Hi there, been to Looe many times, it's quite a quaint place, not much going on, small beach (fine shingle/brown sand) , it is an active fishing port with trawlers along the quayside and fish warehouses so the local restaurants get a good supply... My kids loved dangling a baited hook off the quays to catch crabs....

Good memories!!

ATB,J.

That sounds like my sort of place apart from the beach. Which would be the best area to go for lovely fine white sand.

Thanks

Looe has one of the better beaches in the immediate area. Nothing at Polperro to speak of, Talland bay is all shingle and rocks. but to the east Seaton is a large beach, still stones mind. Be wary though, the roads around here are country lanes. We've only been in Autumn (lots) but I expect they could get a bit busy in summer.

Looking for somewhere for a week in July and have never been to Cornwall but have heard it's lovely. It's too long a drive from the North East (that's why we've been put off before) but we can now fly direct from our local airport to Newquay. I know I'm showing my ignorance but is Looe far from there? I was going to suggest staying in Newquay but I notice that Kaz said it's tacky and that's not what we want.

I agree with Kaz about Newquay being tacky. We were there in the late 60`s and thought it was beautiful, went again in the mid 80`s and still liked it, but on returning for a day out whilst staying near Mevagissey a couple of years ago we couldn`t believe how much it had gone downhill. The streets were overrun with hippy types, shops were boarded up, the people on the streets looked really scruffy, and we were charged £4 to park our car! The beaches are all that it has left to recommend it, the town is a definite no-no. We will be sticking to other areas of Cornwall from now on.

We went to Cornwall for a week last year, took my son who's 13 and my mother who is 80. We hired a caravan from Haven at there Perranporth site. We had a super luxury caravan as we had heard that you had to becareful with some of the vans as they were a bit tatty. The site is in a great position and even though we didn't use the facilities we thought the park was nice enough with easy accsess to the fab beach at Perranport.

We toured around a lot of Cornwall whilst we were there, Looe was nice but not my favorite place, and Newquay was by far the worst of the lot. We loved Padstow, Polperro, St. Ives, which is where i'd love to stay next time, just idylic.

Perranporth itself is lovely, its just a small seaside town, with lots of surfers but without the tackiness of Newquay.

Sarah

The website below has loads of photos of the best beaches in Cornwall.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/photos/beaches/index.shtml

We've tended to tour around in October - when it's quieter. Like a few folks above didn't care much for Newquay, it was a commercial holiday town - but if you flew in from the North east and stay in one place without a car it's just about the largest town. And our neighbours go frequently and love the place..!

Although you say it's a long way to drive, but with the motorway to Exeter and the A38/A30 are good dual carriageways it isn't that bad - you can always stop over an extra night or two en route at a Travellodge or somewhere similar. You really will need a car when you get there, to visit all those places Sarah mentioned - and don't forget Port Isaac, aka Port Wenn from Doc Martin - that's another lovely little place - or the Lizard peninsula, Mevagissey. We all find our own favourites.

Nearly forgot, Newquay is on the north coast (more sandy beaches, surfing etc) Looe is on the south side of the Cornish peninsula (rugged coastal scenery) - probably only 30 miles but not the very best roads.

We travel down by car with a caravan in tow, and it takes between 9 and 12 hours, depending on how far down Cornwall we are going, that`s including 2 or 3 toilet/refreshment stops, there`s a nice one with toilets and a snack bar in a layby just off the A30, somewhere around the Launceston area. Another really good beach for surfers , swimmers or children is at Sennen Cove, right down on the Land`s End peninsula, and there are plenty of things to see and do down there. Even the Land`s End complex, whilst being a tad tacky and over- commercialised, is worth a visit, also the tin mines. We`ve been told that the Eden Project is wonderful, but not being gardening enthusiasts, we haven`t been.

Well - everyone has said it all already really!! - Keep away from Newquay - especially in the summer - a shame to say really as the beaches are lovely - but there are plenty of others - As someone said , the North coast (Newquay/Padstow side) is more rugged and wild, and the sand is soft and fine - the South coast is quaint and has the pretty harbours and little coves.
It doesnt really matter where you stay if you have a car and a map just go around and explore. Take a picnic and a flask - welly boots a blanket, sunglasses and towells and you're ready for anything
Its great wen you suddenly come upon a quiet bay or little cove
If you're willing to leave the car and walk you can be well rewarded too.
Dont dismiss going inland either - drive from Coast to coast via Bodmin Moor (nothing is far from anywhere else down here really!)
Hire cycles and ride the safe Camel trail from Bodmin or Wadebridge to Padstow.
Try Daymer Bay-,Boscastle, Hawkers Cove, Harlyn Bay,Mawgan Porth, Porth - All on the North coast - St Mawes, Hemmick, Gorran Haven, Charlestown, Fowey - on the South -
Too many places to mention -
Numberplease - I dont think you really have to be into gardening to enjoy Eden - I must admit I thought this till I went - Its not really about gardening, well worth a visit.

Oh dear - I totally forgot what I came on here to say
The local papers are running a promotion at the mo on caravan holidays in Devon and Cornwall. Only £10 per person - minimum £40 for a monday to Friday or weekend break. (You just need a vouher per person from the paper)
Inludes Harlyn Bay Hendra (Newquay) Duporth (St Austell) Mullion(Helston) Looe Bay, Bude, all in Cornwall and Brixham, Barnstaple in Devon.
We went to the one in Looe Bay last Easter and had a great time - worth spending an extra £10 to get the larger caravan. I think there is also a service charge so the cost is More like £60.
Dates and places are limited though- its only really off season dates.

Duporth is nice - has direct access to it's own beach. For kids there's a toboggan run (steel chute), pool with flume, and they do archery and stuff.

It's close to St Austell - easy access to Eden project, Mevagissey and the Tall Ships at Charlestown (just a short walk to here).

Which papers?

Cornish Guardian (a weekly comes out on Thursday) possibly others eg West Britton.
Doesnt have to be one a week - you could just buy 4 papers one week

hi! Cornwall is a beautiful place to come for a holiday, Looe is a charming place, a very typical Cornish fishing village. Nice friendly pubs and stunning scenery.
Newquay is great off season, but during the summer its great if you are young and wanting to have lots of fun!! Other than that its not what you are looking for.
St. Ives is a favourite of mine.
Flying into Newquay is a great way to get here flights are so cheap if you keep your eyes out for a bargain. I would suggest driving though to make the most of your stay as there are so many beautiful places to see here and you can go to the rugged coasts or the sheltered bays or the wide sandy beaches with sand dunes for the kids to play on.
wherever you decide on I hope you have a great time. we moved here after spending 8 years living in Spain and couldnt settle back in London and have been living here happily now for 14 years.
see you in the pasty shop!!

Tina

Went to Looe only last year whilst staying elsewhere in Cornwall!The harbour's lovely and there are a good mix of shops!
My in-laws love it that much they generally go every year!!??

Hi
I know its a while since anyone wrote in this forum, but we've been to Looe twice. Very nice place. We stayed in apartments which overlooked the harbour. Fantastic views over the village and harbour. We would sit on the balcony watching everything. Sunrise and Sunset was great, and watching the fishing boats leaving early morning, and returning at night with their catch was fascinating. Quite a few pubs for meals, if you haven't got a car like us, we used the Looe Valley Railway, stunning views of th countryside. There are good bus links.

Dawn

http://www.chycor.co.uk/

This is a good site to check out what to do around Looe and the rest of Cornwall

staying here for a week in sept .
any recs and dog freindly pubs please

Not sure about pubs - but dogs are banned on the beach through the main holiday period. I'm not sure when this is lifted for the winter but you might need to find out!