped scenery with a huge complex of walled flower and vegetable gardens
Caerhays Castle and Gardens, Caerhays Estate, Caerhays, Gorran, PL26 6LY, +44 1872 501310. The gardens will be open daily from 19 Feb-June 17, 2018. The castle will be open for 45-minute guided tours from the 19 Mar-15 June 2018, M-F only, including bank holidays. Tour times: 11:30AM, 1PM and 2:30PM. gardens that are the home of the Williams family. The gardens originated from the work of plant hunters in China at the start of the 20th century. Caerhays bred the very first williamsii camellias and is today the home of a Plant Heritage National Collection of Magnolias containing over 600 species and named hybrids from around the world. The gardens have an international reputation. Admission to the gardens or castle tour: adults £8.50, seniors £7.50, children 5-16 £4.50. A combined ticket costs £13.50, £12.50, £6.50 respectively. Children under 5 enter free.
Mevagissey Museum, East Wharf, Inner Harbour, PL26 6QR (left hand side of the harbour. Easter to October: Daily 11AM - 4PM (July Aug: 10AM-5PM). The Mevagissey Museum is very interesting. free.
Mevagissey Aquarium, 27 Polkirt Hill, PL26 6UR. Easter - Oct, daily 10AM - 6PM.. A charity run small aquarium in the old lifeboat station. The station was built in 1897 and has housed an aquarium since the 1950s. free, donation requested.
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.
- Alvorada, E Wharf, PL26 6QQ, +44 1726 842055. Excellent Portuguese restaurant run by a husband and wife team, with a friendly atmosphere and classic peasant cuisine. Phone in advance to check their (slightly unpredictable) opening times. £20-35. Now offering tapas from £5 a dish lunch times and evenings. Try the broad bean and choriza.
Alvorada, E Wharf, PL26 6QQ, +44 1726 842055. Excellent Portuguese restaurant run by a husband and wife team, with a friendly atmosphere and classic peasant cuisine. Phone in advance to check their (slightly unpredictable) opening times. £20-35. Now offering tapas from £5 a dish lunch times and evenings. Try the broad bean and choriza.
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.