Famed across the UK for our stunning beaches and dramatic scenery, we all know how busy beauty spots in the summer can get. It's for this reason that some West Country locals like to avoid tourist traps during high season.
But one reporter from Cornwall Live reported on his experience when he visited Mevagissey. during its busiest period. Below is his account of the highs and lows from that visit.
I've just done exactly what every sane Cornish person avoids at this time of year - visited one of our picture postcard tourist traps at the height of the "silly season". Call me mad but for just a few hours I went the full faux-emmet and joined the suncream-shining throng amid overpriced crab sandwiches and overfed seagulls in Mevagissey.
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It was hellish but also rather delightful. I told my daughters the fishing village wouldn't be that busy yet - a massive white lie to get them out of their beds and agree to have lunch in a place that was actually pretty heaving.
Although just a 20-minute drive from where we live, I would normally avoid Mevagissey like the plague between July and September, as I would Fowey, St Ives, Newquay and anywhere else where normally dormant second homes now fill up like pollock to a net.
The drive was fine - nothing like the stop-start traffic jam it can be when disgruntled local drivers increase the number of St Piran stickers on their bumpers as they're squeezed between 4x4 tanks whose drivers have never had to put it in reverse before, particularly down a lane full of cows and Cornish hedges.
The trouble came on arriving in Meva - the main car park on Valley Road was full and as a result cars were queuing on the road into the village. There are more car parks near the harbour but you take your life in your hands if you try to bypass the waiting vehicles, so a U-turn via the opposite road was required to get back to the overspill car park at the entrance to the village at Mevagissey Activity Centre, which was already almost full by lunchtime. That will cost you £5 for all-day parking though, realistically, not many people are going to want to spend the whole day in Meva.
The friendly car park attendant advised us to walk into the village via the recreation ground and play park, which runs alongside Valley Road. It's a beauty and probably missed by most visitors, though I did overhear some parents talk about how expensive London is to live in these days.
The great thing about Meva is its range of independent shops, cafes and restaurants, though some of the prices are shocking enough to make you forget your new bankrupt-inducing energy bill for a few seconds. A crab sandwich for £12.50 cried out a sign in one window ("Why are they putting that on display like it's a good thing?" asked my eldest, incredulously), small fish and chips with peas for £9.90 - yes, small ... and a sausage roll for £4.50. It all seems a bit excessive. But they invade, they feed, they pay.
Let's not be too mealy-mouthed about the tourists, though. They're undeniably giving the Cornish economy a huge lift, making up for those tumbleweed winter months when you can't say boo to a Mancunian goose in many of our coastal villages. It's great to see so many smiling faces and hear all the accents - there's a definite increase in overseas visitors judging from the American, Australian, German, Spanish and Eastern European voices I overheard in Meva this week.
There's a pride to be had from seeing so many people enjoying Cornwall and all it has to offer. My kids, like so many brought up here, have never understood what all the fuss is about - "Cornwall's boring" because it hasn't got an Urban Outfitters, apparently. You never really appreciate what's on your doorstep when you're young, but seeing so many visitors from across the globe enjoying for a week what they have on tap for 52 weeks has made my lot reconsider.
However, as we walked past the lines of people peppering the harbour, guarding their peppery pasties from the pecking pests, my girls wanted some sort of sign to show they were local. That seems to be an inherent part of being Cornish - being mistaken for a tourist is the most heinous of crimes.
By the way, there's an evil joy to be had from watching those seagull attacks. They appear to be particularly vicious in Mevagissey, even giving their brutal cousins in St Ives a squawk for their money. I witnessed a German woman looking on stunned as a gull strutted along the harbour, imperious, with her ice cream cone in its beak.
Unsurprisingly, it was almost impossible to get into the popular dining spots like The Sharksfin and Harbour Tavern, so what to do? Fortunately, I've long been a fan of a particular place in Meva - somewhere you don't have to book ahead, somewhere you don't need to wait to find a seat, somewhere where the food you eat has come straight out of the sea next to you.
The Fish Grill & More is a takeaway van on the harbour front which very probably produces the best fish and chips you will ever taste. The trio of fish is always my go-to; this week it was fillets of haddock and mackerel with two griddled scallops on a bed of chips (or bread and green salad if you're feeling healthy) for a very reasonable £12. The seafood is beautifully seasoned - there's really no need to load on the salt. My daughter had a £5 bacon bap, which she said was one of the best she'd ever tasted.
A quick walk around the other side of the harbour, past the aquarium, and with legs dangling over the rocks, a lack of seagulls who are being canny on the busier side and a view over the gently bobbing boats on the water, we tucked in. It really doesn't get any better than this.
The Fish Grill & More also serves scallops with salad or chips for £10, mackerel or sardines and chips for £9, plus lots more including a children's meal (most of the other dishes made smaller) for a very reasonable fiver. The service is always friendly and polite, even when the young staff probably feel quite stressed with growing queues, which they deal with speedily. I can't recommend it enough.
It was followed by a mango sorbet and rum and raisin ice cream from the neighbouring Blue Van. The ice cream, which is really good, is made in Launceston and is pretty reasonable for a tourist spot - £5.60 for the two.
There then followed a problem - where to get rid of the food packaging. There appears to be a complete lack of bins in the harbour area. Indeed, a small notice states "return all wrappers and litter to point of purchase" but I'm not sure anyone sees that. My 15-year-old daughter wanted me to add this line: "The lack of bins around the harbour would encourage tourists and even locals to litter. My daughters and I were walking around desperately looking for bins but not a single one was in sight."
Fortunately, the Fish Grill let us put our rubbish in a bin bag at their entrance. I'm guessing there are no bins due to opportunistic gulls, but the odd covered one wouldn't hurt judging from the number of people trying to prise litter into businesses' locked recycling bins.
A visit to Mevagissey isn't just about eating. I always have to pop into the aquarium - which may well be the smallest in the country. Housed in the former RNLI lifeboat house, it's actually a charity which raises awareness and bridges the gap between the fishing industry and the public. It's free too but please donate as money goes towards the maintenance of the harbour. I put some cash in the bucket on the counter but the kid in me was then downhearted to notice a shark's mouth you could slide the money down. Damn!
On the other side of the harbour is Mevagissey Museum, one of Cornwall's oft-overlooked gems. Based in a former boat builder's yard dating back to 1745, it contains a wonderful collection of Cornish heritage - from an original horse-drawn rotating barley thresher to an old-fashioned Cornish kitchen with a working clome oven. There is also a large collection of photographs depicting village life in the 19th and 20th centuries, including some surprising shots of movie stars who have visited Mevagissey. There's also an exhibit about the Pears soap company, which started life in the village.
Proving just how popular Mevagissey is, a film crew had created a bit of an audience next to the museum. As soon as I heard German accents among the crew, it was obvious. It was that Rosamunde Pilcher lot again. They love the late author's Cornish books over there - they're as popular as Poldark was in this country.
It was a nice bonus for tourists visiting Meva and another chance for me to say to the kids: "See, Cornwall is special, everyone loves it." Though I probably won't take them back to the village until October.
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