Golant is a  small Cornish waterside village, bounded on the west by the Lostwithiel to Fowey road the B3269 and on the east by its  focal point the River Fowey. Daphne du Mauriers family had a second home a mile down river from the village and in May 1907 Kenneth Graham wrote  "Tales of the Riverbank" inspired by a boating trip from Fowey to Golant.  "The Wind in the Willows" was published in June 1908 and it is believed that this stretch of the river. Fowey inspired this extraordinary tale.		To proceed directly to the Boatwatch pages Click Here.
Located in the parish of St Sampson, Golant has around 110 dwellings with a population of circa 220 people. It has a 13th century Parish Church dedicated to St Sampson,  the Cormorant Hotel, a retail art gallery, youth hostel and a small  part time post office.
There is no public transport that serves the village but it is still a working village, some holiday or weekend homes, but certainly not  a ghost town for eight months of the year.
The Church and the village overlook the tree clad and winding Fowey estuary less than two miles upstream from the coastal towns of Polruan and Fowey. An area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) full of scenic views all year round. The rivers east bank is owned by the National Trust. In the summer the river is a hive of boating activityand in the winter left mostly to  cormorants, egrets, mallards, swans,  herons and kingfishers that make the river their home.

The village as seen from the East - note the clay train in the foreground

The Pill in 1998

 There are regular pleasure boat and canoe trips available from the port of Fowey to the  small picturesque hamlet of Lerryn a further 2 miles up river. A single track railway line alongside the river transports daily cargoes of china clay to the waiting ships on the quays at Fowey.

The Riverside Gallery         see links

The Youth Hostel   "Penquite"   Click here to make a booking.

The view to the East from School Hill   Summer 2002

Getting here - Click on the map page for our location and also for links to train and coach and air  timetables

For details of  all accommodation within the village please go to the links page and click on the relevant link.