Port Isaac used to be a sleepy fishing village in the heart of North Cornwall, situated in the South West of England. I say ‘used to be’ a sleepy fishing village because the port is now one of the busiest locations in Cornwall for tourists, especially during the summer months. So I’m delighted to tell you that you can miss all the crowds and take a trip to a virtual version of this unique village without even leaving your armchair! Up4 Dawes, who owns the spectacular Old Europe sim, has built a replica of Port Isaac in Second Life. Complete with the high street, restaurants, shops, hotels and houses as well as a very realistic looking harbour, this will be sure to attract many virtual explorers who want to taste a little of what the real Port Isaac is all about.
Port Isaac had always been popular with visitors with its ancient Cornish stone buildings and quaint narrow winding roads leading down to the golden sands of the bay below. The Cornish people are friendly and warm, always willing to stop and chat and pass the time of day. Cornwall itself offers a quality of life like no other place in the UK, life is slower there and it’s as if time has stood still for the past fifty or so years. Many holidaymakers want a couple of weeks away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded cities where they live and work, so Cornwall is an obvious choice with it’s exquisite scenery of lush green hills, looking just like a large patchwork quilt, plus there are many sandy bays to visit along the Jurassic coastline.
So it was not surprising that a television company decided to film a program called Doc Martin in Cornwall (the first episode was back in 2004), using Port Isaac as the main location for the shooting of the series. The village has been used for other television shows as well, so the locals are quite used to the cameras rolling as they go about their day. Port Isaac was renamed Port Wenn for the Doc Martin production; The fictional doctor character is a vascular surgeon who leaves his job at the Imperial College in London to set up a new practice in Cornwall, this time as a General Practitioner. Moving into the small fishing village has many trials and tribulations for the brashly mannered doctor who struggles to win the locals over because of his abrupt attitude; The show has a great storyline as well as being humorous and it’s been a massive hit in the UK, as well as being shown all around the world.
I’ve visited the real Port Isaac, so I was interested to see it recreated in Second Life. Up4 Dawes, has done a brilliant job of capturing the location. Up4 invites you to “walk around in the harbour or have a drink at Al and Bert Large's restaurant, walk to the Doc's surgery, have a dance; Many new activities are planned pertaining to this wonderful tv series starring Martin Clunes and cast of village characters..” Who knows, you may meet a Doc Martin avatar on your virtual travels!! Take a teleport and relax by the virtual Cornish coast! But watch the seagulls don’t swoop down and steal your ice cream cones!
Virtual Port Isaac
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunrise%20High/80/55/23