Coastal Scenery Around Bude, Cornwall

 

During our last few days in Devon, England we decided to take a little rest from visiting properties and drive to the coastline not too far from our home away from home.

Soon we will be traveling to Salisbury and then on to Southampton for our journey home on the Queen Mary 2.   Before I share about these packed days ahead I want to record the spectacular coastline.

We drove to the seaside town of Bude that is in northeast Cornwall.  

Bude's coastline is along Bude Bay in the Celtic Sea that is part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Bude was a favorite seaside village with the Victorians.  This chilly afternoon we see many folks enjoying a round of golf on the course that runs through the center of town.

To the south of Bude is the spectacular Widemouth Bay!  Though there seemed to be a front approaching we enjoyed the lovely views from the safety of our vehicle.

Along the coastline there we found Cornish Ice Cream trucks parked at overlooks.  We certainly enjoyed indulging.

While we were gazing at the lovely ocean, the green water turned a pretty shade of Caribbean blue.  Widemouth Bay is steeped in smuggling history of years gone by.  Sloops from Wales used to use Widemouth as a port for dropping off coal and limestone.  They would take back home tin, slate, copper, granite, and Cornish pasties.

There is a walking path along the cliffs.  There was a warning about how unstable this area was, so we did not take a walk here.  

We decided to drive back to have dinner in Bude at the Falcon hotel we noticed.

The Falcon Hotel is the oldest coaching hotel in North Cornwall established in 1798.  Grayden had a wonderful fish pie and I ordered the turkey coronation sandwich.  

 In front of the Falcon is the Bude Canal.  

The canal was built in 1823 to transport the mineral rich sand to farmers as fertilizer.  It was 35 miles long and needed to climb 430 feet in the first six miles with the use of a series of locks known as incline planes.  

Just to the north of Bude is Sandymouth Bay.  It proved to be quite wild and chilly and not too hospitable to enjoy outside.

Sandymouth Bay is a popular spot for surfers and swimmers when the tides allow.  As you can see the tide is high this afternoon.  The National Trust takes care of this beach and I must say it is a stunning spot. 

The notes in my journal remind me this is our last evening in the Cornwall/Devon area.  We need to pack our luggage and move on to the next spot of our extraordinary celebration of our Golden Anniversary.