Harbours are simply places for ships and boats to shelter. In yesteryear, they were used just to load and unload ships (especially in Liverpool and Bristol). are two cities with big maritime histories). Ships would often moor at piers, and artificial harbours were first built during the 1944 D-day operations. Read tips to be a more sustainable sailor and how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (many harbours are not dog-friendly, so check before visits).
Mousehole (Cornwall) is a tiny harbour on the west side of Penzance Bay, 7 miles from Land’s End. It’s so tiny it can only take tiny boats! It’s tricky to get in, due to weather and rocky islands. It’s popular with wild swimmers who often brave the freezing cold waters, drying off on the small sandy beach, before using the stairs to head back to the village (full of ancient alleys and higgeldy-piggeldy houses of different shapes and sizes).
This is real ‘deep Cornwall’, where many people still use the (similar to Welsh) Cornish language (the last person to speak it as a first language was local resident Dolly Pentreath – she died in 1777).
The seas near Mousehole can be treacherous. In 1981, all 8 volunteeer lifeboat men were killed along with the crew of the coaster vessel they were trying to save (which ran aground after seawater got into the fuel tank). Today the village has a local train named after the boat’s crew. Within one day, local volunteers had formed a new lifeboat crew.
Other beautiful harbours in England include:
Lynmouth (Devon) has a funicular powered railway (cliff-lift) nearby and is stunning beautiful. It also has a tragic history. In 1952, it suffered England’s worst flood, when 34 people died (and 100 buildings were destroyed). So much rain fell in nearby Exmoor that the river could not cope and burst its banks. Today the flood overflow area is built to take more water, so hopefully this can never happen again.
Weymouth (Dorset) is a well-known seaside resort with a nice harbour. The coast faces the Channel Islands, with ferries running to the Channel islands (at time of writing).
Lymington (Hampshire) is an affluent town with a ferry to Isle of Wight. Boats shelter in two marinas in the Solent.
Whitby (Yorkshire) is a unique harbour. You can walk 199 steps up the hill to visit the ruined abbey, while you wait to sail out again. With a strong Dracula connection, this town also has a sad history, as it used to be a whaling port.
