44

Above Dinghies lined up against the wall on

Bude’s quayside

BACK ROADS GREAT BRITAIN

Where to Stay: inexpensive, under £80; moderate, £80–£150; expensive, over £150

A two-hour circular walk

The walk starts from the car park at

the Tourist Information Centre 1 in

Bude, where a good selection of

local guidebooks is on

sale (open daily, except Sun

in winter). The restored

stretch of canal beside it

is the remains of a 56-

km (35-mile)-long canal

built in the early 19th

century to transport

lime-rich beach sand

inland as fertilizer.

Heading towards the

sea, cross the canal

bridge – originally a swing

bridge to let ships through

• and continue past the impressive
  white Falcon Hotel 2. Opposite it,
  the canal-side castle now houses the
  excellent Castle Heritage Centre 3
  (open daily), where the town’s varied
  story is imaginatively told, alongside
  working models of Sir Goldsworthy
  Gurney’s pioneering Victorian
  inventions; these included a steam

engine, sewer ventilation system and

revolving lights for lighthouses.

Heading on along the path

towards the sea you come to a

restored sea lock 4 ,

which enabled boats to

“lock in” to unload their

cargoes at a quay rather

than on the beach.

Turning left, the path

climbs sharply to the

coast path, signposted

to Widemouth, 5km

(3 miles) away. From the

clifftop there are views

over Bude Haven beach,

where the small River Neet

flows into the sea. Before it

silted up, this was a thriving harbour.

Because of its trade, the village of

Stratton, inland, was granted a royal

charter by King John in 1207.

A long breakwater stretches out to

Chapel Rock, lit in medieval times by

a light to guide ships into port. The

curious octagonal tower 5 , known

as the pepper pot, was a Victorian

6 Bude

Crescent car park, Bude; EX23 8LE

Bude is more than just a popular seaside resort. As well as two large

sandy beaches, it has some of Britain’s best coastal walks along its

grassy clifftops. There are reminders too of its past, when it was a

battlefield, a busy port and home of Cornwall’s “forgotten inventor”.

Below Stone mile-post marks path on

clifftops above Bude

Buckets and spades

for sale at Bude

VISITING BUDE

Parking

Park in Crescent car park beside the

canal, signposted to the right in town.

Tourist Information

Crescent car park, EX23 8LE; 01288 354

240; http://www.visitbude.info

Raven Surf School

Lessons on Bude’s beaches.

01288 353 693; http://www.ravensurf.co.uk;

From £25 for a 2½ hour lesson.

WHERE TO STAY

BUDE

Falcon Hotel moderate

Originally a lodging house for sea

captains, this hotel has sea and canal

views and a walled garden.

Breakwater Road, EX23 8SD ; 01288

352 005; http://www.falconhotel.com

Stratton Gardens House moderate

Cosy six-bedroom guesthouse in a

16th-century house with a garden;

excellent home-cooked meals.

Cot Hill, Stratton, EX23 9DN; 01288 352

500; http://www.stratton-gardens.co.uk

TINTAGEL

Lewis’s Tea Rooms inexpensive

Comfortable B&B in a stone house

built in 1586. Noted for its cream teas.

Bossiney Road, TL34 0AH; 01840

770 427

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