Our Guide to the Mousehole Lights

Christmas is all about traditions and one of our absolute must do annual traditions is to go to the tiny village of Mousehole, near Penzance, to see their amazing Christmas Lights. These beautiful lights line the harbour walls and surface of the water bringing wonderful pops of gorgeous colour. 

The tradition of setting our lights each Christmas began with Mousehole based artist, Joan Gilchrest, when she ran a string of coloured bulbs along both quays to brighten up the village. Each year more and more lights were added, a committee was started, and now hundreds of volunteers along with the committee organise the event each year. 

The Mousehole Lights entice thousands of people each year and so we've put together a bit of a guide to make your visit as stress free as possible!
If you've never been to Mousehole before then the first thing you must know is that it's very small and it is not a wise idea to take your car into Mousehole village. There are lots of narrow, winding lanes that are normally full of people wandering around. It's much better to get there just as it's getting dark and to get a spot in the main car park just at the top of the village. People do park along the road too, but as we said, it does get very busy so make sure you don't leave it too late to get there. 

Walk down to the harbour and on your way you'll wind through gorgeous narrow lanes and ooohh and ahhh at the picturesque cottages. You'll see stalls of hot chestnuts and other delights, before coming to the harbour itself. Take your time to walk around the harbour and if the tide is out then go down to the sand and take a look at the lights from down there. We love the serpent, the Christmas pudding and the Mousehole cat displays.
If you're looking to have dinner in Mousehole then make sure you book a table somewhere. Our favourites are The Ship Inn, 2 Fore Street and The Coastguard Hotel. Another idea is to fill a flask and then sit on the harbour wall taking in the happy atmosphere.

Essentials

Please note there is no 'Switch On Night' this year - instead there is a gradual switch on from 12th - 17th December, with all lights being turned on by the 17th. The lights are lit from 5pm- 10pm.

On December 19th the lights are turned off between 8pm - 9pm in memory of the dedicated crew of the Penlee Lifeboat Solomon Browne which was lost in 1981 during a brave rescue attempt of the Union Star. Both boats and crews were lost and this devastating event is a significant part of Mousehole's history. 

We hope you love the Lights as much as we do. It really doesn't quite feel like Christmas until we've been to see them.

Rebecca and Allison X