What's Open in Looe in Winter (and What Isn't)

Short answer: The fishing port, the branch line, the beach and the pubs run all year; the museum, the boat trips and the seafront kiosks are seasonal. Looe in winter is a working town with a New Year's Day swim to prove it.

What stays open

• The port itself. Day boats land fish through winter when the weather lets them, and the harbourside restaurants trade year-round on shorter weeks.
• The Looe Valley branch line — trains to Liskeard all year; the branch line guide covers it.
• The beach and Hannafore. East Looe Beach beside the town, and the walk round to Hannafore with Looe Island offshore.
• The pubs and cafés. The Globe opposite the station, Island View for breakfast, The Lookout on the seafront.

What closes or shrinks

• The Old Guildhall Museum is seasonal — Easter to autumn.
• Looe Sea Safari and the boat trips stop for winter.
• Hannafore Kiosk and the beach kiosks go seasonal.

Why come anyway

The winter calendar is the point: Christmas lights on the harbour, then the New Year's Day swim — hundreds of people into the sea off East Looe beach on 1 January, in fancy dress. Storm days from the Banjo Pier are the free version. Our rainy-day guide covers the wet ones. More in the Looe guide.

Rules, hours and programmes are the owners' to change — check the signs on the day or the official page before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.