Penberth Cove, Cornwall

Appeared in Series/Episodes: Series 1–3

• Coastal village settings

• Fishing community backdrops

Location

Penberth Cove, near Newlyn, TR19 6JT
Just 15 minutes from Chyvounder

If you could design the perfect Cornish fishing village for Poldark, it would look exactly like Penberth Cove.

Tucked down a narrow winding lane between Newlyn and Lamorna, this tiny harbour feels untouched by time. Granite cottages cluster around a slipway. Weathered wooden boats rest against stone walls. Nets hang drying in the salt air.

It is easy to see why the production team behind Poldark chose Penberth for filming.

The series often contrasts wealth and poverty — grand houses versus working communities. Penberth embodies that working Cornwall. Honest. Salt-stained. Rooted in survival.

On screen, the cove represents the everyday lives of fishermen and coastal families who lived at the mercy of tides and trade. It grounds the drama in something real.

Stand by the harbour at low tide and the atmosphere is immediate:

• The smell of seaweed and salt

• The creak of wooden boats

• Gulls circling overhead

• The Atlantic stretching beyond the rocks

There is no modern marina here. No glossy redevelopment. Just stone, water and sky.

For visitors, Penberth is best experienced slowly. Sit on the harbour wall. Watch the tide creep in. Imagine Demelza walking the narrow lane, skirts lifted above the mud.

Because it’s only 15 minutes from Chyvounder, you can visit more than once — perhaps early morning for solitude, or golden hour when the granite glows warm against the sea.

It pairs beautifully with nearby Porthgwarra or Porthcurno, creating a deeply atmospheric West Cornwall day.

And when you return to your private garden retreat at Chyvounder, the contrast feels perfect — peaceful comfort after stepping into 18th-century Cornwall.