Port Isaac is a small fishing village on the north coast of Cornwall. It is about 8 miles from Wadebridge and nine miles from Camelford close to Lundy Bay and Pentire Point landmarks.
Like so many fishing villages on the Cornish coast, Port Isaac is located in a natural sheltered inlet. Despite that, the port was so important that during Henry VIII’s reign it was dredged and they built a pier. Despite the sheltered location, there is a later second sea wall built to the other side to offer protection from the North Atlantic storms.
The village has a long association with Pilchard Fishing and was a thriving fishing village and port. Important commodities such as pottery, salt, limestone, wood, stone and coal used to pass through the port of Port Isaac.
Regarding architecture, parts of the village date back as far as the 14th century, but it is the centre of the village with 18th and 19th century buildings that have many listed building status houses. This central area is very pretty with the painted cottages and narrow windy lanes. There is a mix of architectural styles that add interest and make Port Isaac unique. Further inland the houses are various contemporary styles as more housing has been built over the years.
Facilities include restaurants, cafes, takeaways and a coop convenience store. There are two pubs in Port Isaac, and the nearest petrol station is at St Kew about five and a half miles away.
If the location seems familiar, then that is probably because Port Isaac has long been used as a film and television location.
It was the location for the first Poldark television series, the Nightmare Man television series, The Shell Seekers with Vanessa Redgrave, the films Oscar and Lucinda, Saving Grace and Fishermans Friends were also filmed at Port Isaac. The most current and possibly most famous television series being Doc Martin in which Port Isaac stars as the fictional village Portwenn.
It is these film and television connections as well as the quaint beauty of the village that make Port Isaac special.
There is no beach at Port Isaac the village meets the sea at a wide slipway into the harbour. The lower part especially sits well in the rugged landscape, and the village is surrounded by the green fields of Bodmin Moor and rugged cliffs where it is not at the edge of the sea. Port Isaac is built on an outcrop of land, and you are never far from a sea view. There is a tinkling stream that runs through the village that you come across just when you think it cannot get any better.
Photo:: Port Isaac – Sbeech at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
