Charlestown Regatta

Around the last week of July we have a dazzling week in Charlestown, packed full of fun and entertainment for everyone. There's so much going on and so many people visiting the village, it may not be the place to be if you are seeking total peace and quiet! We have jazz bands, pony rides, stalls and cream teas, Choirs on the quayside, gig-racing, children's sports, carnival, fireworks after dark, children's entertainers, competitions, triathlon, sailing, demonstrations from the coastguard and lifeboat, raft races and even water polo. So if you are looking for a week full of fun, Charlestown is the place to be! Please email info@charlestowncornishcottages.co.uk or call 01726 73332 for this year's dates.

Fowey Royal Regatta

Each August, Fowey comes alive as hundreds of visitors arrive to celebrate the annual Regatta. Boat owners and enthusiasts come from all over the country to watch or participate in the daily sailing races and for those without sea legs, there are plenty of activities on land ranging from children's games and entertainment to the mid-week carnival which sees the whole of Fowey don costumes for the colourful event that is accompanied by costumed marching bands and music. The famous giant pasty is transported from Polruan to Fowey by boat, chaperoned by the Fowey Town Band – and not an accomplished musician amongst them! It is then cut on the town quay and distributed to all the children present. A regular and much awaited annual fixture at the festival is the Red Arrows aerial display which is nothing less than spectacular. Onlookers line the coast, surrounding hillsides, coves and for those lucky enough from boats moored in the harbour for a dramatic demonstration of skilled flying up and down the estuary. The week comes to a close with a firework display that lights up the harbour and there is no better place to observe than from The Food for Thought Restaurant on the town quay – fine food and wine is the perfect accompaniment. Please email info@charlestowncornishcottages.co.uk or call 01726 73332 for this year's dates.

The Daphne du Maurier Festival

During May there is the Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature, events are held in Fowey and the surrounding towns and villages. The focal point for most activities is the Festival Village which is erected every year in the grounds of the Fowey Hall, set high above the fishing port and with commanding views of the river estuary and the sea. While the festival is held specifically in honour of the life and work of the author of such books as Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek and Jamaica Inn, it offers a full programme of music, theatrical performances, lectures, workshops, art exhibitions and walks, which celebrate both artistic creativity in all its forms and the beauty of the surrounding Cornish countryside.

Kenneth Grahame stayed in Fowey and became acquainted with Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. It is believed that his book The Wind in the Willows, published in 1908, may have been inspired by excursions up the River Fowey, and it is said that Fowey Hall was the inspiration for Toad Hall.

Erin's Escape and Amelie Rose are just a few paces from the Festival Village, Fowey Hall.

For further details and specific event dates and timings please go to www.dumaurierfestival.co.uk