Top 10 things to do in Looe
Looe is a beautiful town, just one mile from the Beach House and is split into East Looe and West Looe offering a range of independently owned shops, pubs, restaurants and activities. Here are our top 10 things to do when in Looe.
- Have a traditional Cornish afternoon tea. Many places offer afternoon tea, but we highly recommend booking the Talland Bay hotel for a range of beautifully presented cakes, sandwiches and even home made sausage rolls! Talland Bay Hotel
- Eat a traditional Cornish pasty from Sarah’s pasties. The shop has a wide range of flavours freshly made each day and is famous for their amazing pasties. You can even order online if you are craving them when you get home! Sarah's Pasty Shop
- Go on a boat trip to see seals – you may even see dolphins! There are several trips to choose from including glass bottomed boats, trips to Polperro, Looe island and fishing trips. - Looe Sea Safari
- Go on a walking tour of Looe. Listen to the history of Looe and learn about the landmarks along the way. Why are there only two clock faces on the tower? Why do you need to stand in a trapdoor to play darts in one of the pubs? Lots of fascinating facts and stories are revealed along with filming locations for BBC’s Beyond Paradise! Looe Walking Tours
- Be pushed off a cliff at Adrenalin Quarry! This is the perfect attraction for older kids and adults with go karting, aqua park, zip wires, swing and axe throwing. Adrenalin Quarry
- Go diving! Whether you are a complete beginner or expert, Looe Dive can take you to see the beautiful ocean. Dive Looe
- Take the scenic train along the Looe Valley line to Liskeard and take in the beautiful views along the way. Looe Valley Line
- Spend time on the water and hire paddle boards and kayaks and spend time in the beautiful sea in our very own Millendreath. Sea Explorers UK
- Buy fresh fish from Pengellys. Since 1946, Pengelly’s Fishmongers have been serving the finest & freshest day-boat caught fish from their quayside shop in East Looe. Pengelly's Famous Fishmonger. Be careful of the seagulls - they love fish (and chips, Cornish pasties and anything else they can get their beaks on!) - they are experts at stealing your food
- Visit the Old Guildhall Museum and Gaol - discover the secrets and history of Looe! Looe Museum
BBC’s Beyond Paradise filming locations in Looe!
BBC have recently broadcast Series 3 of “Beyond Paradise” featuring Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman. This easy going police drama is set in the fictional town of “Shipton Abbott” in Devon, however most of the filming takes place in Looe in Cornwall.
In the new series, Martha’s café “Ten Mile Kitchen” was actually filmed in the wonderful restaurant “The Sardine Factory” on West Looe Quay. The police headquarters are filmed in the Guild Hall in Looe, with many of the outfits for Margo being supplied by local boutique “Quirky”.
Looe, as with many areas of Cornwall, rely on tourist trade and it’s fantastic that the TV series has brought a boost to tourism to the area. It is wonderful to see overhead shots of Looe, Banjo Pier and many other parts of town on the programme. There are even walking tours in Looe that show you where lots of the filming takes place!
Whilst Looe can get busy at times, we are based just a 30 minute walk along the coastal path meaning it is easy to take a walk into town to see all the sights for yourself.
No matter whether you are a cream or jam first person, there’s plenty of cafes offering traditional Cornish afternoon teas, roast dinners, drinks or snacks whilst you wander around the real Shipton Abbott!
Supporting local business in Cornwall
We have always loved Cornwall with its beautiful beaches and quaint towns and villages and are so pleased to offer our Beach House for rental for you to enjoy as much as we do!
We fell in love with Millendreath the first time we visited and knew it was where we wanted to buy a coastal property. We were very conscious that we did not want to take a property from locals that could be used for individuals or families and Milldendreath is perfect. The sea views from number 32 are stunning, it's the most easily accessible with just 4 steps and is less than a minute walk to the beach.
We have two sons and a cocker spaniel so we wanted to offer the property for other people to enjoy and welcome children and dogs. The Beach Shack is open daily offering food, drinks and snacks and water sports hire is available during the summer months making it the perfect destination for surfers and water sports enthusiasts as well. With lots of coastal paths and woods it is also ideal for keen walkers and hikers. It is also a "dark sky" area and is one of the best locations on the south coast to view the whole galaxy for astronomers.
The beautiful town of Looe is less than half an hour walk down the coastal path and offers a range of independently owned shops, bars and restaurants. There are many other stunning places to visit including the old fisherman's village of Polperro, Fowey and other attractions less than an hour away including the Eden Project.
We are proud to bring in much needed income to the local area as our guests like to visit local towns and attractions and spend money in the community supporting local businesses. Every time you rent from us you can be assured that you are supporting the local economy, of which we are all truly grateful.
Christmas & New Year in Looe
Cornwall isn't just for the summer - it is amazing all year round! We stayed for two weeks over Christmas and for the New Year's Eve Fireworks in Looe. Weather wise we experienced every season going but enjoyed visiting the beach several times a day with our cocker spaniel whatever the weather!
In the days leading up to Christmas we enjoyed walking around Looe looking at all the festive lights in the harbour, local pubs and restaurants. "The Sal" is renowned for it's theming each year and this year was beautiful from the outside and even more festive inside with thousands of baubles hanging from the ceiling.
There are so many options for Christmas day - we took the reclining chairs to the beach and enjoyed a bottle of champagne whilst watching all the brave Christmas day swimmers! We had a lunchtime drink in the Beach Shack with all the locals before a home-cooked Christmas dinner in our villa followed by lots of board games including Monopoly (which are available for everyone).
Looe is definitely the place to be for New Year with two fireworks displays - one at 6pm for everyone including children and the second at midnight. The streets are full with everyone in fancy dress (the beautiful, weird and wonderful) with many of the pubs and restaurants hosting ticketed events. We attended the party on West Looe Quay arranged by the Jolly Sailor with live band.
There are lots of coastal walks with amazing views - it was lovely to get away and to take a proper break before heading back to reality in January!