Confirmed · Penwith: the mining coast · Village

Penberth Cove

Sawle fishing village in Poldark. View from public paths; allow 45 minutes.

On screen as: Sawle fishing village
Access: View from public paths
Time needed: 45 minutes
Where: Penberth, near St Buryan, Cornwall

On screen

How Penberth Cove appears

Penberth is Sawle, the fishing village close to Nampara where much of the community life of the story goes on. The cameras use the real cove, with its slipway, boats drawn up on the stones and granite cottages, rather than a built village set. The interior of the Sawle Kiddley, the village alehouse, was a set at the Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, so there is no pub to find here. In the story Sawle lies on the north coast near the mines; the real cove is on the south coast between Porthcurno and Lamorna.

The real place

What you can visit

Penberth is one of the last working fishing coves in west Cornwall, with a capstan, a cobbled slipway and a few cottages at the bottom of a lush valley. The cottages are private homes and the slipway is a working space for the fishermen. You can walk down the lane and on to the coast path in either direction. There are no shops or toilets in the cove itself.

This is a working harbour and a small community: keep off the boats and gear, leave the slipway clear, and don't photograph people's homes.

Visit Cornwall: 15 Poldark film locations ↗

Getting there.

There is no parking in the cove and the lane down is narrow; park considerately in St Buryan or at Porthcurno and walk along the coast path, roughly an hour each way from Porthcurno with some steep sections. The cove floor is rough granite and cobbles.

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Common questions

Planning a responsible visit

Where was Sawle filmed in Poldark?

At Penberth Cove, a working fishing cove between Porthcurno and Lamorna on the south coast of Penwith.

Can you drive to Penberth Cove?

Not sensibly. There is no public parking in the cove and the lane is narrow. Walk in on the coast path from Porthcurno or park considerately further up the valley.

Is the Sawle pub real?

No. The Sawle Kiddley interior was a studio set in Bristol, and there is no pub at Penberth.

Plan your visit