Port Quin was also known as ‘The Village that Died’ after a fishing tragedy in the late 19th century wiped out most of its male population. Sheltered by Doyden Point, it is a narrow inlet that is often calm even when the north coast is blustery. Best at high tide when the sea covers the rocky shoreline, you can also get down to swim from the coast path just below Doyden Castle. We were unlucky on our last visit and encountered a swarm of young compass jellyfish (the stingy type) that had been swept into the inlet but we escaped unharmed! Pretty Doyden Castle was built in the 1830s by a rich businessman so he could hold remote, raucous parties, it’s now a National Trust holiday home.
