South East Cornwall Overview

Just a three minute walk from The Museum Apartments and you will find yourself on the South West Coast Path with miles of superb, breathtaking coastline. Whether you are looking for an afternoon stroll with spectacular views or a challenging hike, such as a 13 mile walk to beautiful Rame Head, you’ll find it all here.

The South West Coast Path continues to the west from Hannafore Point in West Looe (cross the bridge, turn left and continue towards the coast), taking in more stunning beauty spots such as Talland Bay, Polperro, Lantivet Bay and Lantic Bay. Walk to the ancient fishing village of Polruan, approximately 4 hours, stop for well earned fish & chips and take the passenger ferry across the estuary to picturesque Fowey town. You can always take the bus back to Looe from Polruan Quay.

There is a wealth of local attractions easily accessible from The Museum Apartments including: Talland Bay; the picturesque fishing port of Polperro; Woolly Monkey Sanctuary; the internationally renowned Eden Project and Tate Gallery St Ives. National Trust properties in the area include Lanhydrock, Cotehele, Mount Edgcumbe, Port Eliot and Antony House and can be easily reached from here, as well as beautifully rugged Bodmin Moor and a variety of beautiful, sandy beaches, bays and hidden coves skirting our stunning Cornish coastline.

Other local attractions include sailing, fishing and diving, and spectacular coastal walks, especially that via Talland to Polperro, Lantic Bay, Lantivet Bay and Polruan.

Looe is a small, very quaint and pretty, coastal town and fishing port. Several fish dealers operate from the docks of East Looe. With its fleet of small fishing boats returning their catches to port daily, Looe has a reputation for producing excellent fresh fish.

The town is also a centre for shark fishing, and is the home of the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain.

The town centres around a small harbour and along the steep-sided valley of the Looe Estuary which flows between East and West Looe to the sea beside a sandy beach. Off shore to the west, opposite the stonier Hannafore Beach, lies the idyllic St George’s Island, otherwise known as Looe Island.

Looe’s main business today is tourism with a large number of pubs, restaurants, and shops.

East Looe centres on its broad sandy beach with the distinctive Banjo Pier. Stretching back from here is a grid of narrow streets forming the ancient centre of the town, packed with many small shops, restaurants and pubs, and the Old Guildhall, now a museum.

Along the estuary lies the quay, with several fish dealers. Towards the bridge lies the Victorian Guildhall, and just north of the bridge the railway station. This is the terminus of the Looe Valley branch line to Liskeard, a very popular and picturesque journey, itself an attraction (at Liskeard, the line connects with the main Plymouth to Penzance Great Western Main Line).

West Looe spreads west from the bridge on the Polperro Road and along the waterfront south of the bridge are restaurants, pubs and pretty cottages leading towards a cluster of shops and businesses and the Church of St Nicholas.

Further south along the coast road is Hannafore Point, marking the edge of Looe Harbour, with to the west the wide, stony Hannafore beach, facing across a narrow channel to Looe Island (officially called St. George’s Island).

Beyond lies a coastal path leading to the hamlets of Porthallow and Talland, and from there on to Polperro.

Directions & Parking

After booking we will email you all the information you will need to find and access the apartment. East Looe, with its quaint narrow winding lanes, is a traffic restricted zone with access only, making it very pedestrian friendly.

Although there is no on-site parking for Sand Martin or Sand Dune ample long-stay public parking is available about a 7-8 minute walk away in West Looe at the Millpool Car Park. All our guests use the Millpool car park and find it very convenient.

A Weekly Ticket can be paid using your mobile telephone. Payments accepted via VISA, MasterCard, Maestro and SOLO. The telephone and location numbers are displayed at the pay point in the car park.

Motorcycles can park free in designated bays and areas within the car park where no obstruction would be caused.

There are also two small short-stay car parks in East Looe. Both are very busy during high season and holiday periods. Being short-stay they are considerably more expensive than the Millpool.

The Museum has a secure allocated parking space a few yards from the apartment.

Rail

There is a branch line railway between Liskeard and Looe. National network rail services from Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and London and from Birmingham and places further north stop at Liskeard en route to Penzance.

The Liskeard-Looe service runs all day until early evening at intervals of between one and two hours. For timetable information contact First Great Western online, or ask us for links to train times and further information on the scenic Looe Valley Line.

A trip on the railway from Looe to Liskeard, or beyond, is a favourite outing for holidaymakers as the Looe Valley line is very scenic.

If you have a choice, take the trip at high tide when the river views are best (the railway line runs immediately next to the Looe river estuary for its full length) and avoid very busy times as the trains, which are only two carriages, can be very full with day visitors.

Buses

Service 72 (Polperro – Looe – Plymouth)
Service 73 (Polperro – Looe – Liskeard station and town)

Bus services to the nearby picturesque fishing villages Polperro and Polruan leave from the bus stop opposite the Health Centre, by the bridge.

Airports

Newquay – 33 miles
Exeter – 66 miles
Bristol – 127 miles
Heathrow – 243 miles
Gatwick – 242 miles
Luton – 270 miles
Stansted – 298 miles