Review: Old Sardine Factory – Looe, Cornwall
The Old Sardine Factory – Looe is a new heritage centre in the heart of Looe. on the west side of the river you can walk over the bridge and along the harbour.
Or you can pay 50p and take the river taxi across. The Old Sardine Factory – Looe has something for everyone. There is a free museum, a cafe and a variety of sports available to book including climbing, paddle boarding and canoes.
The Old Sardine Factory Cafe
We started our visit with a much needed coffee and snack. We all enjoyed a hot beverage and being a group of 6 we were able to try a selection of the cakes. My favourite were the coffee and walnut cake and the carrot cake – YUMMY!!
If your’e not interested in the activities, you can always pop in and have a coffee and a slice of the AMAZING cake. We recommend the carrot cake it is delicious
The Museum
This has been set up as a fully interactive experience.
Interaction
There are lots of things for the children to interact with. Bilbo and Harrison enjoyed playing with the silver pilchards, having their photo taken in the photo booth and re-arranging the seats.
The boys enjoyed trying on the RNLI helmets.
For older children there is a lot to learn too, you can find out about the types of fish you can catch, the history, the heritage and geology of the areas.
Our boys loved working their way around the museum, the whole thing has been done really well, it is really interactive.
The museum gives you so much information about the history, heritage and geology of Looe. I found the whole experience fascinating.
These boxes are also seats you can take them down and sit and watch films about Looe. They also also make very interesting play things for small people.
Virtual Reality
Our favourite experience was the RNLI virtual reality experience.
Not for the faint hearted or for any one who gets serious motion sickness. We all had a turn including Grandma and Grandad.
The experience starts with you running down the harbour getting ready for a rescue. Then you jump on the boat and head out with the rescue team. Really nicely done, don’t forget to hold on if you need to steady yourself and make sure you move around to take full advantage of the immersive experience happening all around you.
The RNLI virtual reality experience was my favourite and so realistic. You run down to the docks and take the boat out on a rescue. Everyone had a turn we really enjoyed it.
Sports Activities
If your’e looking for some sports activities the Old Sardine Factory – Looe has you covered too. You can book a session on the brand new climbing wall. Or you can hire paddle boats and canoes.
Things you can do at the Old Sardine Factory…Climbing, Paddle Boarding, Canoe Trips, Eat Cake and Visit the Museum.
The Old Sardine Factory – Looe Facts:
The Old Sardine Factory – Looe is open 10am – 5pm (Summer 1st April to 30th September and Winter 1st October to 30th March) . They have a website and facebook page if you’d like to learn more or make a booking for their sports equipment.
And well behaved dogs are allowed at the discretion of the Heritage Centre & Café
As the boys get older we will definitely be back to enjoy the sports facilities and have a go on the climbing wall.
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As an ex-Geography teacher turned worldschooler I love those vintage map stools! Oh and carrot cake too. I miss Cornwall so much thanks for sharing from my home county. That VR activity looks great fun for children of all ages and those of us young at heart. Look forward to reading more about your Cornwall explorations!
I could have spent a few hours in there taking it all in. There are films about Looe on a big screen but my little ones attention span wasn’t willing to sit through them. The VR was brilliant so realistic. Grandma and Grandad had never tried anything like it before so were suitably impressed. Bilbo was so excited and kept shouting about what he could see. It is a really impressive mix between old learning and new ways of learning. Really nicely done.
Is this a good rainy day think to do in Looe? I was wondering if the sports facilities here were great for kids if it was raining in Cornwall.
Hey Alyson – it is a great rainy day place to visit. I would also recommend it for cooler times of year. The rock climbing is open year round and you can pay by the hour.