The ancient town of Fowey traces its origins back to the Iron Age. It was a well established and bustling seaport when the Romans first arrived in eastern Britain around 55 BC and remains commercially active to this day, the ninth largest exporting port, in terms of tonnage, in all of Great Britain.

But while you can watch large ocean freighters move in and out of the port with their cargoes of china clay, and see a growing list of cruise ships visit during the summer months, Fowey remains a quiet and peaceful small town where people greet you in the streets and stop for a chat.

From our sitting room and the front balcony, you can look far out to sea on the British Sea (English Channel), beyond St. Catherine's Castle (built by Henry VIII); quietly watch the movement of big ships, luxury private yachts and small sailboats all around the harbour; or simply sit and gaze across the estuary to the village of Polruan, which climbs from the waters edge up the steep hills, looking very much like a scene from the Mediterranean.

Built in the late 19th Century as one of eight brick and stone villas known as Victoria Terrace on The Esplanade, with commanding views across the harbour, Sunny Spirit is just two minutes level walk into the town quay and the main shopping area.

Fowey's narrow Fore Street, near the water, winds among the shop buildings, many dating back hundreds of years. It's filled with an array of shops, including a first-rate butcher (producing Kittow's famous sausages). Kittow's also has an enticing deli with fresh vegetables displayed in front, a fish monger (they can tell you where each fish was caught and when) which also has an impressive wine collection, a small but surprisingly well stocked mini-mart, more than half a dozen restaurants ranging from family inexpensive to gourmet, five local pubs, a news agent, two book shops (one new, one used), several top quality art galleries and a variety of other shops to keep even a reluctant shopper interested.

Fowey’s later history has been literary—with writers like Daphne du Maurier, Kenneth Grahame, Leo Walmsley and Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, known as “Q” walking these streets and being inspired by life here.

Today, Fowey continues to draw both writers and sailors of every sort, a fact that makes this little Cornish town unique.