From across the river in Fowey, “Polruan”:https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/Polruanlooks a lovely little coastal town to visit. We took the Bodinnick car ferry from Fowey and then along very narrow roads to Polruan. We parked above the town and headed for the Blockhouse following a map in a leaflet we picked up in the car park. At least we thought it was the Blockhouse. Instead we ended up on the headland at the end of Battery Lane; well, a couple of us did. My aunt and uncle made themselves comfortable on the bench by the coastal path while another aunt and I walked across the meadow to what looked like some ruins. It was a great spot to take some photos of the coast. We then headed back to the path, picked up our companions and walked along the lane to a t-intersection at West Street. Right took you to the harbour and left took you to the Blockhouse. Yes, two went right and two went left and not far along the path was the Blockhouse, part of Polruan Castle which dates back to the 15th century. The Blockhouse is a chain tower, a rare historical find, and worked in tandem with Fowey Blockhouse across the mouth of the Fowey River to safeguard the harbour. The chain sat on the floor of the sea and was raised to prevent enemy ships from entering the port. We walked through to the other side and found another great spot to take some photos of the coast and of Polruan across the river.
We then headed down to the village and harbour to find the rest of our party. Polruan looks lovely from afar but seemed a bit drab close up. In any case, it was very small compared to Fowey and a hive of activity on this Sunday in May. There were even a few intrepid children braving the cold water on the little beach. We had a snack in Fowey but had still not had lunch. However, not much was open except for a couple of pubs so we decided to continue on along the coast to Polperro. First we had to walk up the hill to the car park – something that became a staple in our week in Cornwall as the car parks are on the hills above the villages and harbours.
