Farthing Cottage

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Farthing Cottage, Polperro
By Jenna Shippey

Along journey lay ahead of us all, so we got our lovely boy in the car and settled, and off we went. It was a long drive down to Polperro in Cornwall from the north of England, so we had a few pitstops along the way, so our little Alfie could get a walk and some well-deserved refreshments. However, the long journey proved to be worth it, when we saw the lovely view of Polperro, with the tram parked in the car park at the top. Unfortunately, it wasn’t running due to Covid restrictions being in place, but we had our own private parking bay, and we had arranged for our luggage to be dropped off at our cottage. Our luggage went ahead, and we walked down with Alfie, about a good ten minutes’ walk, through lovely little narrow streets. There were lots of doggies also on holiday, and we noticed that the village was very dog friendly indeed – lots of water bowls outside shops, so they could have a drink was a nice touch.

We arrived at the cottage and opened the door to a lovely sweet old world fisherman’s cottage. We had booked Farthing Cottage through Toad Hall Cottages.

It was right in the centre, just opposite the Smugglers’ Museum. The first-floor windows looked over the harbour, with all the fishermen's boats bobbing about in the water, and the seagulls not far behind waiting for scraps. The top floor had a view to die for, and Alfie certainly liked the window seats. We said, we could never ever get sick of this view – amazing.

Finally, we could start to relax. We went for a brief walk around the harbour side, and we called into the Three Pilchards pub. We had to give them our number, and soon they rang us back to say they had a table for two and Alfie was made very welcome. There were lots of other dogs in the pub, all sitting well behaved and looking at each other from various tables. The staff made a fuss of Alfie, and he got a bowl of water brought to the table for him. We had a nice bar meal, and then headed back home. We were quite tired after our long drive, so an early night was called for.

The next day we awoke refreshed and looking forward to exploring our surroundings and going for a nice long walk with Alfie. We thought we would give the car driving a miss today. We went for a great breakfast and sat overlooking the harbour – such a relaxing way to start the day. After breakfast, we headed along the coastal route from our doorstep really, up and down a few hills, but the scenery was spectacular, and Alfie was off lead for most of the time. The weather was just perfect for walking earlier in the day. We kept stopping to admire the views, and you can just picture the smugglers all those years ago, with lots of hidden little coves for them to hide the contraband in.

Walking downwards now and approaching Talland Bay it looked very busy. The café had lots of seating outside and by this time we were ready for a cool drink. With the sun shining, Alfie got a drink again and there were lots of dog bowls with water outside and around the tables. But he was really pulling to go to the beach for a swim (dogs are allowed on this beach) so of course we took him to have a little swim in some rock pools. He just loved it and really did enjoy himself. We spent quite a lot of the day on the beach here, and made quite a nice day of it, before returning along the same route. The walk from Polperro to Talland Bay is about three-and-a-half miles. It took us about one-hour-and-half going and two hours coming back because we had stops and sat a little in places to admire the stunning views right across and out to sea.

Our cottage was opposite the Smugglers’ Museum. They have some tables and chairs outside the museum, and it is a treasure trove of information about days gone by. They also do a great breakfast, and you can sit outside with your dog. The fishermen used this little café a lot when they came back from sea. It was great to watch them come and go. We found most days it was very busy in the village, with many day trips bringing people there, then early evening it became a little less busy. Early evening, we found it was best to take Alfie for his last walk, over to the small beach, and sit on the rocks watching the sunset, and playing ball with him. Dogs are allowed off the lead after 6pm on the beach.

Boat trips also come and go from this point on the beach, over to Fowey and Looe. They advertise times and trips each day, and dogs are allowed onboard for a trip out to sea. We did not have time to try them on this occasion – maybe that’s one for another holiday. We did visit Looe and Fowey on other days, but we drove there instead. They were busy with people, but we did have lunch in both places and found lots of dog friendly cafes and bars. After lunch we returned and relaxed in Polperro.

Next day, we ventured to Port Isaac, home of the TV series Doc Martin. Again, it was busy, but we did have a look around and saw some places where they filmed. We had some chips and sat on the beach, with lots of gulls eyeing us up.

Bodmin wasn’t too far away, so we decided to call in at the famous Jamaica Inn. The museum is dog friendly and you can walk around with your dog. We didn’t go in on this occasion, and just wanted to sit down and take in the place with a nice relaxing drink. It had a farm shop, which was great to see, and was rather quiet here for a change.

We had a great time visiting other places from Polperro. The beauty was you could drive to lots of places, or take the boat, or head out with your dog – a great choice. We spent our last day by the beach in Polperro, because the weather was beautiful – sunny skies and the sea looked so inviting. We took a picnic to the beach with Alfie and found a nice sheltered spot so we could sunbathe and not be too hot. The sea looked so inviting we all decided, including Alfie, to have a swim. The beach was busy with other people and dogs, all well behaved too. I am afraid to say I was not brave enough to venture out and swim, but I did have a paddle, while Glenn and Alfie enjoyed their time in the water.

For our last night we had booked a meal at Michelle’s restaurant, which was dog friendly. The food is amazing, and they do really make a fuss of your dog. In fact every table had a dog in the restaurant. The waitress gives them water and treats, on arrival. I was also told, if you have Sunday lunch, they bring a little roast meal out for doggies too.

It was just a perfect ending to an amazing little trip to Cornwall. Polperro was so lovely and very dog friendly, too.

Farthing Cottage, review by Jenna Shippey and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 68.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit  https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine