Fowey Town Tour

03/05/2024

I’m sorry but FTT is no more. Sold but Fowey Town Council refused the new owner viable permission to operate.
A lot of disappointed visitors. It was a popular attraction.
If you want to tour a cornish seaside town then visit Looe which is where the new owner of the rig was welcomed.

09/06/2023

Sadly Fowey Town Tour is no more
The Rig has been sold and has been rebranded for operation in Looe
The reason is explained in the following posts 😕

02/12/2022

02/12/2022

One of the first Fowey Xmas Markets. Free transport to and from car park!! Xmas music playing and a lot of fun. Flipping cold though😆

23/10/2022

THE END OF FOWEY TOWN TOUR

Whilst the Masterplan is still subject to further discussion it would appear that pedestrianisation of certain parts of Fowey have been shelved for the moment. However there is still a serious possibility that Town Quay will be pedestrianised, if not now then in the near future

I have been in correspondence with Fowey Town Council, the Town Team and the Consultants for a number of months now and none will give any kind of reassurance that Fowey Town Tour would be able to continue in its current format.

They have been able to give reassurance to Town Bus right from the outset that, come what may with pedestrianisation, they will be able to continue but when I have pointed out the devastating effect on FTT there has been nothing to give a glimmer of hope that dispensation would be given to us.

As many of you know the business has been for sale and I cannot, in all conscience, sell my business unless I am sure it has a reasonable future and the correspondence with the above bodies has convinced me they don’t regard us as a valued part of Fowey so I have had to make the distressing decision to sell the assets to someone who is setting up in Looe where he says the the local council are very weloming

It is a shame that Fowey is losing what I believed was an asset and amenity but I would like to thank those thousands of people who have used us over the years and those who have been so supportive over the last number of months

Brian Greenway

The Town Team are

Ruth Finlay representing FTC
Melissa Hartwell representing Forum
Paul Thomas Harbour Master
Andy Virr Cornwall Councillor
Lucy Daniel representing Fowey Businesses (!)

16/08/2022

We are very sorry to be disappointing our lovely passengers especially for Regatta Traders Carnival
It was always great fun

20/05/2022

For the first time in 16 years (excl pandemic) Fowey Town Tour (FTT) is not operating.

For health and age reasons FTT was for sale and we have (had) a buyer for the business but Fowey Town Council (FTC) will not grant a new Town Quay permit for a long enough period to make his investment worth his while

Without knowledge or experience of operating a land train and without any research Councillors suggested that FTT could operate from either Caffa Mill or Main Car Park. Both suggestions are obviously unworkable and unviable and if there was a change of site then it would become a new venture instead of an established business with a proven track record

This makes FTT currently unsaleable as a going concern

The reason given by FTC is the Town Centre Masterplan. FTC submitted an outline proposal to the Consultant to look into, among other things, restrictions of traffic but they requested any traffic restrictions should make specific allowance for Emergency, Waste vehicles and Town Bus etc. FTT was not included in that list

There is a serious discussion that Town Quay be pedestrianised and FTC have not provided any hint or reassurance that they would like to see FTT continuing whether or not traffic restrictions were imposed. In fact quite the reverse as Councillors voted for the ludicrous suggestion of operating from Caffa Mill or Main Car Park. It all depends on the outcome of the Consultation but without the support of Councillors FTT could be forced to close permanently

There is someone who may buy the equipment as there is another Cornish town whose town council will welcome a Land Train with open arms and this, reluctantly, may be something we will have to consider

For years we have felt we have provided a service to Fowey as we recognised that so many visitors, particularly less abled, don’t ‘see’ Fowey. By doing the tour they get a greater insight and flavour of the Town and enjoy their visit far more. Many return and do the tour again and a great number recommend Fowey to their friends as a result. We know this as many passengers tell us so

It would therefore be great shame if Fowey were to lose such an amenity especially as any ‘regeneration’ would benefit from its existence

I only found out about the Masterplan as I happened to apply for a new permit and I recommend all, particularly local traders, to get involved as it is far reaching

Up to now this has only been circulated on Social Media, and walkabouts with the consultant having already taken place on Thursday 19/5 and a public meeting in the Town Hall on Thursday 26/5.

Brian Greenway FTT

24/04/2022

Due to unforeseen circumstances FTT will not be operating at the start of this season
Will update when know more
So sorry to disappoint 😕

19/02/2022

This great business still for sale.
Get in touch to ask your questions, you might be pleasantly surprised by the answer!
All offers considered….

We set up this Land Train Sightseeing Tour and started operating in 2006 after we realised that so many visitors to Fowey thought it comprised only Fore Street!!

We were both working in hospitality and came into contact with many repeat guests. It is such a delight to see the response from our passengers when they see the wonderful views and when we point out quirky/funny things on our route

After 15 busy seasons we are retiring and the business is for sale. Operation is from Town Quay, 1st May - 30th September, when the Quay is pedestrianised.

The driver requires a PCV licence which is simple to acquire if you have a full driving licence- 3 days training plus test. Driving through Fowey is not an issue in the Land Rover, which is actually narrower than a lot of cars. It has the advantage of being taller and more impressive which encourages pedestrians and cars to move aside - the flashing light on the front bumper helps too!

Pulling the carriage is simpler than you would expect as it is 4 wheel steer and follows the line of the LR exactly. The weight of the carriage is not felt by the LR at all, it is towed easily and there are remarkably few gear changes.

We are obviously held up, mainly for delivery vehicles who generally operate quickly and efficiently - everyone works around each other courteously. It is extremely rare for us to return to Town Quay actually late for the next tour

This is a lovely, lucrative little business for someone to enjoy operating with daily hours to suit. It would be a shame for the rig to disappear ‘up country’, a missed opportunity for someone!

Brian & Gill Greenway
[email protected]
07891 049536

13/02/2022

Such a great opportunity- all permissions being applied for and rig booked in for annual service. Ready to roll out …….

04/02/2022

Fowey Town Tour

Whilst we have had a lot of interest and still have some interested parties nothing has yet been finalised on the sale of Fowey’s Land Train.

All of the people who have enquired but not gone ahead have been surprised by how lucrative a business it is but have not been able to go further at this moment in time for very valid reasons

We have been operating on a semi retirement basis for the last few years and still earned an excellent above average ‘annual’ income in just 5 months. There is great potential to increase that further

There has been new development in that we can no longer offer the business with a full complement of staff. This obviously diminishes the value with the new valuation in the region of £60,000. This includes equipment (Land Rover & Carriage etc) of around £30,000

So if you, or anyone you know, would like to earn a very good income over a five month period (with hours to suit) and is in a position to make a reasonable offer then email or ring

[email protected]
078910 49536

You/they may have lots of questions - do not guess answers but make contact and have a conversation. You may well be surprised