The poet Dylan Thomas described this pretty fishing village as ‘quite the loveliest village in England’ and he wasn’t wrong. Situated 2.5 miles south of Penzance this is a place worth travelling to. There is a rugged charm to Mousehole, pronounced “Mowzal”. Granite fishermen's cottages set the backdrop to the small harbour where colourful boats bob on the water and children play on the sheltered beach. The harbour entrance is so tiny that it provides the basis of one theory for the provenance of the village’s charming name. Artists flock to this part of Cornwall for the light and the legend surrounding C16th fisherman Tom Bawcock, the inspiration behind the popular children’s book, The Mousehole Cat. The legend lives on and every 23rd of December locals take part in a lantern procession through the village and Stargazey pie is served in the Ship Inn. The village is something of a culinary destination with excellent food to be found at 2 Fore Street and at The Old Coastguard Hotel. Ticky Hedley-Dent
