The port town of Falmouth in Cornwall is a town with contrasting coastlines. From the harbour side of the town on the Fal estuary and the famous Carrick Roads to the beautiful Gyllyngvase beach on Falmouth Bay, Falmouth is a town of contrasts.

In the seventeenth century, Falmouth was given chartered status following its growth after Sir John Killigrew created a busy port and town earlier that century (following a suggestion by Sir Walter Raleigh) that would make this area of Cornwall an important starting point for many famous voyages. In fact, Charles Darwin’s five-year voyage circumnavigating the world upon HMS Beagle ended when the ship landed in Cornwall at Falmouth Harbour on October 2nd, 1836.

In the previous century, Henry VIII built 2 forts on opposing sides of the entrance to the Carrick Roads at St. Mawes (St. Mawes Castle) and opposite Pendennis Castle as defences against attacks from the Spanish and French. Both Castles are open to the public and Pendennis Castle runs a series of events throughout the year. St. Mawes Castle was used as a means for defending Falmouth harbour during the Second World War. The land on which Pendennis Castle was built was originally leased from the Killigrew Family.

The poet Lord Byron once sailed from Falmouth en-route to Lisbon and wrote ‘Lines on Mr. Hodgson Written on Board the Lisbon Packet.’ The National Maritime Museum in Falmouth has an exhibit that is devoted to the Falmouth Packet.

In the 1860’s, the railways finally linked to Falmouth and the prosperity of the town rose as tourism increased. Later that decade, Falmouth became a “Packet Station” for the Royal Mail and was used to transport mail around the British Empire and maintained its status as the only port where mail entered and left the country.

The harbour at Falmouth is the 3rd largest natural harbour in the world and the deepest one in Western Europe and plans are being considered to construct a new cruise liner terminal along with plans to re-develop both Falmouth and Penryn.

Places of interest in and around Falmouth include the National Maritime Museum that has won “Gold” in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in the Cornwall Tourism Awards (2007 & 2008) and Mylor Harbour. The National Maritime Museum has a range of exhibitions that focus on the importance of the sea and its relationship with the people of Cornwall that have included “Fishing in Cornwall” and the importance of Falmouth as the major sea port in Cornwall. Mylor Harbour is signposted out of Penryn and well worth a visit. There is a great restaurant at Mylor as well as plenty of water sports centres where you can enjoy kayaking around the Carrick Roads as well as learning to windsurf or simply hire a bike and enjoy the country lanes around Mylor.

This area of Cornwall has some magnificent gardens including Trellisick and Trebah gardens both of which contain a variety of flowers, shrubs and trees that provide year round colour and interest and feature high on the list of “must visit” places in Cornwall.

In October, Cornwall celebrates the Oyster with the annual Falmouth Oyster Festival that is true celebration of the wonderful seafood that comes from the waters around Cornwall and attracts thousands of visitors who want to enjoy great Cornish seafood and watch many celebrated Chef’s creating some magnificent dishes using locally caught seafood.

Another annual event that draws the crowds to this area of Cornwall is the Henri Lloyd Falmouth Week that features a great racing programme, including the Pendennis Cup that is managed by the Port of Falmouth Sailing Club and the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club.

Author Bio: Naz Daud – CityLocal Cornwall
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Category: Travel
Keywords: Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth Bay, Fal, Falmouth Harbour, National Maritime Museum