Exploring Polperro: Uncovering the Inspirations Behind Katy Carter, Polwenna Bay, and The Gift

One of the favourite locations in my writing (and for all those who holiday there for a week each year and spend the other 51 yearning to return) is the picturesque fishing village of Polperro. Its narrow, winding lanes, lichen-speckled rooftops, and high harbour walls set against the backdrop of the sea make it the perfect setting. The smuggler’s cave on the beach, legends of secret passageways under the village, are a constant source of inspiration. I love to watch the tides ebb and flow from the harbour, fishing boats ride the swell and seagulls stake out the pasty shop.

Polperro feels frozen in time. Its storybook beauty and sense of timelessness create the perfect setting for themes of escape, mystery, folklore and friendship — elements that often seep into my writing. The first time I visited, I could hardly believe a place so beautiful could exist and I had to stop and look. I still see crowds of people standing outside the Chip Ahoy and staring at the harbour, not quite able to believe their eyes. There’s only one way that’s better to see the village and that is to by approach by boat. That’s when it all makes sense.

I chose Polperro as the backdrop for Katy Carter Wants a Hero  after receiving advice from the wonderful E. V. Thompson. Write about what you know, he advised. What did I know? All about being an English teacher from London who want to be an author and moves to Cornwall – or more precisely Polperro. Maybe faces and friends crept into the story! Places certainly did and I know that many readers write to me after having spotted some. The pub, the church and even my best friend’s fishing boat all feature in the book. I wrote for fun and escape rather than for publication and this is why I was probably far more autobiographical than maybe I should have been…

It was also around this time when Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan came across my manuscript and kindly supported my book. That was a moment I’ll never forget! Feel free to Google it - although don’t believe everything you read in the Daily Mail – I am not a stalker who leaves MSS on the doorsteps of celebrities. Richard and Judy had a second home in Talland Bay and I knew them from out and about the village. Poor R was inundated with would be authors after this. Sorry, Richard!

Polperro is a levelling place, where people from all walks of life—fishermen, barmaids, second homeowners, day time telly celebs, even former rock stars—rub shoulders in the local pubs. How did I not know Bruce Foxton was a rock star and not just a nice man I chatted to in the Blue Peter? Polperro a place where the focus is more on the local stories than on celebrity gossip. And this is something I love about the village. It makes it easy to weave real-life experiences into my writing and it makes for a rich mix of people.

Polwenna Bay, the setting for my bestselling series – now published in Germany– was oddly inspired by the time I was living in the Cayman Islands. When I realised that Little Caribbean Café was never going to see the light of day (even though it had a hot hero with a pet iguiana and a dastardly villain) I turned to Cornwall instead, and more specifically Polperro. I started writing about Polwenna Bay to help me feel connected to home, even when I was far away. The characters and plots that came out of that process are still vivid for me, and writing about them still feels effortless. There is a warmth and ease about Polwenna aka Polperro where you ‘turn the first page a stranger and close the book as a friend.” I do blend some elements of Looe and Fowey into the village, but it is mainly Polperro/

There are lots of places in the Polwenna Bay books that match locations in Polperro – maybe I should do a tour! The Cod Father, Ashley’s house Mariners, Seaspray, The Plump Seagull, Polwenna Manor, The PB Hotel, the church, The Ship Pub, the seafood shack, the village shop, Polwenna Priory… Go and look! Have a weekend, or even a week, in the area and treat yourself to a getaway that is as much a state of mind as a location on a map.

The Gift—which is the first in a new series set in 1950s Polwenna Bay—has been such a rewarding project. It’s a story about Alice Pendeen, Granny Alice from the Polwenna Bay books. I lived writing this book and talking to Polperro residents who remembered the village in the fifties. In The GiftWe get to see Polwenna through her eyes and experience the place as it was in the 1950s. The loss of the fishing boat Girl May, which plays a role in the story, is based on the loss of a friend’s boat and he was lost too. It’s deeply personal, and I can’t wait to write more in this series.