The historic Cornish village of Porthleven is the UK mainland’s most southerly working port and is just waiting to be found and enjoyed by new visitors. After the wreck of HMS Anson on Loe Bar during a ferocious December 29th 1807 the harbour was constructed. A hero on that day, a man by the name of Tobias Roberts, swam through violent dangerous seas out to the Anson. They created a lifeline for those on board by Tobias tying a rope around his-self, enabling him to create a link between ship and shore. Over one hundred including the ship’s Captain Lydiard perished, even though he successfully reached the ship.

Appalled by the loss of life, Tobias Roberts battled with Admiralty and locals alike to ensure there was a harbour of safe refuge to avoid such an incident in the future.. Being a man of determination Porthleven Harbour was constructed and then improved at a later date. It took two acts of Parliament before the harbour became what it is today, home to a much reduce number of fishermen, no commercial traffic of any size and small number of pleasure craft.

However, the harbour still plays a big role enticing tourists from all around the world. The media gave a lot of attention to Porthleven when it was lashed by a hurricane in December 1989. The coverage on the television was televised all over the world, with pictures showing the demolishing storm with its huge eaves throwing shingle and seaweed over 22 meters (72 feet). That’s the height of the clock tower in Porthleven. TV and film crews have been to Porthleven over the years, with programme makers helping to promote Porthleven’s natural unspoilt attractions.

In addition, brown tourist signs were introduced and publicised the village in a variety of ways including the Discover Porthleven leaflet which is now reproduced annually. Of course the village received media attention well beyond affordable advertising when it was hit by a hurricane in December 1989.

Porthleven has a number of quality self catering cottages, B&B and hotels situated around the harbour, above the beach and within the village. Many accommodate commanding views of the bay, the harbour or surrounding countryside. The village also has a small drop in caravan and camp site. Porthleven has three Inns, the oldest being the Ship Inn. In these you will discover good food, good ale and friendly locals. According to local legend and the BBC the Ship has a few resident ghosts.

There are a variety of places to eat such as The Blue Haze Restaurant a recent asset to the village and quickly building an excellent reputation with both locals and visitors alike. Kota Restaurant and B&B located on the harbour head produces a well presented and varied menu. Both restaurants have chefs with a passion for cooking local sourced food. In addition there are two fish and chip shops, a Chinese take-away. Real Cornish Pasties from the Horse and Jockey Bakery (we believe these are the best in Cornwall) and then there is Nauti but Ice where visitors can sit and watch the fishing boats whilst consuming a variety of ice creams and other mouth watering treats.

Before you leave home, a good travel tip is to get some currency local to the country you’re going to visit.  In most cases for Europe, change some dollars into euros at your local national bank or at AAA.  For longer trips, I also like to carry some euro travelers checks – available at AAA, or from American Express outlets which usually include your local banks.

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Avoid using either airport, railway station or store front ”currency exchanges” Read the rest of this entry

Here are some insiders travel tips for you:

One of the fun things about taking a trip is that you

can go buy some new stuff – probably most women enjoy

picking out some new duds, whereas guys think about

cameras, binocs and similar new toys.

In fact, in defense of my gender, picking out toys for

travel can indeed make the trip even more enjoyable.

Maybe for a travel camera, small size, improved

telephoto capabilities, extended battery life can mean

the difference in getting that great shot of a Greek

mountain goat, for instance. 

photo credit: John Kratz

Or perhaps some lightweight noise-cancelling headphones

can spell a really restful sleep on a long flight. And Read the rest of this entry

Planning another trip to Greece and Italy got me thinking about the insider travel concept.  because of numerous other trips to these same areas, such issues as where to go, where to stay, and what to do are not problems, but just choices.

This knowledge was earned by both reading and doing. One time, we marched out of a really nasty (but highly guide-book recommended) hotel in Rome and walked literally across the street to a much better choice. We knew of the second one from walking into the lobby earlier and scouting it out.  Since then, we always are ready to look into interesting restaurants, hotels, local attractions for our future reference.

photo credit: pfala

Don’t miss talking to local people – knowing even a few words of the local language will help a lot – ask where they eat, or where they would stay. We found two of our favorite eateries in all of Italy just Read the rest of this entry