5 days in Looe
5 days For everyone Built from visitor-rated places
Five days out of Looe, and the shape of it is simple: short, easy mornings near base, then a couple of bigger pushes east when the roads are quiet. You'll start gently with Castle Canyke, lunch 3.1 miles away at the Lanivet Inn (food hygiene rating 5/5, open Mo-Fr 11:00-15:00 and 17:00-23:00, Sa 11:00-23:00), then drop 2.6 miles into Bodmin Keep. Arriving by train? Looe station is the nearest, and the branch line does the parking worry for you.
Day three is the long one — 66.8 miles to Castle Drogo, then just 5.6 to Finch Foundry — so it's worth pairing with a slower day four, where Cotehele House and the Cotehele Quay Discovery Centre sit 0.4 miles apart and the Discovery Centre states disabled access. For beds, Talland Bay Hotel is 2.2 miles from Looe station, with East Looe beach 2.1 miles away and bathing water rated Good by the Environment Agency.
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Day 1
An unhurried opener: Castle Canyke first, then 3.1 miles to the Lanivet Inn for lunch — it holds a 5/5 food hygiene rating and serves Mo-Fr 11:00-15:00 and 17:00-23:00, Sa 11:00-23:00, Su from 12:00, so aim for the earlier sitting. Bodmin Keep is only 2.6 miles on, which leaves the afternoon genuinely relaxed.
Day 2
The longest leg of the day comes first — 30.4 miles down to Glendurgan Garden (National Trust) — so set off early and let the gardens absorb the morning. Lunch is 3.5 miles away at Fat Apples Cafe, rated 5/5 for food hygiene, then 6.5 miles to Gwithti an Pyrst, A Cabinet of Folklore and Magic, for an odd and lovely finish.
Day 3
A proper road day: 66.8 miles to Castle Drogo, so pack a flask and treat the drive as part of it. Finch Foundry is a mere 5.6 miles afterwards — both National Trust, both best done at a walking pace, with no lunch stop pinned down so you can eat whenever hunger lands.
Day 4
After yesterday's mileage, this one's kind: 20.9 miles to Cotehele House for the morning, then just 0.4 miles down to the Cotehele Quay Discovery Centre, which states disabled access. You can stretch the whole day across one small patch of riverside and never feel rushed.
Day 5
Finish with 9.7 miles to Mount Edgcumbe House, then leave the car where it is — the Mt Edgcumbe Railway & Model Society is a short walk away, under a quarter of a mile. A tidy, car-free afternoon to round off the trip before heading back to Looe.
🛏️ Where to base yourself
Stays in Looe that put this whole plan within easy reach.
Copper Penny Apartments - Hare Lodge
Tavistock, South West England
Sleeps 5
£423 per break
Check availability
Copper Penny Apartments - Birch Lodge
Tavistock, South West England
Sleeps 5
£317 per break
Check availability
🎪 What's on in Looe
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 27 Nov · 19:30
Evening of Mediumship with Nikki Kitt - Camelford
Camelford Hall, Camelford · 21.0 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Sat 28 Nov · 19:00
Kickin It Country - St Austell
The Club St Austell Cornwall, Cornwall · 14.9 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Wed 16 Dec · 19:30
Evening of Mediumship with Nikki Kitt - Looe
The Millpool Centre, Looe · 0.2 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Wed 6 Jan · 19:30
Evening of Mediumship with Nikki Kitt - Bodmin
Shire House Suite, Bodmin · 14.2 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
🗺️ Getting to Looe
Plan the drive with service stations, food stops and fuel or charging costs along the way.
Plan my journey →🚆 Or come by train
Live trains to Looe →Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page