Take to the seas on your Falmouth holiday

January 11th, 2017

Falmouth is a beautiful fishing town, sat on a harbour, with the river Fal bordering it. It is therefore unsurprising that this town has strong ties to the sea, with a rich maritime heritage. The beautiful landscapes appeal to holiday makers across the nation, as well as worldwide, and one of the best ways to explore this exquisite place is by taking to the sea.

One cruise service that offers you a guided tour of the marine life around the Falmouth coastline is AK Wildlife Cruises, who run year-round. With plenty of wildlife and landscapes to admire, as well as a long and interesting history linked to the sea, Falmouth really is best viewed by boat. AK Wildlife Cruises can offer you a heated cabin, for those who get cold easily. This tour is an interesting way to get a little closer to the rich nature around this seaside town. However, if this is not close enough, the company also run snorkel trips for even closer encounters (on the condition you bring along your own snorkelling gear!).

The cruises available in Falmouth are a great activity to try for people looking for family-friendly holidays. Cornwall really is the best place for families to spend some quality time together, and make life long memories!

Expect to see some dolphins, seals, basking sharks and birds on your tour. There are eight species of whale and dolphin swimming around in the waters around Falmouth, from the small harbour porpoise to huge fin whales. During your winter breaks to Falmouth, you are likely to see super pods of common dolphins wavering alongside the boat. Whilst the bottlenose dolphin pods are generally around most of the year.

If you come to stay with us on your Falmouth holidays in summer, you will likely be able to see some basking sharks leisurely swimming in the water. Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world, out-championed by the whale shark. Impressive specimens can grow up to 12 meters in length, which equates to around the depth of the average swimming pool- twice over! Nothing can beat seeing these sharks skirt along the side of the boat.

Another bizarre, but equally fascinating, fish you could possibly encounter is the ocean sunfish. For anyone not acquainted with this funny-looking fish, be sure to search Google images for a picture so you can be sure of who to expect when you come face to face.

Be sure to check online guides for the best time to view all of these majestic creatures, to avoid any disappointment.

One friend, or two, you are highly likely to see on your sea-bound journey are seals. The grey seal will pop up, almost anywhere all year-round. One place where they are regularly spotted is the Carrick Roads. Seals are naturally very curious, so will often pop their heads out of the surface of the water to have a look at what’s going on.

Falmouth and the local areas become the home for many birds during the winter, including the black-necked grebe, red breasted merganser, Slavonian grebe, sea ducks and waders. When the warmer weather graces Falmouth with its presence Manx shearwaters, storm petrels and pelagic seabirds can be viewed on a boat tour.

Other birds to note include the razorbills, guillemots, ospreys and skuas. Although, even rarer birds can turn up on your tour, it’s just a case of keeping an eye out for them. For any bird fanatics out there, grab your binoculars and head out to sea to spot some of the birds that soar around the Falmouth sky, or bob along in the water. Whilst the peregrine falcons can be seen along the Cornish coastline during breading season. The rich wooded estuaries that surround the Fal and Helford rivers are particularly great habitats for many varieties of wading and woodland birds, and you may even spot a cheeky otter here and there, playing in the estuary.

Expect to learn a thing or two on your tour, as the team are particularly knowledgable about all the local wildlife, and are even endorsed by the Seawatch foundation; as well as being recommended by the WiSe and The Whale And Dolphin Conservation Society.

Many cruise options are available around Falmouth, and on these cruises you will cross along the third deepest natural harbour in the world. Information can be found and bookings can be made at the offices at the Falmouth harbour. Sea routes can take you past the maritime museum, past landmarks and historic houses that are dotted around this quaint sea-side town; cruises available in Falmouth can take you to Truro and Malpas for a great way to travel.

Be sure to look into the cruises that take you over to the small fishing village of St Mawes, located on the Roseland peninsula. This beautiful waterside village climate is particularly appealing to many, remaining very mild all year round, and in summer temperatures match that of the Mediterranean. The glorious weather experienced by this sea-side location allows for the local gardens to bloom with incredible fauna and flora.

So, if you do one thing on your Cornwall escape, be sure to hop on a boat and get a grand tour you will never forget!