Dacey’s Cornish Tours

My husband and I had booked a cruise on Holland America Line’s Prinsendam, which had a port call in Fowey, Cornwall, England, on July 24, 2014. We’re great fans of the PBS British comedy “Doc Martin” and wanted to see the town of Port Isaac, where it’s filmed. In February, I decided to contact Dacey’s Cornish Tours (St. Paul, MN; 651/484-4689,

daceyscornishtours.com), an advertiser in ITN, to see if they would have suggestions on how to get there.

David Warner quickly responded to my inquiry, saying he would find someone to pick us up at the dock and take us there, as there was no scheduled public transportation to that location. Harry Holman and a driver, his daughter, picked us up right on time in a 2-door Ford Focus, wasted no time getting on the road, and in an hour we were in “Portwenn.”

When we reached Port Isaac, we used one of the car parks, then walked into town. We did a lot of walking up and down winding lanes that were pretty steep, but it was a delightful three hours that we spent there. The little town was crowded with people who apparently were also “Doc Martin” fans.

The pharmacy in the series is actually a Buttermilk Confectionery Co. shop, and they had maps for sale for £1.50 that showed the locations of places filmed in the TV show. It was interesting to see how this picturesque town was used in the series.

The ride from and to Fowey went through some beautiful countryside. There was traffic, and it was raining, but Harry spent about a half hour showing us some of Fowey, as well, a charming, old port town with interesting shops and buildings. 

From start to finish, the tour lasted about 5½ hours, and the two of us paid £65 (near $104). We also bought lunch for Harry and his daughter, since we enjoyed their company so much.

I was especially pleased with the assistance we received from David Warner of Dacey’s Cornish Tours and would recommend him to anyone wanting to see Cornwall.