For dates and times of scheduled tours, please use our home page Tour Search or check individual tours, below.
2.5 hour guided cruise exploring the upper reaches of the Fal Estuary, where historic place names like Roundwood Quay, King Harry’s Reach and Malpas hint at the archaeological sites to be discovered.
2.5 hour guided cruise around the mouth of the Fal Estuary, where the abundance of archaeological sites reflects its historic importance for maritime trade and the defence of the realm.
3.5 hour guided cruise from the Fal Estuary to the Helford, discovering their evolution through time and the wealth of archaeological sites lining their shores and the open coast in between.
2.5 hour guided cruise around Carrick Roads, discovering how thousands of years of human activity have left their mark within the Fal Estuary’s deep tidal basin and the side creeks flowing into it.
Join us for one of our special Estuary Cruises and explore by boat West Cornwall’s rich history, with knowledgeable and friendly local experts, part of the range of authentic, high-quality, guided tours, on foot or by boat, provided by Heritage Adventures.
Heritage Adventures has partnered up with local ferry company Fal River Cornwall to offer a limited number of special evening cruises exploring the history and archaeology of the spectacular Fal Estuary, on board the classic wooden ferry, Moyana.
People have been living around the shores of the Fal Estuary and sailing on its waters since prehistoric times, and from the Medieval period the estuary was a major focus of maritime trade and industry. From the 16th century, its strategic location at the gateway to the English Channel made it important in the defence of the realm and the estuary mouth was successively fortified over 400 years.
The Fal’s rich and distinctive historical identity is reflected in the number and range of archaeological sites and historic structures – Iron Age cliff castles, Medieval Creekside churches, Post-Medieval coastal forts, mining remains, quays, slipways and port infrastructure, abandoned hulks and shipwrecks.
An historic audit carried out by your guide, local archaeologist Jeanette Ratcliffe, as part of promoting sustainable use of the estuary, recorded 1200 sites and structures around the its 70-mile shore.
Main image: (c) Fal River Cornwall