Also featuring the small hamlet of Port Gaverne, both fishing villages up on the North Coast of Cornwall, with it's stunning coastal scene.
The nearest towns are Wadebridge and Camelford, each ten miles (16 km) away. A nearby hamlet, Port Gaverne, is sometimes considered to be part of Port Isaac. The meaning of the village's Cornish name, Porthysek, is "corn port", indicating a trade in corn from the arable inland district.
From 2004 to 2022, the village served as the backdrop to the ITV television series Doc Martin. It also is home to the sea-shanty singing group Fisherman's Friends.
Port Gaverne is a hamlet on the north coast of Cornwall, England, UK, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Port Isaac and part of St Endellion parish.
Although it is a geographically discrete hamlet, some consider it as part of the larger village of Port Isaac located around the headland, upon which it relies for most services.
Historically, Port Gaverne existed as a port for sand and slate from the local mine, and for the local fishing catch, particularly pilchards, and has little recorded history prior to the 19th century, when economic activity at the port was at its peak. In the 20th century these industries declined as railways supplanted transport by sea.
The appearance of the hamlet has changed little in two centuries, with its stone and slate buildings recognised for their character and the rugged local coastline as a heritage coast. Nowadays the settlement relies almost entirely upon tourism. The parish has just over 1,000 residents, including a significant proportion of retired people, but the hamlet itself consists mostly of second homes and holiday lets. Along with Port Isaac it has become known as the filming location for ITV's Doc Martin television series.
The name ‘Gaverne’ is thought to have come from 'Karn Hun', which in the dialect of Cornish local to the area means ‘rocky haven‘. It is believed the pronunciation evolved before being written down; the first written reference to the settlement from 1338 records it as "Porcaveran". In the 16th century, the English cartographer John Norden called it “Port-kerne", and indeed linked this name to the cove, suggesting that the natural harbour is the 'port' regardless of any settlement.[2] Writing in 1833-4, Dr Frederick Trevan referred to the settlement as "Porth Karn Hun...now commonly called Port Gavern".