Walks from the railway: Looe to Polperro

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Walks from the railway: Looe to Polperro

16th November, 2017

Walks from the railway: Looe to Polperro

Family walking the South West Coast Path between Looe and Polperro

This article is more than 6 years old.

In a nutshell
Take the scenic train journey to Looe and then walk the South West Coast Path. Arrive in the fishing village of Polperro, a real treasure trove to explore, before catching the 10-minute bus back to Looe for some well-earned grub.

In pictures
Enjoy the glorious train journey to Looe (£6 Off-Peak Day Return from Plymouth):

Then take in the sea air on the 5.5-mile coastal walk to Polperro:

Walker on the coast path from Looe next to coast path sign post

Map showing walking route from Looe railway station to Polperro

See walk directions

Exit right from the railway station and follow signs down Station Road to the bridge. Cross over it to West Looe, turn left and walk down Quay Road alongside the harbour. At the end of this road you will see a steep hill which curves round, walk up this hill. Caution- there is no pedestrian footpath.

At the top of the hill, carry straight along Marine Drive, which has great views of Looe Island, past the café and the tennis courts. Go through the gate in the corner and on to the South West Coast Path.

Stay with the coast path until you come to Talland. Dropping steeply downhill into the car park at Talland, turn left at the Smuggler’s Rest and then left again to go past the toilets.

Turn right along the tarmac path to take the coast path uphill towards Polperro. Do not take the path signposted Brent. Follow this path until finally you will drop down into Polperro.

In the village, the bus stop is located at the top of the village, near the Crumplehorn Pub. There are frequent buses to Looe Health Centre, just down the road from the railway station.

Download these directions as a PDF.

Explore the beautiful fishing village of Polperro with its picturesque harbour, art galleries and maze of narrow streets (see first section of the video below). Read more on the Visit Cornwall website.

Polperro by Nick Hubbard under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0

Nick Hubbard (Creative Commons)

Then get the 10-minute bus back to Looe (look up times) and enjoy a hearty dinner before setting off home on the train.

Our top tips for where to eat in Looe include:

The Old Sail Loft - fantastic local food at this former haunt of smugglers!
Ye Olde Salutation Inn - the fire is always lit at this cosiest of pubs.
Jolly Sailor - take the ferry to Looe's oldest pub, dating back to 1516.

Suggested itinerary:

Monday-Friday

Buy your train ticket on the day at Plymouth station (£6 Off-Peak Day Return to Looe).

09 21 Depart Plymouth railway station
09 50 Arrive Liskeard (then walk to Platform 3 - see map)
09 59 Depart Liskeard
10 29 Arrive Looe

10 30 Walk the coast path to Polperro (get directions PDF).

12 45 Arrive in Polperro. Explore and have lunch.

15 30 Walk up the village to the bus stop by the main car park (see Google Map).
15 55 Take the 72 bus back to Looe.

16 05 Explore Looe and then either:

17 15 Depart Looe railway station
17 43 Arrive Liskeard (then walk quickly to Platform 2)
17 49 Depart Liskeard
18 18 Arrive Plymouth

Or... stay for dinner in Looe and get the 18 40 or 19 52 departures home.

Saturday

Buy your train ticket on the day at Plymouth station (£6 Off-Peak Day Return to Looe).

09 19 Depart Plymouth railway station
09 47 Arrive Liskeard (then walk to Platform 3 - see map)
09 58 Depart Liskeard
10 29 Arrive Looe

10 30 Walk the coast path to Polperro (get directions PDF).

12 45 Arrive in Polperro. Explore and have lunch.

15 30 Walk up the village to the bus stop by the main car park (see Google Map).
15 55 Take the 72 bus back to Looe.

16 05 Explore Looe and then either:

17 28 Depart Looe railway station
17 58 Arrive Liskeard
18 19 Depart Liskeard
18 49 Arrive Plymouth

Or... stay for dinner in Looe and get the 18 33 or 20 00 departures home.

Look up other train times

Look up other bus times