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Pictures of Mevagissey

a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall

Mevagissey Harbour, Cornwall

About Mevagissey

One of a ribbon of picturesque fishing villages dotting the fabled Cornish coastline. Mevagissey has ancient buildings flanking steep and extremely narrow streets which during the holiday season become crammed with visitors.

The village survives from the Middle Ages, in the 18th and 19th-centuries its harbours were busy places filled with fishing boats full of pilchards. Italy was a customer for cured pilchards, and the Royal Navy bought them, but called them Mevagissey Duck.

For several centuries the little fishing port was a haven for smugglers, its narrow winding lanes being ideal for outwitting the excise men! Tales of smuggling prevail to this day, one tells of the men of Mevagissey boarding a Customs boat to rescue fellow smugglers.

Today, the harbour is still a working harbour involved with fishing but it is also popular with yachtsmen. One of life's pleasures here is to sit on the quayside watching boats jostling for position in both the inner and outer harbour. Mevagissey's inner harbour dates to 1784, and the outer harbour to 1888. The outer pier was re-strengthened late in the last century.

This is a delightful place to visit at any time of year, in the autumn months it is quieter but no less spectacular for as the weather turns a little chillier so does the sea and you have the opportunity of experiencing breathtaking seascapes when the wind turns and once calm sea waters become a raging torrent.

In the village there is an array of shops selling everything from souvenirs to antiquities and art. There are quaint old inns, fishermen's cottages and many other picturesque buildings of the past. The life and times of the village are recalled in a museum building of 1745 which was formerly an old boatyard. It has roof supports made from ship's masts and is evocative of the times when the village was rife with smugglers whose boats were often repaired in this very yard. This is an exciting museum with many artefacts and photographs from the past.

Mevagissey is on the Cornwall South Coast Path, backed by a hinterland of glorious countryside which itself is a joy to explore. At the harbour pleasure boat trips and fishing for Sharks can be arranged.


Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Mevagissey

World of Model Railways(0.1 miles, 0.1 km)Pictures
Mevagissey Museum(0.4 miles, 0.7 km)Pictures
Lost Gardens of Heligan(1.7 miles, 2.8 km, direction NW)Pictures
Caerhays Castle & Gardens(3.4 miles, 5.5 km, direction SW)Pictures
Pine Lodge Gardens(5.4 miles, 8.6 km, direction N)Pictures
Trewithen Gardens(6.4 miles, 10.3 km, direction W)Pictures
The Eden Project(6.6 miles, 10.6 km, direction N)Pictures
St. Catherine's Castle(7.5 miles, 12.0 km, direction NE)Pictures
Readymoney Cove(7.6 miles, 12.3 km, direction NE)Pictures
Restormel Castle(10.8 miles, 17.4 km, direction NE)Pictures
Truro Cathedral(11.2 miles, 18.0 km, direction W)Pictures
Trelissick Garden(11.4 miles, 18.4 km, direction W)Pictures
Lanhydrock House(12.6 miles, 20.3 km, direction N)Pictures
Model Village & Land of Legend(12.6 miles, 20.3 km, direction E)Pictures
St Mawes Castle(13.0 miles, 21.0 km, direction SW)Pictures

All attractions in Mevagissey
All attractions in Cornwall
Complete A to Z of attractions in England

Recommended towns near Mevagissey

Pentewan, in the county of Cornwall (1.6 miles, 2.7 km, direction N)
Set amidst enchanting countryside, Pentewan has caravan and camping sites making it a popular resort for families. It has a fine sandy beach which is ideal for beach-games, swimming, fishing and other watersports.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Gorran Haven, a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall (1.9 miles, 3.1 km, direction S)
Historically, this beautiful location is said to be the place where Sir Henry Treworth of Bodruggan spurred his horse over the cliffs in 1485.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Boswinger, in the county of Cornwall (2.8 miles, 4.5 km, direction SW)
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Charlestown, in the county of Cornwall (4.6 miles, 7.5 km, direction N)
This lovely little port hugs the rugged south Cornish coast overlooking picturesque St. Austell Bay.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

St Austell, in the county of Cornwall (4.8 miles, 7.7 km, direction N)
One of the blessings of St. Austell, is its parish church, a glorious structure that has a beautiful carved 15th-century tower built of local yellow stone.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Portloe, a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall (5.6 miles, 9.1 km, direction SW)
"One of the least spoiled and most impressive of Cornish fishing villages" - Sir John Betjeman (famous poet 1906-1984)
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Polkerris, a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall (6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction NE)
Polkerris in St.Austell's Bay has a lovely sandy beach backed by a cluster of cottages built haphazardly along a narrow village street leading towards the wooded hills and cliffs which give shelter to this enchanting little cove.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Veryan, in the county of Cornwall (6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction SW)
Popular Cornish resort in the heart of the beautiful Roseland peninsula, Veryan is a place of strong Cornish traditions which offers it's visitors a genuine welcome.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Polruan, a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall (8.0 miles, 12.9 km, direction NE)
A holiday resort of considerable merit and charm.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Fowey, a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall (8.3 miles, 13.3 km, direction NE)
The picturesque harbour town of Fowey has a history as colourful as some of the pretty boats sailing in and out of its waters.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Lostwithiel, in the county of Cornwall (10.8 miles, 17.3 km, direction NE)
Lostwithiel, once the 13th-century capital of Cornwall and lively centre of the tin trade, sits on the River Fowey in the heart of the Fowey Valley.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

St Just in Roseland, in the county of Cornwall (11.5 miles, 18.5 km, direction SW)
This is a little place that is every bit as enchanting as its name.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Truro, a Historic Market Town in the county of Cornwall (11.6 miles, 18.7 km, direction W)
Truro, today is Cornwall's unofficial capital and adminstrative centre but in the Middle Ages Truro was one of the towns which controlled Cornwall's flourishing tin mining industry.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Polperro, a Picturesque Village in the county of Cornwall (12.5 miles, 20.1 km, direction E)
Jagged rocks rise as if to guard the entrance to the picturesque harbour of this enchanting fishing village which has for decades been a magnet for tourists and a mecca for artists from all over England.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

St Mawes, in the county of Cornwall (12.6 miles, 20.3 km, direction SW)
St. Mawes is the stuff picture postcards are made of, the sunlight reflecting on the frothy ocean waves, the warm sea breezes, dreamy thatched cottages overlooking the bay.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

All towns in Cornwall
Complete A to Z of towns in England

Nearby travel help

St. Austell Station(5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction N)
Par Station(7.1 miles, 11.4 km, direction NE)
Newquay (Cornwall) Airport(15.3 miles, 24.6 km, direction NW)
Plymouth City Airport(31.9 miles, 51.3 km, direction E)
M5 Junction 31(63.0 miles, 101.3 km, direction NE)
M5 Junction 30(66.1 miles, 106.3 km, direction NE)
Mevagissey to London(221.1 miles, 355.7 km, direction E)

Hotels & Accommodation in Mevagissey

Hotel NameApproximate distance from Mevagissey center
Porth Avallen Hotel(4.9 miles, 7.8 km, direction NE)
The Carlyon Bay Hotel(5.1 miles, 8.3 km, direction NE)
Cliff Head Hotel(5.2 miles, 8.3 km, direction NE)
Wisteria Lodge(5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction N)
Lugger Hotel(5.7 miles, 9.2 km, direction SW)
The Fowey Hotel(8.0 miles, 12.8 km, direction NE)
Old Quay House Hotel(8.3 miles, 13.3 km, direction NE)
Victoria Inn(10.7 miles, 17.3 km, direction N)
Best Western The Restormel Lodge Hotel(10.9 miles, 17.5 km, direction NE)
Lostwithiel Hotel Golf & Country Club(11.5 miles, 18.5 km, direction NE)
All hotels in Mevagissey

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