Port Isaac
Port Isaac is a small fishing village on the north Cornish coast whose combination of a working harbour, medieval street pattern, whitewashed cottage terraces descending steeply to the sea and global fame as the filming location for the television series Doc Martin makes it one of the most visited and most charming fishing communities on this section of the coast. The village retains its identity as a working fishing port despite the enormous pressure of visitor interest, its narrow lanes, the tiny harbour and the quality of its seafood providing an authentic Cornish experience in a setting of great visual appeal. The village centres on the small harbour where fishing vessels are pulled up on the beach and the fish cellars, once used to process the pilchard catch that sustained the community for centuries, provide shelter and storage around the working waterfront. The fresh fish and shellfish available from the harbour-side fishmongers represent some of the finest seafood available on the north Cornish coast, and the restaurants and cafés of the village serve crab, lobster and fish caught within sight of the tables. The Platt, the small square at the harbourside, is the heart of village life and the location for the Fisherman's Friends concert events, the group of Port Isaac fishermen whose sea shanty singing became an international phenomenon when they achieved a record deal and substantial fame from their informal harbourside performances. Their story, made into a film in 2019, has added a further cultural dimension to a village already well supplied with attractions. The steep lanes of Port Isaac, some barely wide enough for a person to pass through, provide excellent exploration and the clifftop walking north and south from the village along the South West Coast Path gives access to the dramatic north Cornish coastline.