The village and beach offer views of Looe Island to the west and Rame Head to the east and on clear days the Eddystone Lighthouse 8 miles (13 km) offshore.

Approximately 700 metres (770 yd) east of the village center is a rocky outcrop known locally as "Bass Rock", this is a popular fishing spot as it affords access to deeper water.

In November 1895, Rodney lost her figurehead in a gale in the English Channel, while en route from Gravesend, Kent to Sydney.

In 1897, the ship was sold to F. Boissière, of Nantes, France, and renamed Gipsy (the cross-over year, per Lloyd's, is 1896/97).

On 7 December 1901, the vessel was wrecked, and became a total loss, at Downderry on the return voyage from Iquique (Chile) to France with a cargo of nitrate.

Snug between the bay of Whitsand and the promontory of Looe, Downderry with its spouse Seaton, bathes in the constant ebb and flow of the English Channel.