My Best of 2022: Make Readymoney Cove, Fowey One Of Your Top Days Out in Cornwall

Hi, I'm Victoria! I'm really lucky to be the owner of Readymoney Beach Shop, here in beautiful Fowey, Cornwall. As we reach the end of our sixth season in business, I'd love to share my Best of 2022 with you to show you why I think that a trip to Readymoney Cove is one of the best days out in Cornwall.

The Best Birds Eye View 

The south Cornish coast is truly beautiful with hidden golden coves & twisting coastal pathways, quite different from the wide expanse of beaches you typically find on the north coast. The stunning photo above was taken back in June by regular visitor Carl who has a real talent for drone photography. Give him a follow here for more beautiful aerial shots from across Cornwall.

Readymoney Cove is super special to so many people & although not lacking in visitors during the summer season, it’s a real hidden gem during quieter times of year if you’re looking for inspiration for days out in Cornwall.

Park at the Readymoney carpark (free between 1st November and 31st March) & take the 5 minute walk along the wooded footpath named St Catherine’s Parade down to the Cove. You’ll quickly be rewarded with a tantalising glimpse of the cove through the trees & you’ll find our handy little shop (open every day except Christmas Day), complete with free to use public toilets.

The Best Bus Stop

Fowey’s Pretty Bus Stop is known all the over the world & has built a real following over the years. Its colourful makeovers were originally the brainchild of local lady Jane who wanted to discourage vandalism to the bus stop at the top of Fowey.

After almost two decades & some epic themes (anyone remember the Elvis bus stop?) Jane handed over the paintbrushes to new custodians, Melissa and Sarah who work with individuals and community groups across Fowey to bring fresh new designs to the bus stop every 3-6 months.

This year has seen a Fowey sailing theme from the team from Fowey Gallants Art Club, a hilarious library mural by local illustrator Gretchen and the bus stop is currently sporting a celebration of all things Cornish. The bus stop also gets decorated for Christmas with special trees in memory of two much loved local ladies, Martine & Emma.

People genuinely do plan their days out in Cornwall to include a trip to see Fowey’s famous bus stop (it even featured in Hello magazine!) & even those who just happen upon it as they drive or walk past can’t help but pause with a smile & some photographs.

You’ll spot the bus stop on the right as you follow the main road into Fowey from Four Turnings roundabout, it’s just after the Lankelly Lane mini roundabout. If you’re visiting from Readymoney & on foot just keep following St Catherine’s Parade up away from the beach & turn left after going through the gate at the end. I can’t wait to see what the next incarnation is!

The Best Memory of the Queen

I first came across this photo back in June whilst Fowey was celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This photo, along with several others, was taken in July 1962 when the Queen & Prince Philip visited Cornwall on the Royal Yacht Britannia which moored just outside the harbour mouth.

Her Majesty came to Fowey to take tea with famed author Daphne Du Maurier at her then home in Menabilly just round the coast from Readymoney. The account on the Du Maurier Society website (link here) of the visit is quite amusing, recounting how Daphne got rather flustered by the plans for the visit. She quite wore herself out borrowing sufficient tableware and arranging 27 vases of flowers! After all the chaos, Daphne then ended up sitting “in the wrong place’ such that the Queen was inadvertently offered “inferior sandwiches” by an equerry.

After the Queen’s death in September I shared the picture on my Instagram and the photo on such familiar territory rather blew the mind of my 11 year old son, “but that’s the Queen in Fowey Mum” he said. Never mind the fact that I did actually meet the now Queen Consort when she and then Prince Charles visited several years ago but that’s another story for another day.

Making the Best of Bad Weather

In August (during Regatta Week of course) we had some truly terrible weather with huge downpours of heavy rain in a very short time. This is always dramatic at Readymoney as the camber of the road means that the rainwater rushes down the road, round the corner by the shop & toilet building & collects in a large muddy pool on the inside of the sea wall just past the shop door.

I was at home, watching on the webcam & could see that the paved area was filling up almost to the top as the drainage holes in the seawall aren’t really fit for purpose any more.

Never wanting to miss an opportunity for something different, one intrepid kayaker even attempted to ride the rapids as the rainwater rushed down to the sea. My lovely staff member Holly captured the hilarious footage on film here, you’ve just got to love the ability of people in this country to make the most of it! Why let a bit (well, a lot of rain) spoil one of your precious days out in Cornwall!

It did take a couple of weeks for the sand to level out again though, the force of the water carved out a crevasse almost as tall as me!

The Best Morning Views

Fowey doesn’t get the same cracking sunsets as you see elsewhere but we do excel at morning light. I’m not really a morning person but this year I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some beautiful morning views as I’m either out walking the dogs or meeting friends for a morning swim. This shot through the trees & out across the harbour mouth towards St Austell Bay was taken on a crisp January morning after I’d dropped the kids at school. 

A change of schools in September now means our days start much earlier and a few 7am swims have really topped up my morning-view-o-meter & definitely made me change my perspective on the merits of not always staying in bed as long as humanly possible.

So if you are an early bird who likes to start their days out in Cornwall with the dawn chorus then don’t miss sunrise over Readymoney Cove, it really does feel magical (I can highly recommend a quick dip to see you right for the day).

The Best Seagull Selfie

This really was one of my unexpected hits of 2022. There I was on an otherwise unremarkable day in late September having a cheeky solo swim. I usually swim with my dog and my group of swimming buddies but as I was on my own & the beach was empty I thought I’d set up my phone to record a time lapse of my swim.

Watching the footage back I noticed a cheeky seagull walking into shot & having a good look around but it wasn’t until I slowed the footage down to edit for our new TikTok account that these two images jumped out at me. Well, it all went a bit crazy after that & I was contacted by several news organisations, both local and national. The picture was even featured in Metro!

The seagull was so popular that I ordered postcards which we now sell in the shop & I think a Christmas version might be on the cards... Seagulls get a bit of a bad rep in Cornwall but they aren’t too bad in Fowey, although this one does come back regularly & will still go for your pasty if you aren’t careful!

I’ve really enjoyed this look back through my best bits of 2022 (I used an app called Top Nine to collate my most popular Instagram images of 2022 if you’re keen to do your own). It’s been a bit of a strange year really and in the aftermath of the pandemic, 2022 seems to have raced along at breakneck speed. It’s been a time of much change too, with huge increases in the cost of living, war in Ukraine and more prime ministers than you can shake a stick at.

But what I love most about all the things in these images is that they don’t cost a penny, have been there for many years and will still be there for many years to come (including that bloody seagull and his descendants). So if you’re looking for ideas for days out in Cornwall, do come to Fowey & pay a visit to Readymoney, it’s not the playground of the rich that it is often made out to be and there is so much to enjoy, whatever your budget.

If you've enjoyed this Best of 2022 blog then why not check out some of my other posts below for more ways to make a trip to Fowey one of your top days out in Cornwall.

How to Spend The Perfect Day in Fowey

Five Things to Do in Fowey Outside Peak Season

5 Glorious Ways to Enjoy Autumn at Readymoney Cove