Talland

Cornwall Information & Accommodation Guide

Talland and its bay are very picturesque with two beaches and a small church which stands high on the hill above the bay.

Talland is very quiet outside of the main summer holidays with very few houses in the vicinity and is a lovely place to walk on the beach or lie on the grass-covered cliff above the beach to relax.

The view from the church is very pretty and makes an excellent viewpoint. The bay is sheltered between Hendersick and Downend Point.

There are excellent walks in the area, westwards along the steep coast path towards Polperro or east via Hendersick to Hannafore and Looe.


Talland Folklore

Local folklore tells that the church was originally to be be built inland at Pulpit but every night the stones would be moved and placed on the current location on the hill and a voice would be heard at night crying, "If you would my wish fulfil, Build the church on Talland Hill".

Talland's vicar, Parson Dodge, was a well known figure in the area in the early 1800s. He was vicar from 1713 to 1747 and during this time earned a reputation as an exorcist. One of his exorcisms was carried out at the request of the vicar of nearby parish of Lanreath - to remove a ghostly coach with a demon coachman and headless horses which was haunting Lanreath. It is said that on seeing Parson Dodge the demon coachman uttered the words, "Dodge is come, I must be gone" and disappeared coach and all.

The Parson's reputation was such that no one would go anywhere near Talland Church at night in case they should encounter Parson Dodge chasing evil spirits to the sea. Some people have suggested that these rumours were circulated to keep people in their homes at night so they did not get in the way of activities by the Polperro smugglers taking place in the bay.


Talland Bay Shipwrecks

Talland Bay has seen many shipwrecks - the partial remains of the boiler of one of them can be seen at low tide.

Please visit our Talland history page for details.

Talland and the area around Looe with its rich folklore, archaeological sites and ancient holy wells has inspired the PC game - Barrow Hill, which uses scenes from this area in its imagery. More details on our Books page.

Location:
Talland Bay is 3 miles from Looe. Into Cornwall Area Map Looe and South East Cornwall Map

Road directions to Talland

Books online:
Click here to buy books online about Talland

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