Falmouth - A Cornish maritime town

Hello from a very rainy Cornwall!

If the rumours are true, the weather should be a little bit brighter over the next few days, so fingers crossed!

Todays post is all about Falmouth, a maritime town of the south coast of Cornwall.

Falmouth was created in 1613 by Sir John Killigrew, before that the main town in the district was Penryn. The name Falmouth is of an English origin, (the Cornish word for Falmouth is Aberfal) and it refers to the towns location being at the mouth of the River Fal. Falmouth was once known as Pennycomequick, which in Celtic languages is spelt as penycwmcuic, meaning head of the creek. This is just like the Pennycomequick in Plymouth, Devon.

Falmouth is home to the largest port in Cornwall and even through the maritime activity has decreased a lot since its heyday, Falmouth docks are still major for the town’s economy with many cargo and cruise ships docking there.

The town is now a popular holiday location with plenty to see and do. One of the most well known attractions in Falmouth is Pendennis Castle, which was built for King Henry VIII between 1540 and 1542. There are several museums and galleries to explore including the National Maritime Museum. Throughout Falmouth town there are a wide selection of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, with a mixture of local independent businesses selling amazing and unique products, and high street favourites (we do recommend checking out the smaller businesses as there are some real gems to be found!).

The National Maritime Museum, packed with Cornish maritime history.