LOOKING FOR ‘FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS’ FILMING LOCATIONS IN PORT ISAAC? TAKE A LOOK BELOW AND THEN HEAD OUT TO DISCOVER THE BEST ‘FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS’ LOCATIONS IN CORNWALL FOR YOURSELF…
When it comes to filming locations, Port Isaac is most famous for its ‘Doc Martin’ TV series scenes around the quaint fishing village. But in 2019, the film ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ became a big hit on the big screen and this too is set in Port Isaac. And then there was a ‘Fisherman’s Friends: One and All’ sequel film released in August 2022, with many of its locations in Port Isaac, as well as at the Minack Theatre, at Cape Cornwall and all across the Duchy. So prepare to wander all over the north coast village of Port Isaac (and across those other places too) as you discover the filming locations that helped make these two heartwarming movies one big success.
The original film is based on the eponymous folk music group from Port Isaac who have been singing haunting sea shanties in Cornwall since 1995. The act was signed to a major record label in 2010 and the film, starring James Purefoy, tells their story. The sequel continues the tale and adds more comedy and romance into the lads’ tale of love, loss and sea shanties. In fact, if you’re lucky, you may bump into one of the group members on your travels around Port Isaac.
Our advice is not to find out exactly where the filming locations are before your visit. Nope, we reckon you just park at the car park at the top of the village (or get off the bus or whatever, depending on how you’re travelling) and just wander around the village for a whole afternoon, asking the locals about the filming locations. They really are your best bet for ‘hidden’ locations.
You’ll visit Just Shellfish, owned by the Brown family that includes dad Jeremy, one of the group’s singers. You’ll spot the ‘platt’ area in the harbour that’s a star of the shows. You’ll hopefully see the boat Maverick that also stars in the films. You’ll certainly pop into the Golden Lion pub that’s at the heart of the movies. And then you can head a few miles out to visit St Kew Church or Pencarrow House or Port Gaverne beach. These all feature in the films and are worth visiting anyway as they are all charming spots.
After you’ve found all the ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ locations and taken your photos for social media, you may get to see the real group performing in the village. But do check thefishermansfriends.com website beforehand as they used to regularly sing in Port Isaac but times have been a-changin’. Whether you catch them or you don’t, experiencing the film locations in Port Isaac for yourself is a fab day out that you won’t forget in a hurry. You have our word on that. ‘Cos ‘round here, a man’s word is strong as Cornish oak…