I would like to share a short video I made following a 250 mile drive, 5 hours from Crystal Palace, to Polperro in Cornwall.

As early as the 13th century Polperro was a recognised fishing settlement and its first known record is in a Royal Ordinance of 1303.

Polperro's newer quay, also of unknown antiquity, is sited almost on an east-west alignment a little further out to sea. It was built before 1774 when it suffered much damage in a storm.

Polperro's beauty has long been a magnet for artists. The celebrated Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka, upon discovering Polperro, spent a year in the village between 1939 and 1940. It also features as a location, amongst others, for filming the TV drama series, Doc Martin and Beyond Paradise.

Smuggling is understood to have prospered since Polperro developed as a port in the 12th century, and making it worthwhile for the local fishermen to boost their income by the covert importation of spirits, tobacco and other goods from Guernsey and elsewhere. 

Attractions of Polperro include the South West Coast Path, the 630-mile (1,010 km)-long and established walk from Dorset to Somerset which passes through the village, and offers day walks along the local scenic coastline.

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