Information on this page is taken - with kind permission - from Mark Fishwick's excellent book "West Country Cruising Companion", which you can buy from Amazon, or Search for best price.

At just under four miles from Pendennis Point, the Helford is a regular jaunt across the bay for many Falmouth boats, perhaps pausing to anchor off a beach or for a quick run ashore to the pub, but as the afternoon draws in, most return home. Although the entrance is well hidden away to the south-west, other boats entering and leaving will give a good indication of its position. As you close Rosemullion Head, the green conical buoy August Rock (seasonal) to seaward of the Gedges rocks (drying 1.4m) should be left on your starboard hand before bearing round into the river mouth as it opens ahead, running due west.

There are no further hazards except very close to the shore, and depths average between 3m and 4m in the entrance. There can be a noticeable funnelling effect within the mouth when beating in, but the shelter inside is excellent in anything, except of course, easterly winds.

On the southern shore in the approach to the Helford the hidden entrance to Gillan Creek is easily located by the distinctive hump of Dennis Head across its mouth. This can be a delightful spot in the right conditions, but is really only of interest to shallow draught boats, as it dries for the most part and the only deep water within its mouth is almost totally taken up with moorings. Car Croc, a particularly nasty rock (dries 1m) sits almost in the middle of the entrance, marked by an east cardinal buoy, BYB1 but be warned, it extends further to the south-east than might be imagined so give it a good berth, passing midway between it and the south shore when entering. Also beware of the rocks extending to seawards from Men-aver Point.

Ideally, for a first visit, arrive just after LW when all the hazards are easy to see, and feel your way in on the tide, anchoring clear of the local moorings off the houses at Flushing if you can, or go further into the creek to the picturesque hamlet and church at St Anthony, where you will dry out, well tucked away in this hidden corner. Here, on the shingly foreshore is the small yard of Sailaway St Anthony (Tel: 01326 231357) - they might be able to provide a mooring. The densely wooded creek beyond the sandy spit is particularly attractive when the tide is in, perfect for a dinghy trip, or just a walk along the road that follows it inland.

Back in the main river, with wind between north and west there are some good sheltered anchorages just within the entrance, tucked up in the bight along the northern side between Toll Point and the small boathouse at Porth Saxon, and also off shingly Grebe beach further to the west. However, under the new Falmouth Bay & Estuaries conservation initiatives, as off St. Mawes, another voluntary restriction on anchoring in this area is now in operation to protect another eelgrass bed. This one extends outwards from the low water mark for approximately 200 metres.

You will therefore either have to anchor much further out than previously, or further west, off the hamlet of Durgan, clear of the local moorings towards Polgwidden Cove.

Durgan is a picturesque cluster of old fishermen's cottages, partly owned by the National Trust, as is the valley running down to the village in which the 25 exotic acres of Glendurgan Gardens are situated. Renowned for its trees and shrubs it was created from 1820 onwards by the well-known Fox family, Quakers who still live here. Donated by them to the National Trust in 1962 the gardens are open to the public March -October from 1030 -1630. There are no facilities at Durgan except a phone.

From here, Grebe or Porth Saxon you can follow the attractive coastal footpath back up over the headland to Mawnan Church, which is set among the trees on the cliff-top overlooking the entrance to the river. This is a particularly lovely spot and it is not difficult to see why, among the gravestones, you can find those of two eminent yachtsmen, Claud Worth, the grandfather of modern cruising and his son Tom who circumnavigated the world in 1953 aboard the Giles designed cutter, Beyond. His epitaph is particularly succinct - "Tom Worth, Who Sailed Beyond ".

The southern side of the entrance is less hospitable, fringed with rocks, and a couple of small coves. Locals claim that the large house here was the Manderley of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, rather than Menabilly on Gribbin Head. Certainly, Ponsence Cove and the tiny boathouse seem to fit the bill. One thing is certain; there is no doubt where the inspiration for Frenchman's Creek came from - just over a mile upstream you can explore it for yourself.

Continuing west from Ponsence, the Voose is a drying rocky ledge that has snared a surprising number of boats in spite of its north cardinal BY buoy As an alternative to Durgan it is possible to anchor just east of the Voose Rocks, off Bosahan Cove. As you approach the narrows, if the tide is low, keep just over a cable off the steep wooded shore leading up to Bosahan Point, taking care to avoid the line of fishermen's store pots. Continue towards the large concentration of moorings ahead but beware the northern, starboard side. Here, shallows extend up to a cable from the shore with not much more than 0.5m in places, right past the small boat moorings, beach, modern houses and pub at Helford Passage, and as far as the green conical Bar buoy (seasonal). This can be difficult to spot amongst the surrounding boats, and inshore it dries extensively into a sand and mud bank at LWS, popular with locals for digging cockles. It stretches as far as the entrance to Port Navas Creek.

Being easy to reach by road from Falmouth, Helford Passage is the most commercialised part of the Helford River, centered around the Ferry Boat Inn which has a restaurant as well as bar food, and often live music. There is also a telephone, a passenger ferry across to Helford Point, and another pleasant coastal footpath leading to Durgan via Polgwidden Cove.

Garden lovers can follow the road up the hill for just over half a mile to find the entrance to the sub-tropical Trebah Gardens, which are open daily from 1000 to 1700.