Mousehole
PorthenysA perfect Cornish harbour
Popular for retaining its original character, charm and beauty, Mousehole is a historic fishing village in West Cornwall, three miles west of Penzance. Its picturesque harbour is surrounded by narrow streets and lichen covered houses, which huddle together creating a stunning location.
Discover Mousehole
All along the harbour road and tucked away up little lanes, you’ll find galleries, gift shops and places to eat. Lose yourself for an hour or two as you wander the maze of narrow streets that always lead back to the sea. With the tide out the harbour becomes a safe sandy beach, popular with families, whilst the sea wall is a great place to promenade and take in the views across to St Michael’s Mount.
Lights in the darkness
One of the highlights of Mousehole’s year is the Christmas Lights that fill the village with colour at the darkest time of the year. Visitors come from miles around to enjoy the spectacle which ties in with Tom Bawcocks Eve on December 23rd when Star Gazy Pie is made in the village. The lights are turned off on December 19th in respect to the lifeboat men from the village who were lost in the 1981 Penlee disaster.
If you can drag yourself away from the harbour and its surrounding lanes, why not head up to the Wild Bird Hospital or take the South West Coast Path along the cliffs to Lamorna Cove? Boat trips will take you out to see the actual cave that gives the village its name or head into Newlyn, Cornwall’s main fishing port.
Mousehole is considered one of Cornwall’s prettiest fishing villages, with two small sandy beaches inside its harbour quays, only accessible at low tide, and a long pebble beach running east toward Penlee Point.
For keen swimmers, there’s the Mousehole Rock Pool; a natural tidal pool and the perfect spot for a wild sea swim and a chance to spot seals in the bay. Historically, Mousehole was a prominent harbour, being the main port for Mount’s Bay during the 13th century and is rumoured as the home to Cornwall’s oldest pier, dating back as far as 1266.
So stay a while in Mousehole, explore the narrow streets, soak up the atmosphere and have a pint in the pub, but make sure you call it Mowsul, not Mousehole!
Plan your trip
Everything you need to know to plan your perfect trip to Mousehole.
From the M5 at Exeter, follow the A30 all the way down through Cornwall to Penzance. On reaching Penzance, take the road that runs along the seafront and follow it as it goes through Newlyn and on to Mousehole. There is limited parking on the harbour so it is better to either park for free on the road leading into the village or in the carpark on the left just before the Old Coastguard Hotel.
All trains terminate at Penzance where the bus station is right beside the train station.
National Express also run to Penzance.
There are regular local busses to Mousehole from here.
FAQ's
View allYou can always tell a holiday maker by the way they pronounce certain Cornish placenames... Tintagel, Launceston, Mevagissey, Fowey.... but probably the most common mispronunciation is Mousehole.
To say it correctly, you need to say Mow-zul..
Tha's a very good question... and one we would struggle to answer.
Some might suggest a traditional fishing village like Polperro or Mousehole, other might mention Blisland, high on Bodmin Moor with one of the few village greens in Cornwall.
Smugglers hideaways such as Cawsand or Boscastle, even some of the mining villages have their own beauty like Carnkie or St Just, it just depends what you're looking for?
What we are sure of is that wherever you are in Cornwall, from Calstock on the Tamar to St Buryan in the far west, you will find a village worth looking at.
The Mousehole Cat is a popular children's book written by Antonia Barber and published in 1991. It is based on the legend of the Mousehole fisherman Tom Bawcock and his cat who go out into a storm to catch fish for the starving village. When they return all the villagers bake a stargazzy pie to celebrate their safe return..
Started in 1963, the small village of Mousehole, on the western side of Mount's Bay has lit up the harbour with a display of lights. Over the years these have increased and grown in size and are now a major attraction in themselves with people coming from far and wide to view them every night.
There are now over 60 displays using over 7000 bulbs!
They are switched on around the second weekend in December, illuminating the village until early January. However each December 19th the lights are turned off to remember the brave men who lost their lives when the Penlee Lifeboat and the Union Star were lost in a storm on the Cornish coast in 1981.
Visitors coming to see the lights should be aware that they may have to park some way from the village and walk into Mousehole as the carparks fill up early.
Your weekly dose of Cornish cheer!
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