Mevagissey, Cornwall: fishing town

Mevagissey, Cornwall

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. Todays post is all about the fishing town of Mevagissey which is located 5 miles outside of Saint Austell in Cornwall.

I took my trip to Mevagissey in February of this year (so way before the lockdown.) For an impromptu photoshoot for the photography course I was doing at Truro college. I did end up using a few of the photos for my final project, The Cornish of Cornwall which I have linked if you are interesting in having a look.

What is at Mevagissey?

Mevagissey is a picturesque harbour side village located in Cornwall. There are many quaint shops, pubs, cafes and hotels located here. Mevagissey also homes the world of model railways, a folk museum and an aquarium! So there is quite a lot to do.

Mevagissey’s history

Mevagissey was once the centre of Cornwall’s pilchards fishery. You can see this evidenced by the amount of large and small fishing boats still in the harbour today. Mevagissey also has a history of boat building dating all the way back to 1745.

The name Mevagissey was derived from the names of 2 saints, St Meva and St Issey. It was believed that the village had local settlements

dating all the way back to the Bronze Age.

Getting to Mevagissey

The easiest way to get to Mevagissey is to come from the direction of Saint Austell, otherwise you could be encountering a few country lanes. I would highly recommend parking in the large car park that you see on your entrance to the fishing village and walking in. This is because the roads are rather narrow and in the height of summer they will be full of pedestrians. There is also not too many spaces near the harbour itself.

Celebrations

Mevagissey celebrates feast week at the end of June each year with local entertainment and dancing on the streets. They also hold an annual carnival. However, if you are visiting in Winter don’t miss out on the magnificent display of Christmas lights and New Year where everyone dresses up in fancy dress. A tradition a lot of Cornish fishing towns do.

Local attractions

Mevagissey is located near many popular tourist attractions, these include: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, The Eden Project and Charlestown. I would say you could probably do Mevagissey and either the Lost Gardens of Heligan or Charlestown in a day. I would probably leave a whole separate day for the Eden Project dues to its sheer size. However they are all a must do on your visit to Cornwall.

Another place near to Mevagissey is Pentewan which is lovely beach which houses one of the many Hubbox’s. (They do the best burgers!) As well as the Pentewan trail which if you have some bikes or you can walk it if you chose to, leads down the river towards Pentewan beach. The trail is very picturesque and isn’t too strenuous .

Summary and other posts

Mevagissey is definitely worth putting down on your list of Cornish places to visit. It really encapsulates the Cornish way of life. If you enjoyed this post then why not check out my posts on other fishing towns in Cornwall which include: St Mawes , Polperro, St Ives, Padstow, Looe and Polruan and Fowey.

Lots of love, Melissa x