Frenchman’s Creek is a lovely creek just off the Helford River, that has inspired artists, musicians and perhaps most notably the novelist Daphne du Maurier who came on honeymoon and moored up on Frenchman’s Creek with her husband Tommy.
Here’s an except from the novel, a fun story of pirates, romance, lords and lady’s all surrounded with beautiful descriptions of the Helford River and it’s creeks.
‘The yachtsman goes below to the snug security of his cabin, browsing amongst his books he finds at last the thing that he has been searching, It is a map of Cornwall, ill drawn and inaccurate, picked up in an idle moment in a Truro bookshop. The parchment is a faded and yellow, the markings indistinct….Helford river is traced fairly enough….But the yachtsman looks away from them to the marking of a narrow inlet, branching from the parent river, it’s short, twisting course running westward into a valley. Someone has scratched the name in thin characters – Frenchman’s Creek.’ excerpt from Daphne du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek
A tall ship, perhaps like La Mouette in the novel Frenchman’s Creek
A story of true escapism. Lady Dona stuck in London in her high society life escapes to the Helford River with her children to find some peace only to discover her house is being used by a pirate to hide his loot taken from neighbours Lord Durgan and surrounding Lords. Lady Dona has a choice to make does she join the pirate or shop him? She decides to join Lord Durgan the gentry for tea by day and the pirate for a spot of looting by night. Word gets round and her husband is called down to Cornwall. Now she has the dilemna the husband or the pirate. A beautifully told tale filled with beautiful imagery painted with words by Daphne du Maurier who often who travel down to the Helford to stay with her great friend at a house just across the fields from the creek.
The Iron Duke, left on Frenchman’s Creek, Helford River, Cornwall
Meanwhile, Percy Powder Thurburn, an artist who loved to paint boats was residing in ‘Powder’s’ a log cabin at the end of Frenchman’s Creek. He had escaped his London high society life initially expelled from school, he shimmied down the drain pipe and ran off to sea to sail tall ships and joined the navy, returning to London he escaped to Cornwall, via a short stay in Brixham in Devon. Perhaps he was the yachtsman mentioned in Daphne du Maurier’s book? Percy sailed along the Helford and came across Frenchman’s Creek. The creek’s remoteness and access was just what he wanted and so he asked the farmer if he could build a lodge, where he resided for the rest of his life. His boat, the ‘Iron Duke’ now sits redundant in a little inlet off the creek, it’s sailing days now over. Once used to sail to Portugal and back with Percy’s ceramics and perhaps a bit of port. He would have met Daphne du Maurier and provided inspiration for her novel ‘Frenchman’s Creek.
We highly recommend reading a copy of the novel before you join us and you can see the inspiration and birdlife when you join us. There’s also a TV adaption you can watch too on YouTube with Tara Fitzgerald playing the lead Lady Dona. Much of the filming was done at Trebah Gardens due to the tides on the Helford. On a low tide there’s no water in Frenchman’s Creek! One of the themes in the book.
Find out our Helford River Cruise times and book here.
Some handy bits to know about our boat trips…
Our spaces are limited to 10 spaces per boat trip, up to 12 spaces for our Private Charters and up to two trips a day around the high tides and so we recommend booking now and you can cancel with 24 hours notice. All trips depart 7 days a week from Budock Vean Hotel quay.
We use an open top boat so wear an extra layer as it can be cooler on the water, also if it rain there’s a few options, you can be like some of hardy boaters the other day and go out with raincoats and umbrellas, it was rather atmospheric, or we can move you to another day. A full refund it also available if required.
Enjoyed the boat trip, we can also offer you a 2 hour stunning guided Koru Kayak Adventure where you can paddle under the ancient oak trees and right up to the Iron Duke and can land on Frenchman’s Creek to look at the pathway Lady Dona would have taken to reach Frenchman’s Creek from Navron.
Find our more about Koru Kayak Adventures on the Helford River and Frenchman’s Creek and also our St Agnes Koru Kayak Adventures the coastline that inspired Winston Graham’s Poldark, but that’s another story!
Kayaking along Frenchman’s Creek, Helford River, Cornwall
Some handy things to know about the kayaking…
No previous experience required for our Koru Kayak Adventures, all equipment provided including wetsuits, you just need swimwear and a towel. We use sit on top tandem kayaks. Small groups of up to 8 spaces, although bigger groups can be arranged on the Helford when required. Private trips available too. All our trips on the Helford and Frenchman’s Creek depart and return to Budock Vean Hotel.
