Looe is a coastal town in south-east Cornwall, and it is two towns in one. East Looe and West Looe sit on opposite sides of the river Looe, joined by a bridge. In Kernewek the town is Logh, deep water inlet; West Looe is Porthbyghan, the little cove. The two halves were separate boroughs for centuries and were united only in 1898. Together they make one harbour town with a sandy beach, a working quay and a great deal of weather.
A working harbour
Looe was a busy port in the Middle Ages and Tudor era, with fishing, boatbuilding and trade, and it has never stopped fishing. In 1625 Barbary pirates raided the town and carried off eighty mariners, a day the town did not forget. The Banjo Pier, designed by Joseph Thomas, curves out at the harbour mouth, and the Looe Valley Line still links the town to Liskeard by rail.
Two shores
East Looe holds the beach, the shops and the old guildhall, now a museum; West Looe climbs the hill on the other side of the water, with the coast path leaving from its edge towards Talland and Polperro.
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Last checked: 2026-10-11