Cornwall Coastal path from Port Quin to Port Isaac

I started out my walk in Port Quin, a former fishing village that now has mostly holiday cottages. Many of those cottages were formerly fishing cellars used to cure sardines and herring. Trade was done from the harbor with goods such as fish,coal, manure, lead and granite going out and coming in. There were mines nearby. When the fishing dried up and the mines closed, many villagers left Port Quin. The village became deserted. Now it is a small resort town. Here is the harbor of Port Quin from a hill opposite the harbor.

On a hill of its own off to the side of Port Quin harbor is Doyden Castle. This castle was the filming location for the Doc Martin TV episode when baby James was kidnapped and held hostage by Mrs. Tischel, the pharmacist. It is now owned by the National Trust and rented out at a ridiculously high price. It was built in 1827 for a wealthy merchant from Wadebridge. It was his party house.

Below is a picture of both the harbor of Port Quin and Doyden Castle, so you get the perspective of where they both are.

The path between Port Quin and Port Isaac takes you across flat places with hilly climbs and descents in between. The terrain of rolling hills, walled in pastures and ocean cliffs leaves you in awe of nature.

Here is a good example on the path to Port Isaac, outside of the Port Quin harbor area.

As you continue on towards Port Isaac, you reach the headland called Varley Head. In 1903 five fishermen were fishing a mile off the headland when they captured a large shoal of fish in their nets. Their boat began to sink under the weight of the fish, so they had to abandon ship. The one fisherman who could not swim was tied to an oar. The others attempted to swim to shore. The only fisherman to survive was the one hanging on to the oar. He was rescued. The others perished at sea.

Here is Varley Head.

As you continue walking towards Port Isaac you encounter steep stairs. Fortunately these ones you descend. Looking behind you is one impressive path you just descended. Here it is.

A really nice view overlooking Port Isaac is from a solitary bench on the side of a hill. I ate my lunch there. Here was my view. I could have sat there all day!

The view of Port Isaac's harbor was splendid that day. The tide was pretty low, which is typical in early afternoon. The water was slowly creeping in towards shore.

Fishing cages abound in Port Isaac harbor. They were just lying about.

You can't leave out familiar buildings from the TV show Doc Martin when you talk about Port Isaac (aka Port Wenn in the show). How about a view of Bert's restaurant and Doc's surgery from the harbor?

The walk from Port Quin to Port Isaac is a challenging 2.5 miles. It is well worth the effort. The views are spectacular. The sound and smell of the ocean and the feel of the ocean mist is refreshing.