1. leisure
www.cornwalltoday.co.uk | 135
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MYLOR
TUCKED AWAY IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE FAL ESTUARY IS A SMALL HAVEN
THAT THE SAILING COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN KEEPING TO THEMSELVES…
Words and pictures by Viki Wilson

2. www.cornwalltoday.co.uk | 137
I
have lived within 20 miles of Mylor for around eight years now,
but until recently, like many landlubbers, I had not appreciated
what a wonderful place it is to visit. In recent years, this
tranquil, sheltered harbour tucked into a north-east facing bank
on the Carrick Roads estuary, just one mile from Falmouth, has
quietly been undergoing something of a transformation.
In the past there was a yacht club and a marina here, and
to the casual observer, not much else for those who aren’t
involved in the world of sailing. There has been a sailing school
here for years, and a marina which offers first class service for
anyone involved in boating activities.
Today, the marina offers more services for boat owners than
ever, and the sailing school is still thriving. But although there
is plenty on offer for anyone who loves being on the water, as
we discovered, Mylor’s newly renovated holiday apartments are
fabulously located whether you enjoy sailing or not.
Since being bought in 1997 by Roger and Dinah Graffy,
more than £6 million of investment has been poured into both
the marina and the onshore facilities. Those facilities include
several holiday apartments which have been re-crafted from
19th century buildings which date back to the days when
Mylor was a Royal Naval dockyard.
Our apartment, Drake, like all the other apartments was
beautifully furnished. There were three cosy bedrooms, views
over the estuary and a fully fitted kitchen and dining area.
These are apartments which offer charm and character and
mod cons – there is a flatscreen TV and free Wi-Fi is available
all around the site. Some of the apartments are also dog
friendly, which is ideal when you consider that the beach is a
popular dog walking spot and Café Mylor, nearby, even hosts a
communal dog walk every Wednesday.
Our kids loved their cosy bedrooms – they were able to
have a room each, and we also had a barbecue and patio
where we relaxed on our first evening as we planned our little
‘Kernowcation’ for the next few days.
A walk from Mylor to Flushing was our first expedition the
following morning. This is an easy, flat and very beautiful
walk, with views out towards Falmouth as you make your way
around Trefusis headland. We ended up enjoying lunch and
a glass of wine at The Waterside on Flushing Quay, before
heading back.
Later that day, we had made arrangements to try Stand-Up
Paddleboarding (SUP) with Westcountry Watersports, which has
a shop a few yards away from the holiday apartments. Richard
Marsh who owns the shop in Mylor is renowned as a keen
promoter of the sport and is starting an SUP club from the shop.
They offer really wonderful guided tours, and given the sheltered
waters, it could be argued that this place is possibly one of the
best locations in the county to try SUP for the first time.
It is also worth noting that Westcountry Watersports is
also packed with all things watersports, from kayaks to
Stand up Paddleboards, wetsuits, accessories and kite surfing
equipment… you name it really. Richard and the team are
passionate and very knowledgable about all these sports, so it
is definitely on my hotlist of places to go when I finally fulfil my
dream of buying my very own kayak.
We brought our own wetsuits for our afternoon adventure
and Richard began with a short training session on dry land
on how to stand up on the paddleboard. The plan was that as
beginners, one adult and one child would try SUP, while the
other adult and child enjoyed part of the journey in a double
kayak. You can SUP all the way up to Restronguet Creek to the
wonderful Pandora Inn from Mylor, but for our first trip, we
ventured up Mylor Creek towards the village of Mylor Bridge.
As the more adventurous, or some may say, foolhardy,
members of our family, my son Jem and I volunteered to try
SUP first. Once out in the harbour Jem teetered a little, then
stood up with apparent ease and began paddling away with
some ferocity.
Miraculously I too managed to get from my knees to my feet
somewhat tremulously, without falling in. The boards used for
SUP, are wide and very stable, so it is much easier than it looks
for anyone to enjoy this activity. Once up on my feet, the real
magic of SUP and of Mylor Creek was unveiled. By now, we
had made our way a little up-river to the deep, green waters
of the creek which are shrouded by clouds of leafy oak trees,
interrupted only by the occasional millionaire’s retreat.
Standing up and paddling feels physically less tiring than
kayaking and gives you a really wonderful perspective of
the creek. I was soon gliding with apparent ease over the
water, with only the soft call of curlews from the banks and
occasional murmurs from my companions to break the utter
peace. As a heron gracefully lifted off from the banks and
skimmed the water with his huge, soft grey wings, I realised
the true beauty of this means of exploration is that it is so
unintrusive. There are no noisy engines, no wake, just the
gentle ripple of the paddle through the water.
For our final evening, we had booked into Castaways, a
real hidden gem of a restaurant. The restaurant was once an
establishment offering curries to the cadets on the training ship
HMS Ganges, and today, Castaways East is the village pub,
which still offers wonderful curries as well as other traditional
foods. Castaways the bistro, meanwhile, offers a range of
wonderful, Italian inspired food, including fresh seafood,
pastas and risottos and pizzas. It is particularly satisfying, to
enjoy tender fillet of hake, as you watch the water lap on the
shore just a few yards away. In the evenings, many of the
boating community come into Castaways from their yachts in
the marina, and there is a wonderful relaxed and happy vibe in
the village. The children’s menu was equally well-cooked and
thought out, and we all enjoyed a really beautiful end to our
trip as the sun sank behind the riverbank.
Mylor Harbour is undoubtedly a state-of-the-art marina.
Judging by the luxury boats being lowered into the water
and moored at the jetties and swinging moorings, the sailing
community are well aware of all that Mylor Harbour has to
offer. But it seems until now, they have been keeping this
enchanting haven on the river, with its wonderful holiday
accommodation, restaurants, shop, café and watersports to
themselves. Time I think, for an invasion of the landlubbers.
www.mylor.com, Tel: 01326 372121
136 | CORNWALL TODAY
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