4 days in Cornwall itinerary – The Polperro Heritage Coast [2024]

By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 8th September 2019 | Updated: 21st November 2023

Polperro Heritage Coast is somewhere you just have to visit in Cornwall. With beautiful coastal path walks, cliffside villages, and a Cornish pasty or two, a 4 day trip to Cornwall never looked so good!

This little-known area of south Cornwall is full to the brim with quaint harbours surrounded by historic fishing villages, alongside scenery so wonderful you could stare at it all day, (we almost did). So, if after reading that you’re after a 4 day Cornwall itinerary for a long weekend in the area read on…

📍 4 Days in Cornwall Itinerary – Day 1 Polruan

📍 4 Days in Cornwall Itinerary – Day 2 Fowey & Gribben Head Daymark

📍 4 Days in Cornwall Itinerary – Day 3 Mevagissey & the Lost Gardens of Heligan

📍 4 Days in Cornwall Itinerary – Day 4 Polperro

Planning Your Trip? Use our favourite travel resources below:

Accommodation: We recommend Booking.com

Rental Car: We recommend Rentalcars.com

Travel Insurance: We recommend World Nomads

Flights: We recommend Kiwi.com

Tours: We recommend Get Your Guide

4 Day in Cornwall Itinerary Map

4 Day Cornwall itinerary

Day 1 – Polruan

📍 Highlights – Polruan castle ruins and the views to Fowey

📍 Where to eat – The Lugger Inn

📍 Where to park – If not staying in Polruan, Polruan Hill Car Park, (PL23 1PZ)

The first stop on the long weekend is Polruan, an ancient Cornish fishing village built on a steep hill, (which you may well have to walk up a few times on this itinerary!).

Bound on three sides by the River Fowey, Pont Creek and the English Channel, the colourfully painted houses and the maze of small lanes in Polruan is the perfect place to just sit and watch the world go by, or in our case a very colourful boat race.

The village is famous its heritage in boat building and within the ancient harbour that splits Polruan from Fowey, you can often catch a glimpse of the local boatbuilders working on restoring a fishing boat or two before they hit the high seas. Talking of heritage, there is also a church ruin that sits atop Polruan Hill called St Saviours Ruin which pre-dates all other churches in the area, well worth a stop by just for the views!

From Polruan you can also catch a foot passenger ferry over to Fowey, the picturesque town on the other side of the estuary. Just a short ride and a couple of pounds and it’s like you have been transported from the quiet fishing community of Polruan to the bustling town of Fowey. If you’re lucky you may even end up on the boat with a few friendly dogs too!

Day 2 – Fowey & the Gribben Head Daymark

📍 Highlights – Fowey ferry and the daymark

📍 Where to eat – The Lifebuoy Cafe or The Ship Inn

📍 Where to park – If not staying in Polruan, Polruan Hill Car Park, (PL23 1PZ)

Polruan’s more well-known neighbour Fowey, (pronounced Foy not Fow-ee as we later found out…), is full to the brim with picturesque coves, coastal paths and colourful shop fronts.

Overlooking the harbour back to Polruan you can also spot the large granite cross that shows the start of Polruan village from the sea. With a varied and truly unknown history, this cross has been linked with the monks from Tywardreath but now serves as a warning of dangerous rocks during high tides.

This area of the coastline is well known for its hidden away coves and gardens, and around Fowey is no exception. On the walk out of Fowey towards the west, you come across Readymoney Cove, a quaint cove with clearest blue water imaginable!

From Readmoney Cove heading further west, you come across St Catherine’s Point and St Catherine’s Castle. Once built as a lighthouse and fort, the old ruins are wonderful to explore with incredible views over the harbour entrance and beyond, especially when the suns out and the harbour is bustling with boat life.

Further on around the coast, and through a field of cows or two, you stumble across the sheltered Polridmouth Cove. This wonderful little beach is often split in two on a particularly high tide, but it a great place to rest your feet with a cup of tea and chunk of fudge after walking along the coast.

Be sure to stop by Roly’s Fudge Pantry in the centre of Fowey and grab some local sea salt or lemon meringue fudge as it’ll keep you going up those Cornish cliffs, especially the next stop on the weekend…

From Polruan or Fowey you can follow the South West Coast Path and hike through wonderful Cornish landscapes to the Gribbin Day Marker. This tower was built in 1832 as a way for local sailors to distinguish one bit of headland from another, and from a distance, it just looks like a typical coastal lighthouse!

The views all along this part of the coast path are incredible, so even if you don’t make it to the Gribbin Day Marker, or you go even further than it, you will be sure to catch the best views that the Cornwall coastline has to offer.

Day 3 – Mevagissey & the Lost Gardens of Heligan

📍 Highlights – Cornish Jungle and the historic fishing centre for pilchards

📍 Where to eat – She Sells Mevagissey

📍 Where to park – Either Harbour Parking, (PL26 6UX), or Willow Car & Coach Park, (PL26 6SB) in Mevagissey

A bit further afield lies Mevagissey, a small fishing town with regular boat links back to Fowey. Once the centre of pilchard fishing in Cornwall, the small quayside is now filled with numerous coffee shops, pubs and gift shops.

With the South West Coast Path still hugging the Cornish coastline, from Mevagissey you can look down over the tangle of one-way streets, the quayside and out to the yachting pool from the top of Polkirt Hill. Just make sure you don’t try and walk it on a day like ours was, the path can be fairly steep!

It is only a short drive from the next stop on the 4 days in Cornwall itinerary…

Whilst exploring this area of Cornwall be sure to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Even on a rainy day (like ours was!), it is such a beautiful and serene place to visit. You can easily spend a day getting lost in the gardens, and with over 200 acres to explore we can see why!

Just 25 years ago the gardens were unknown before being lovingly restored back to their former glory and becoming one of the top gardens to visit in Cornwall. With productive food-growing gardens, pleasure grounds and the wild Cornish jungle (yes you read the right!) there is something for everyone. There are also a few sculptures you can find dotted about the place too…

Planning your own trip to Cornwall? Make sure you check out our Travelling Tedaldi Amazon Store Travel Guides for all your guidebooks and maps. (We’ve done the hard work for you and linked all the things we used to plan our trip!)

Day 4 – Polperro

📍 Highlights – Picturesque fishing village

📍 Where to eat – Bean and Scone for cream tea and The Three Pilchards for locally caught fish

📍 Where to park – Polperro Public Car Parl, (PL13 2PL)

The Cornish coast is home to many a traditional fishing village but the smaller port of Polperro is particularly iconic and with the surrounding heritage coast being named after it, it is easy to see why!

With a view into the life of a bustling Cornish village filled to the brim with whitewashed stone buildings packed on either side of the River Pol and beautiful harbourside views, Polperro is quite possibly the quaintest place along the heritage coast.

The narrow streets through Polperro mean parking at the top and walking all the way down, but it also means there are no cars about, making Polperro ideal for wandering around the jumble of flower-covered cottages on foot. If you come over all peckish on your way down, stop by Bean and Scone for a cream tea to die for, just remember it’s jam first then cream in Cornwall!

After a varied history in smuggling and fishing, Polperro eventually became most well known for its pilchard fishing port, which is still in working order today. So why not head to The Three Pilchards, one of many harbour-side pubs,  sit and watch the world go by with a local tarquin gin in hand and feast on pilchards!

Want other getaway ideas? Check out – How to spend a week in the Lake District National Park

Where to stay in Cornwall

For our long weekend on the Polperro Heritage Coast, we camped at the Polruan Holidays Campsite, which not only has some wonderful views over the coastline but is within an easy walking distance to Polperro, Polruan and on to Fowey. There is a slight incline to get back home after a long day of walking, but it’s all worth it with all the pasties and fudge you will have eaten!

If you would rather a little more luxury than a campsite then check out Booking.com for the best accommodation options, or click on the map below.

4 Day Cornwall Itinerary FAQ

How to get to Cornwall

By car, you want to get on the M5 south to Exeter before driving the A38 into Cornwall. By train, the nearest station is either St Austell or Par, you’ll have to get an onward bus from both of them. The nearest airport is Newquay which is a 40min to an hour drive away.

Getting around Cornwall

The easiest way to get around Cornwall by far is by car. Public transport, i.e. buses, can be few and far between and won’t necessarily get you to all the cute tiny villages you might want to visit. If you don’t want to bring your car or are flying in from elsewhere then we would highly recommend you hire a car, or even better, a campervan and explore Cornwall that way. Just be aware that not all the villages have parking and you may have to walk up and down some steep hills!

Is Cornwall worth visiting?

Yes. 100% yes. Coastline with beautiful beaches, fudge and pastie shops in every village, pubs with a view, incredible hiking trails… Need we say anymore?

Is 3 days enough in Cornwall?

3 days is enough in Cornwall if you want to see a very small part of the area, such as in our itinerary above. However, if you want to see all of Cornwall then you will need at least a month! We have visited Cornwall a few times and have still barely scratched the surface.

How many days should you spend in Cornwall?

We only spent 4 days there during this trip, which was plenty to get a feel for the area, but ideally, you would want at least a week or two to discover a fair portion of Cornwall. Splitting it up into long weekends throughout the year means you get to experience Cornwall through all the seasons.

Where should I go for the first time in Cornwall?

For your first time in Cornwall, we would suggest going to Falmouth, making this your base and then taking day trips from there. We did that on our most recent trip to Cornwall and it was the perfect blend of having a great town home base and doing trips out nearby for hiking and learning about the history and heritage of Cornwall.

What is the best time of year to visit Cornwall?

We visited in the early summer, (before all the schools broke up for the summer holidays), and it was perfect. Bright blue skies, crystal clear water and the sun shining down on you whilst stopping in a local for some refreshments! During the winter you can get quite a few storms coming through so be prepared for any weather. During spring and autumn, the days can be a bit hit-and-miss in terms of the weather but just be prepared for the worst and it won’t be bad at all. It is also much quieter in terms of tourists as they are the shoulder seasons for visiting.

How long does it take to drive around Cornwall?

If you followed along the coast of Cornwall it would take approximately 7 – 8 hours to drive around Cornwall. If you were to drive from the border with Devon straight down to Lands End then it is roughly 2 hours of driving time.

Is it easy to drive around Cornwall?

Yes and no depending on the route you take and how confident you are at reversing in single lane situations. Cornwall is similar to other more rural parts of England in that some of the most scenic destinations and attractions may require driving down single-track lanes, which are perfectly doable even with a campervan.

Can you enjoy Cornwall without a car?

Yes, you can enjoy Cornwall without a car but you will have to plan your trip more meticulously due to the limited public transport options available. You should also know that you may not be able to visit some locations purely due to no public transport operating in that location.

Car Hire in Cornwall

If you decide you want to hire a car or campervan for your trip in Cornwall then we highly recommend using Rentalcars.com to find your perfect vehicle. We have used them a number of times across Europe and you always get great deals through them.

How to get to Cornwall from London

The easiest way to get from London to Cornwall is via car, which takes roughly 5 hours via the M4, M5, and the A30. You can also catch a train from London to St Ives in Cornwall, but this is a little longer at 9 hours 30 minutes.

Cornwall Tours

If you fancy trying your hand at surfing or visiting filming locations from some TV Series, or even stopping by Bodmin Jail, then hop on a tour with Get Your Guide. They have some great options for in and around Cornwall.

Conclusion: 4 Day Cornwall Itinerary

So for the perfect 4 days in Cornwall itinerary, make your way to the beautiful Polperro Heritage Coast and eat and hike your way around the abundance of quaint villages there are to be found.

Gemma Tedaldi

Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.