Polperro – meaning Pyra’s cove is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall.
It’s a steep walk down to this picture postcard perfect village but it’s well worth the effort.
It’s idyllic appearance comes complete with tightly-packed ancient fishermen’s houses which survive almost untouched, a quaint harbour and attractive coastline.
Plus you can spot the tiny, mischievous Piskeys if you look hard enough!
Smuggling prospered and reached its peak in the late 18th century when wars with America and France lead to the high taxation of many imported goods.
So it was worthwhile for local fishermen to boost their income by smuggling in spirits, tobacco and other goods from Guernsey and elsewhere
Despite the crowds of tourists thronging its pretty streets, Polperro is still an authentic feeling village.
Fishing was traditionally the principal occupation of Polperro families and for centuries the village has been a pilchard fishing and processing port.
Shoals of these fish diminished however and pilchard fishing died out as Polperro’s mainstay in the 1960s, however a handful of commercial fishing vessels still operate from the harbour catching flatfish, scallops, crabs, monkfish, ray, pollock, bass and cod.
