Mousehole
Mousehole- a picturesque fishing village in a beautiful setting is one of very few places that can be found in the United Kingdom to have retained its original character and charm.
Mousehole (pronounced "Mowzel") has a stunning collection of yellow-lichened houses, built from the local finely grained Lamorna granite, huddled together around the inner edge of the harbour - protected from the force of the sea coming across Mounts Bay by two sturdy breakwaters.
Mousehole is a very attractive tourist destination. A small safe beach is located in a sheltered part of the harbour which is popular with families, particularly those with small children- an ideal location for family days out.
Narrow streets, blind alleys, it has it all. Both working boats and visiting yachts still use the harbour today. Overlooking the village is the famous Wild Bird Hospital, which over the last 70 or so years has saved the lives of thousands of birds, particularly sea birds. Dolly Pentreath, the last person who spoke the Cornish language as her natural tongue, which died with her some 200 years ago lived in Mousehole. As you walk towards the harbour from the car park, you will pass the house where she lived - marked by a plaque. A memorial to her is to be found in the churchyard in nearby Paul - a small village just above Mousehole. Outside the almost circular harbour is St Clement's Isle, once home to a religious hermit. Along the coast is a huge cave, said to be the source of the village's unusual name.
The road into the village is extremely narrow, and parking is quite limited so visitors are encouraged to park their cars at the parking lot outside the village and walk in, or use the regular bus from Penzance.
Mousehole is famous for its own unique holiday. December 23 in the village is Tom Bawcock's Eve, in memory of a famous episode in the village's past. It seems that long ago bad weather forced fishing boats to stay in harbour, and the villagers were faced with starvation. In a short lull in the storm one brave man by the name of Tom Bawcock managed to catch enough fish to keep the villagers alive until the storm abated. The fish was baked into a large pie, called Star Gazzy Pie. The pie is eaten at the inn on the quay to commemorate the event, and the village is lit with its famous Xmas Illuminations . Switching them on from the Saturday in the Middle of December until the Friday at the end of the first week of the New Year from 5pm until Midnight each day.