Mevagissey: Harbour, Things to Do & Where to Eat

Updated 10 October 2026 · 6 min read

Mevagissey ("Mev" to locals) is a proper working fishing village, its double harbour packed with boats and its narrow lanes full of pasty shops, galleries and pubs. It's lively, unpretentious and great for families, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are just up the hill.

Top things to do in Mevagissey

• Wander the harbour. Mevagissey still has a working fishing fleet. Watch the boats come in, get crabbing lines from the shops and try crabbing off the harbour wall.
• Mevagissey Aquarium is a small, charity-run aquarium in the old lifeboat house on the harbour, showing fish caught locally. Entry is free, and donations help look after the harbour.
• Take the ferry to Fowey. In summer, a passenger ferry crosses the bay between Mevagissey and Fowey in about 35 minutes. It's weather-dependent and usually runs from around May to early October, so check the day's sailings.
• Walk the coast path south to Portmellon and on towards Gorran Haven, or north towards Pentewan.

Heligan and the Pentewan Valley

The Lost Gardens of Heligan are about a mile and a half inland, and you can walk up from the village. Its jungle valley, old productive gardens and woodland walks easily fill half a day. The Pentewan Valley trail is a flat, mostly traffic-free walking and cycling path from near St Austell to Pentewan beach, with a link to Heligan. It's ideal for families on bikes.

Beaches near Mevagissey

• Portmellon: a small sandy cove just south of the village.
• Pentewan: a wide sandy beach to the north, at the end of the Pentewan Valley trail.
• Gorran Haven: a pretty village beach further south, a good base for walking to Dodman Point.

Places in this guide

Where to eat and drink

The Fountain Inn is a 15th-century, low-beamed St Austell Brewery pub just off the harbour, with traces of an old pilchard press in its Smugglers' Bar. Around the harbour you'll find plenty of fish and chips, pasties and cream teas.

Getting there and parking

Mevagissey's streets are tiny. Use the main car park at the entrance to the village and walk in (it's only a few minutes). Buses run from St Austell station, and the summer ferry links Mevagissey with Fowey.

Plan your trip