A home by the sea

Even on grey days, the view from this Port Isaac balcony is incredible

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? The more I travel, the harder that question is to answer, and my recent trip to Port Isaac has added another option to the ever-growing list.

This tiny fishing village in North Cornwall is best known as the setting for the sweet UK series Doc Martin, and like most tourists, I was there to see the grumpy doc’s house, Large Restaurant and Louisa’s pretty school (all in the name of journalistic research, of course!). Usually, going behind the scenes of a TV show strips the magic a little, but in Port Isaac, it’s all there: the view, the harbour, the soundtrack of seagulls, the quirky locals and the whitewashed houses. Approximately five minutes in, I was ready to stay for good.



Large Restaurant (the doc's house is tucked away above right)

If I could’ve had my pick of houses, it would undoubtedly be the holiday home that most of us recognise as Al Large’s restaurant in the series. It has the best position in town – steps leading down to the water and an uninterrupted view of that idyllic harbour from its balcony. Discovering that it wasn’t actually a restaurant was the one real disappointment of the trip – I was dying to have a meal on that terrace!

Instead, on our last day, as the sun came out and lit up the bay, my friend and I climbed the hill above and found a natural balcony with even more breathtaking views. Feast your eyes on this.

Port Isaac in all its splendour

Have you ever been to Port Isaac? Would you like to? Where do you go for a balcony fix?