Between Plymouth And Par Is A Charming Coastal Town With River Views, Beaches, And Fresh Seafood

The county of Cornwall has so many oh-so-beautiful coastal towns up its sleeve that it can be tricky to know exactly where to begin, and it can seem like there's a postcard-worthy village or salt-washed fishing hamlet around every bend in the coast road in this corner of southwest England. Among them: Looe. With its roots in the Middle Ages, this little harbor town survived raids by Barbary pirates before turning into a booming trading port. Today, it's much more about buckets and spades and on the beaches, boating outings, coastal hikes, and good old family fun.

Perhaps more than anything, Looe stands out because of its undeniable good looks. The town straddles the wide Looe River as it snakes south to meet the English Channel. The sounds of rigging and sails echo through the town's pretty mini harbor, while sailor taverns and seafood bistros cluster along the promenades. All that, plus Looe butts right up to a section of the Cornwall National Landscape, a vast region of pebble coves, shimmering white-sand beaches, and forest-clad coast hills.

Looe lies neatly on the shoreline between the beach-fringed town of Par to its west and the lively city of Plymouth, which sits to the east. Cornwall Airport Newquay (NQY), less than an hour's drive away, offers easy access to Looe from the air, though flight arrivals are limited to short-haul European and U.K. destinations. The much larger London Heathrow (LHR) airport is a touch under five hours away by car.

Pint-sized Looe is split in two by its namesake river. On one side of the water, there's East Looe; on the other is West Looe. You can stroll along the riverside walking paths on both sides to wander through oak woods and see wading birds, but the real focus of the town is around Looe Harbour on the eastern banks. There, medieval churches sit alongside boat-bobbing marinas in a place where the local Cornish fishing folk have been plying their trade for perhaps thousands of years, according to Visit Cornwall.

Thanks to its heritage as a longtime fishing hub, Looe is a fine place to sample uber-fresh fish and seafood. The quays are lined with kitchens that cook up the catch of the day, like The Fish Market, a riverside bar-bistro where tapas-inspired small plates are loaded with ingredients sourced from local boats, and the waterside seating affords fine views across the town. A bit further back, Sails Restaurant draws the eye with its menus of Cornish mussels, scallops in lemon and pepper, and filling surf-and-turf platters. The restaurant also has an extremely strong rating on Google Maps.

Once you're done dining, take some time to get lost amid the crooked, cobbled streets of East Looe. Somewhere in there is the Old Guildhall Museum, housed in a building dating back more than 500 years, telling the tale of Looe's maritime past (including swashbuckling stories of pirates and smugglers). Over the river, in quieter West Looe, the medieval Parish of Saint Nicholas soon gives way to hearty pubs like the Jolly Sailor Inn, which counts itself among the oldest pubs in the whole country, no less.

Looe has fabulous beaches to its east and west, but don't forget the town beach. Known simply as East Looe Beach, it huddles beside a long pier right in front of the fishing town itself. The spot does get crowded, particularly during the peak summer season. However, it's a real doozy for families thanks to its relatively protected waters and proximity to cafes and bars.

The Tamar River, which runs down the edge of the city of Plymouth, Britain's Ocean City, around 12 miles east of Looe, marks the border between the county of Cornwall and the scenic expat haven of Devon. A nigh-on 29-mile run of the greater South West Coast Path links Looe to that region, clambering up high cliffs before descending into the diminutive fishing hamlet of Portwrinkle. Along the way, you'll pass by the long Whitsand Bay, a 3- to 4-mile run of reef-dotted powder that's ripe for surfing and beachcombing.

Go west out of Looe, and you'll soon enter the designated Cornwall National Landscape. That bridges the gap all the way to Par Sands, and is peppered with inlets, coves, and more. You can stop by the mini harbor beach in the under-the-radar fishing village of Polperro to swim under the wooded hills and historic cottages. Alternatively, you can hike down to quiet Lantic Bay to escape the crowds on a hidden run of white-tinged sands hemmed in by cliffs.