In Cornwall you are never more than a few miles from the sea, and never more than a craggy cove or two from a tale of a Cornish smuggler. The legends of these wily ‘free-traders’, as they were known locally, and their escapades seem to live in every quiet nook and coastal cranny of this almost entirely sea-bound county.
These days those hidden smugglers’ haunts are boltholes of a different kind and offer visitors the chance to immerse themselves in this exciting and emotive period of Cornish history.
Perhaps the most infamous smuggling village in Cornwall is the impossibly picturesque little port of Polperro. Here ancient cottages crowd down to the calm waters of a narrow inlet where fishing boats bob and gulls call from lichen-dappled rooftops.
In the 18th century smuggling was a vital part of a vast
