thanks for that , theres a couple that i've earmarked.
good site too

hi there...live not too far from Looe, the inlaws live on the outskirts and bf grew up there. he is the expert when it comes to it's pubs etc (mispent youth lol), but he says there's something for everyone there!
With regards to your dog - should imagine most would be ok with it in the day time, but evenings you may have more trouble as they do get a bit packed - especially the weekends. Ask the barstaff before you go in, they will let you know, but I know there are a few locals who take their dogs in, so it shouldn't matter. Another poster mentioned that the beach bans dogs, that is right. You won't be able to take dogs on when you go - but I think the ban is an all year one. There are beaches in the area where you can take dogs though, one is Plaidy. Not much there in the sense it's not built up and you will have to leave your car at millendreath (beach down the road) or Looe and walk there. I am sure the local council could tell you in advance which ones you could use, the local council is called "caradon".
If you've never been to the area before, i recommend going to Polperro for the day, which is the next village / town along from Looe. It's very pretty.
Have a lovely time x

thanks katey , dont suppose you know anything about looe bay caravan park run by weststar ??

i can't remember which is which, there are a few lol but will ask the bf for you! all of the ones I have seen are pretty equal to each other - nice and clean, indoor pool, entertainment and usually on the outskirts - not ideal to walk into town, but not far by car or taxi.

We stayed at Looe Bay Westar Park last April - we live locally but got a cheap deal through the local paper and went with friends and their kids --had 3 caravans altogether - they were great especially ours as we paid an extra £10 for a larger one (would definately reccommend this) - We only paid £40 for Friday to Monday per van - had a fab time - the kids loved it (4-6year olds and a 10 year old).
The park as a whole is good and clean - the vans were pretty immaculate. Facilities on site good apart from the restaurant - we booked Sunday carvery for all of us only to fid this only runs in the evening and we were only able to have a plated roast which was cold and disgusting and was sent back - the waitress said she didnt blame us Plenty of places to eat in town.

thanks for that , that sets my mind about the site , and thanks for the warning about the resturant , will go and eat out , in looe then.
did you find any nice ones???

have only eaten in 1 restaurant in Looe, that was the mexican which I thought was quite good - so worth it if you like that type!
Polperro may be a bit classier of an evening for posher restaurants, but there are so many places in Looe to choose from, but try to make a reservation before you go, is often hard to get a table in the nicer ones.

I'm in Looe. Local faves at the moment are Fournieres, and the new Lascares tapas bar. I have no idea if they accept dogs or not. For good basic pub grub we like The Salutation.

Great fish and chips on the Barbican. Come out of your camp site and go straight on...don't go down the hill into Looe. Past the housing estates until you get to a row of shops (newsagent, Londis etc) Emiles fish bar, a fish and chip restaurant and take away.Mkae sure you get what you ordered, watch them pack it (I have had to wrong orders recently). Its completely innocent, they are just busy...but they are great fish and chips. And you can park close!!!!

There are quite a few upmarket places to eat in Looe. Probably really nice but we can't afford them (cornish wages!)

I have a feeling you won't be able to take your dog onto the beach. I think there is a year round ban now.

Any other outstanding questions?

oohh thank you , very much keswick , for those recs , we like pubs anyway and are quite happy to eat and drink in them any scenic walks you can recommend ??

There is a Looe walking festival in September. What dates are you staying?

Walking from Looe to Polperro on the coast path is lovely. Probably 4-5 miles. Then you have to get back so, if you want a bus you will need to check out times before you leave. We do have buses but they are few and far between. From Looe you start at the end of Marine Drive Hannafore.

If you go up onto the moors at Minions and park in 'The Hurlers' car park you can walk to the Hurlers (standing stones) and then on up to the Cheesewring Stones. A wonderful view on a clear day. Not very far at all and short climb onto the Cheesewring. (Do a google for Cheesewring).

If you want to go a bit further afield park at Wadebridge and walk the Camel trail to Padstow (or hire bikes at Wadebridge and cycle). Beautiful trip.

Have you read my answer to the other cornwall threads on here? Especially the one about supermarkets (or lack of them)

We used to really like the Tom Sawyers tavern on Hannafore for pub grub. Its changed hands now and I don't know whats its like. I haven't heard any reports, so I can't say good or bad.

My husband and I stayed at Looe Bay Caravan Park run by Westar. The caravan was extremely basic (but what else would you expect for £140 for 4 nights!), the restaurant was dire (went once, never again) and the bar too smokey!

Looe itself is great. My husband was on crutches for the holiday due to conveniently breaking a metatarsal at the beginning of the World Cup and not being able to work! However, we had no problem him getting out and about in Looe. We had a great meal at The Smugglers' Cott, not cheap, but definitely worth it.

We did a boat trip to Polperro, which is very quaint, and also drove to the Eden Project and another day was spent in Plymouth. Before Looe we had been in Penzance for a couple of days which was fab.

we will be in looe from 9th sept till 16th sept , any good for the walking festival ?

Just been to try and find a date. Google brings up :

Looe Valley Walking Festival, 21-24 Sept 2006, so you are just a tad too early. There may be guided walks still though...ask at Looe Tourist Info centre. In East Looe, under and towards the back of the clock tower.

If you want to park for a short time the long straight road into East Looe has one hour parking on the left. There is usually a space there if you don't mind manoeuvering. Whereever you park check up to date restrictions..we have a very efficient traffic warden (we need one!).

Any other questions?

We've just got back from a week at Looe Bay. We booked a St George Grand which was absolutely immaculate - only about 3 years old and really well stocked with cups/saucers/glasses etc.

The restaurant on-site is absolutely dire - service appalling, food Berni Inn's circa 1970's and generally a dire place. And not the cheapest meal we've had recently.

Reception are really friendly and helpful - the pool (although I didn't go in myself) was well received by hubby and son and the arcade kept our 8 year old happy enough for a few minutes each night. I run and found the grounds really good for the early morning run so will be good for taking the dog for a trip round the block. The shop was competitively priced (it is a Costcutter) and the staff are really friendly.

As far as eating is concerned (not sure about the dog though) we found the Mexican was excellent - really friendly staff, The Ship was good with live music on the Sunday night we were there, The Buccaneer - food was good but miserable staff and the chef wouldn't do a steak for one table "cos he didn't want to do steaks that night!" - Martin's bakery do scones to die for and although quite pricey the fish and chips from Kelly's were delish. We tried to get into The Decker near the beach (which had outside seating if the weather is right so good for taking the dog) but it was very busy. Also, tried to get into the Smugglers Cott - got there at opening time (6.30pm) but all the tables were booked - despite the person in the front of the queue being told she couldn't book when she'd phoned earlier - kind of got the feeling that they didn't need to bother too much where the bookings came from as they knew they were a popular restaurant.

We went to Polperro for the day - huge car park at the top of the hill - we walked down to the harbour and decided to take the horse drawn carriage back up later in the day - £1.50 each but you get a free ice cream at the end of it

Also went to The Eden Project which we booked through Reception at Looe Bay - hubby went and booked it and forgot to mention Gift Aid - if you do Gift Aid when you book your tickets The Eden Project get 28p in the £ back and they give you a free ticket for a year in case you return. When we mentioned it when we got to TEP they said that they were having problems with holiday parks not asking people - so they lost the revenue and we couldn't have the season ticket. The organisation at TEP is excellent - lots of park and ride, plenty of coaches, quick entry to the attraction, clean toilets, lots of tables in the restaurant etc.

And finally, supermarkets are few and far between so we did a big shop at Morrison's at Liskeard (4 miles away) then topped up at the onsite shop.

I've rambled on a bit here but if you have any other questions then holler.

Have a great time.

Linda

thank you very much for that review , looks like the resturant is not popular then. where is martins bakery , i like the sound of those scones , will get some clotted cream then to go with them.
hopefully by the time i go , which will be on sat , things should be a bit quieter , do you think we will still need to book resturants then !!??

Martins Bakery is on the East side of Looe very close to the Bridge. Near Boots. It sells allsorts of bakery and dairy items : cream and jam too and they do sell them packaged as cream teas to make life a bit easier. It also has a little tea shop, a very laid back sort of place, but clean and its my childrens favourite choice for a milkshake after school!

I still rate the fish and chips at Emiles on the Barbican above Kellys -and they have a restaurant as well (details of how to get there in earlier post I think) . It would also be far closer for you to get their from your site and back again. Parking in town is a nightmare to get close, whereas there is some on the Barbican-just avoid school kicking out/arrival times. I would also think the Spar and Londis (also on the Barbican) would be a better price than an onsite but I haven't shopped there so obviously can't prove that.

I am eating at the Smugglers Cottage this week if you want a report. I wouldn't think that they accept dogs, but I can ask- even get a phone number.

Liskeard is 7 miles away (not 4) so not very close, but OK if you are out and about.

I would doubt you would have to book the bigger restaurants, but I would book the smaller. They don't take so many, and could get booked up quickly if locals are back on the scene (we tend to hide away in summer
If you get a rainy day and are at a loss for what to do take a drive to Duloe, and on the hill into Duloe, on the right, is Cornish Orchards. Go in, and try their homemade cider and apple juices! Beautiful! Lovely guy runs it too. I usually get there as they close and he always opens back up for me

For a posh meal the girls at work are raving over Tapanades in Liskeard. A definite one for booking and quite expensive I think (from a cornish perspective).

Any more questions just ask.

Hope you have a great time here.

oh keswick , could you ask the smugglers , we dont mind eating outside , if not we can always leave maisie in the car , thanks for the directions to martins bakery. perhaps if you pm me we could meet up for a drink if you want !!

I'll ask Smugglers for you and report on the food. There is no outside seating there though. I had always thought it was just OK there but the girls seem to think its pretty good, so lets see.

Thanks for the kind offer. Unfortunately, I shall be tied up again from this Wednesday as I work and the childrens activities all start again. My life gets monopolised by them after the school holidays!

We have booked a cottage in St Keyne (where the mechanical music museum is) for the end of September 2007!!

We usually holiday abroad but once in a while like to go somewhere in this country.

The hints on this forum have been interesting as we will only be about 4 miles away from Looe and less from Liskeard.

We have been down to this part before but quite a long time ago. We do want to go to the Eden Project as it is not far away.

Pippa