FOWEY is an ancient port which once thrived on imports such as salt from Spain, and exports like tin - pirates and smugglers abounded. It still flourishes, not just because yachtsmen and tourists are drawn by its beauty, but also because huge cargo ships visit its sheltered, deep-water harbour to load Cornish china clay. Large cruise liners also call, dropping off passengers to visit the Eden Project six miles away, or Heligan Gardens, near Mevagissey. Our visitors are fascinated to watch as these huge vessels are skilfully manouvred by pilots and tug boats past the pleasure craft to their loading bays a little way out of Fowey.

The town is in a delightful setting, at the mouth of the Fowey River, facing a skirt of National Trust protected woodlands which dip to the waves on the other side of the estuary. No wonder novellist Daphne du Maurier chose to live here.  In summer, visitors can hire boats to explore the creeks up- river, or take boat trips to Polperro and Mevagissey, or up to Lerryn and Lostwithiel. The Bodinnick car ferry at one end of the town links motorists with routes to Polperro, Looe and the coast beyond,  while a foot ferry at the other end whisks passengers across to the charming village of Polruan.  Walkers enjoy the rewarding coastal path, the creekside woodland tracks, the steep-sided, wooded inland valleys, and the brave heights of Bodmin Moor.

The Salt Loft is two minutes' walk from most of Fowey's  pubs (5) a bar, cafes and restaurants (see "Links") serving excellent food, priced to suit every pocket. Fish, lobster, crab, scallops and our famous local mussels and oysters are on many menus.  A small beach and paddling pool at Whitehouse are five minutes walk away, and the safe Readymoney Cove bathing beach is 10 minutes stroll.  

Apart from forays to some of our world-famous gardens like Heligan, or The Eden Project, our guests often find so much to do they hardly use their car - and find their holiday all the more relaxing!

The China Loft offers a different kind of holiday: it is within a couple of miles of the A30, or the A38 trunk roads, so makes an excellent base for a wider exploration of Cornwall. It is just two miles from the delightful 18th Century harbour at Charlestown, where square- rigged ships are kept by a film company who provide them for blockbuster movies and TV series like Hornblower, and just six miles from Fowey.