The Ship Inn, Polperro, Cornwall, England

Fabulous pub in a fabulous village. Authentic half-timber buildings perched on hillsides above a small cove, friendly bar staff and access to the coastal trail which circumnavigates Cornwall. We visited on a sunny warm December afternoon, but the size of the parking lot at the top of the town indicates heavy tourist trade in the summer.

The Ship was large and empty the day we were there, but the fire, the service and the brandy were warm. Our barmaid had a Canadian connection. She had worked outside Toronto one summer, so we consoled her as we quaffed. This is the PERFECT bar to listen to Mr. Scruff’s Shanty Town. “Thars a whale, thar’s a whale, thar’s a whalefish he cried…”

Visited: Dec 2008

The Jolly Sailor – Looe, Cornwall, England

Arriving for my 40th birthday pub-exploring odyssey in the seaside Cornwall town of Looe (pronounced like the water closet), we were deposited in West Looe Square (aka Princes Square) and greeted by not only a charming cottage (ours for 2 weeks), but The Jolly Sailor, which we quickly dubbed the Dirty Pirate. Reeking authenticity, and offering an informal sea shanty session weekly, this is a pub. A real pub. In a real, working seaside town. It could be overrun by tourists in the summer, but we were lucky enough to be the only strangers in town that December, and quickly became known around town as the freakishly tall Canadians. Even though it was only for a fortnight, the Jolly Sailor fulfilled its duties as our local with scurvy charm. The only regret was not having the courage to perform Barrett’s Privateers at the shanty sing-a-long, even though we practiced and everything.

Extra Bonus: The view of our cottage front door from the ladies loo(e) upstairs.

Visited: December 2008