Magical

I’m leaving London later this morning, and in thinking back to my 4 days and 3 nights in Port Isaac, someone asked me what makes this village so special. Why would I take 17 hours out of my life to travel 7,199 miles to this little town? Well, like most things, you can find the answer on the internet.

Why is Port Isaac famous? Port Isaac is a picturesque fishing village in the North of Cornwall and is also a popular lobster and crab tasting destination. This small village is famous for fishing restaurants with delicious food. But most of all, the village is known for its place where the filming of the famous series Doc Martin took place.

I’m guessing it was about six years ago that I discovered the TV show about the grumpy doc with a blood phobia, the lovely schoolteacher Louisa Glasson, their growing love story, and the town’s colorful characters: Bert Large, the hapless plumber who failed at his various business ventures, his smart son, Al Large and his romances with the Doc’s receptionists, Elaine, Pauline and Morwenna, the town’s inept policemen, Mark Mylow and PC Penhale; Sally Tishell, the local chemist secretly in love with Martin; and the Doc’s aunts, Joan and Ruth, who love Martin unconditionally. I could especially relate to the Doc Martin—in many ways he was like my late husband, Carl: absolutely brilliant in his work, gruff and crusty on the outside, but a big softie on the inside.

(An aside: I think all of us ladies fall in love with Martin Clunes! After I watched Doc Martin, I watched nearly all his YouTube interviews, his documentaries about islands around the world, and his other film work. I especially loved “William and Mary.”)

After only one Doc Martin episode I was hooked and immediately drawn into the story and watched the entire series five times through before I decided to make a journey in 2019. After I came home, I watched it at least another five times so much so that I’ve practically memorized the dialogue. Even before that though, I joined several Facebook groups about Doc Martin, and the breakthrough came when I submitted one of the featured videos on the BBC One program. (See the short video here) That’s when what I call the “die-hard” Clunatics reached out to me and I became part of a daily group text conversation about all things Martin Clunes.

I found the village to be utterly magical. Perhaps it was its quaint architecture… your eyes are drawn to Its “narrow, winding streets are lined with old white-washed cottages and traditional granite, slate-fronted Cornish houses, many of which are listed as of architectural or historic importance.”

I took this photo in 2019 but it still looks about the same.

Perhaps it’s the Platt— “No wonder the village of Port Isaac is called as a place of fishing life, because there you can see the real fish catch and try delicious delicacies. “Platt” is a small outdoor area where local fishermen store their crab pots and plant their catches of fish, crabs and lobsters. This place is very busy during the period when tourists mingle with the locals. Most of all it attracts visitors with food, as the place is strewn with an abundance of cafes, seafood restaurants, tea rooms and Golden Lion harbourside pub (Dog Friendly), with an outdoor patio where you can enjoy local dishes and views of the beach and harbor. (Port Isaac Cornwall FAQ)

Look at these pictures I took with the tide in and the beach has virtually disappeared. There was a story line about this when a lady’s teenage lover parked on the Platt during a tryst and came back to find his car floating in the water.