In the Land of Daphne du Maurier: Village by the Sea – Polperro, England

As a boy I used to go on family holidays to Cornwall in the southwest of England. Our vacation used to centre upon a small fishing village, Polperro, and I thought it was a magical place. But as we may well know young boys can be very impressionable. Thirty years later however, after having travelled the world, I can say without hesitation that the place is indeed truly unique. Luckily for me, my parents had somehow stumbled upon the jewel in the crown of Cornish fishing villages and I still visit the place whenever I can.

My recent three-day visit began a couple of kilometres inland from the sea, where the village begins along a single thoroughfare. It gradually fans out into a maze of lanes and alley ways, which lead down to the picturesque and unspoilt harbour, where at high tide tiny coloured boats unload their catch, and pots and nets lie about the quays.

Polperro's tranquil exterior, however, belies its history. The streets to the small harbour were once full of people carting barrows of fish and, under cover of night, brandy casks and tobacco bales were carried to hideouts. It was throughout the 17^th century a thriving centre for the area's smuggling. Wagonloads of contraband were left here, some heading across Bodmin Moor en route to London. The smugglers have long since sailed into history, but a visit to the smuggling museum brings this rich heritage back to life.

The aptly named Ship Inn and the Three Pilchards are two of the villages half dozen or so small, traditional Inns, a couple of which date from Medieval times: the kind of places that you never want to leave after having step foot inside (personal experience!), and where you may feel you are rubbing shoulders with the ghosts of not-to-be-tangled-with cut-throat pirates from a different age, given the historic paraphernalia on show.

Fishing trips or pure pleasure cruises are easy to arrange from the quayside and pulling into Polperro from the sea is a touching experience. In autumn or winter the smoke from countless open fires hangs low over the village, giving a reminder of times past. But I was feeling somewhat more energetic and during the second day of my trip decided to walk along the cliff path to explore the secluded smuggling coves of Talland and Lantivet Bay. The coastline here is part of the 50 kilometre South Cornwall Heritage Coast, and from Polperro beautiful walks extend to Talland in the east or Lansallos in the west, both with beaches and interesting churches. As one might expect, these and other secluded coves have, over the centuries, provided ample opportunities for smuggling.

On my final day I took a local bus west from Polperro to the mouth of the River Fowey at the village of Polruan, which faces St Catherine's Castle across the water in Fowey. During the 100 Years' War, a chain was stretched between the two to de-mast any invading French ships. Today, the river is alive with pleasure craft and there is a regular car/passenger ferry from Bodinnick and a passenger ferry from Polruan, both to Fowey.

It is not uncommon for areas of exceptional beauty to inspire writers. And this part of Cornwall abounds with literary associations. As a child, Daphne du Maurier used to take family holidays in the area around Fowey and spent a great deal of time there as an adult. Indeed she captured Cornwall in many of her writings. Close to Bodinnick ferry slipway is the house where she wrote her first novel, The Loving Spirit, and along the secluded southern bank of Pont Pill creek you can see the hut where Leo Walmsey lived and wrote his romantic book Love in the Sun.

I walked upstream, along the River Fowey, and stumbled upon picturesque riverside villages and further afield to experience pleasant woodland walks along the banks of the River Lerryn. The whole of this area, along the Fowey river and around the coast as far as Looe, has been officially designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Cornish peninsula thrusts into the Atlantic Ocean, and as with many peninsulas has managed to develop its own culture. Mention "Cornwall" and the average person in the UK thinks of tin mining, rolling fields, picturesque fishing villages and Daphne Du Maurier. Rightly so! It's quite unique. There is in fact an active movement striving for independence from England. After my most recent visit I came away with the impression that Polperro and its hinterland is different from the rest of England. I felt that many years ago and still feel it now. Perhaps the reason why I feel myself being constantly dragged back to Polperro is that the place is indeed different – so uniquely Cornish!

The writer is the author of the book Chasing Rainbows in Chennai.

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