Cornwall - Port Issac?

I can’t imagine spending a week there, but it’s your trip. If I was going to base myself somewhere and take day trips, it would be a larger town like Truro or Newquay, or, change to a different small town every couple days.

Staying in a cute town like Port Isaac for a week is exactly what many British people love to do so nobody in Cornwall will think it’s strange. You won’t find Brits going on holiday to Truro, and while Newquay has its charms it is mainly for a younger crowd.

If you enjoy that kind of trip then go for it.

The drawback with Port Isaac (note spelling) is that it was the main film location for Doc Martin so it gets a few more daytrippers than the average small Cornish village.

As Helen says, a week in a small Cornish village can be bliss, although I tend to go self-catering as you can quickly run out of restaurants. I like Mousehole and Sennen.

Slightly bigger, although not nearly as big as Falmouth, is Porthleven, a small town rather than a village - I’ve had several very nice stays there. There are a couple of very good restaurants and pubs.

The great thing about Cornish coastal towns and villages is the SW Coastal Path runs through all of them so there are always good walks.

Many years go I spent a couple of nights in Boscastle. it was a wonderful little village not far from Port Isaac. There were many hiking trails nearby, including one along the coast leading to Tintagel. I still have a small watercolor that I bought in Boscastle that shows the harbor—including the B&B I stayed in. Would love to go back.

Thank you all for the feedback...and the spelling error. I will have a car so I will be mobile.

Building on Golden Girl's comment - we used to go to Port Gaverne on holiday most years. It's a ting hamlet on the other side of the headland from Port Isaac and you could walk there in 10 - 15 minutes. Port Isaac was full of tourists looking at the buildings etc from Doc Martin and I felt that it had changed the character of what was once a working little fishing village.

I think they have now stopped filming Doc Martin permanently, so I presume that in due course the trippers will stay away.

In all of the villages mentioned (eg Boscastle) there are typically only a few pub or restaurants so you can run out of meal choices quite quickly. Generally, the next village is too far away to walk so someone has to drive which creates its own issues of parking and the driver not drinking.

Falmouth is a town rather than a village, but there's quite a bit to see there and nearby

Hi Rob, since you will have a car, that could impact where you stay. I don't know about Port Isaac as I never stayed there, but many of the small towns have very limited parking, so you could wind up having to park on a hill above the town in a car park and carry your luggage etc, down to your lodging. That may be fine with you, but it's always good to know in advance.

When I was there, I stayed in Falmouth, which I really liked. My hotel was right on the water and had lots of free parking, plus it was easy to get from Falmouth to most other places in Cornwall. There were also a good amount of restaurants nearby.

Having said that, if you have your heart set on staying in a small village, just keep in mind that the parking situation in just about every small coastal town in Cornwall will always be an issue.

Perfect...definitely aware of parking. I think I have a plan - thank you!

Hi Rob- I just wanted to say that my husband and I visited Port Issac last September and absolutely loved it! I would happily stay a week there. You are in a really good position to see Tintagel too. Have a wonderful trip!