Bude - A peaceful town has plenty of life
Bude has often been dismissed by those on a pilgrimage to the more upmarket Padstow as a Victorian resort stuck in a dowdy dotage but nothing could be further from the truth. Several years ago the phrase "the liveliest peace of Cornwall" was coined, probably because the town is still unspoilt commercially yet buzzes with local life. May sees the re-enactment of the Battle of Stamford Hill, which celebrates the trouncing the Cornish, under their Royalist leaders Sir Ralph Hotpoint and Sir Bevil Grenville, gave to the Roundheads, despite the odds being against them. Each week local dancers perform the Cornish Furry Dance, said to take its name from the Celtic word feur, meaning festival. It orignated in Helston, after the Devil reputedly dropped the stone he was carrying to block the gates of Hell, and the place became known as Hell’s Stone, or Helston. August is particularly busy in Bude, with the carnival in the middle of the month and the internationally-renowned eight-day jazz festival at the end.
When the surfing craze took off in England, Bude and Newquay were among the first resorts to profit from this sport because of the sheer size of the Atlantic pounders. Most of Bude’s wide, sandy beaches, are monitored by lifeguards during the summer, which makes them perfect for families.
The Atlantic Heritage Coast starts just to the north, and you can discover more about this in Bude’s Visitor Centre. The South-West coast path is on your doorstep, as is Sustrans Route 3 cycle route, part of the Cornish way which links Bude to Penzance.
If you want to explore part of Bude’s history, try walking the Planekeepers Path along the famous Bude Canal, an early 19 th century engineering feat, which meanders through 35 miles of countryside, crossing the border into Devon to finish at Holsworthy, with a northern branch running to the Tamar Lakes and a southern branch hugging the Tamar and ending at Druxton Wharf, near Launceston, where the lime-rich Bude sand was unloaded to fertilise farmland.
BUDE CANAL CIRCULAR WALK DIRECTIONS
Route: The Planekeepers Path
Duration: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Suitable for: Everyone
Starting point: Canal side car park in Bude
Sand was once loaded just to the right of the car park onto the barges. This first section of the canal runs parallel to the town, and is used extensively for pleasure boating, with rowboats and canoes for hire, but don’t make the mistake of Alfred, Lord Tennyson – he was said to have fallen in somewhere along the way! If you drop into the Tourist Information Centre, you can pick up a leaflet on the canal and activities run by The Coast and Countryside Service. For the more adventurous, guided canoe tours start here.
Soon you will approach Bude Marshes, a designated Local Nature Reserve Dogs must be kept on a lead so they do not disturb the many species of breeding birds, which makes it a favourite spot for twitchers. Migrant birds descend here during the winter such as Water Rail, Snipe, Pied Wagtail, Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Baillon’s Crake, Night Heron and Gargany Duck, with Sandpipers being permanent residents. In the spring ducks and moorhens will be nest building within the reed beds, which are a rarity in Cornwall. With many bird hides situated close to swan nesting grounds and you may be lucky enough to see these graceful birds guarding their eggs. Summer visitors include the breeding Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler, Moorhen, Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting and Mallard. Colonies of dragonflies live in the open pools and dykes. Look out for unusual orchids on the site, such as the Bee Orchids in the drier grasslands and Marsh Orchids in the reeds. Because of this proliferation of wildlife the path is for walkers only; cyclists are directed onto a separate trail along the other side of the wetlands.
The wharfs you see form part of the Petherick’s Mill Conservation Area, where grain and cargo were once stored. The store houses were demolished except for one which has been converted into flats, and the crumbling lime kiln has been redundant for many years. The foundry is no more, and the timber mill – which later became a steam laundry – has now been converted into four houses. Original wharf buildings which have survived are the Brasserie, the Bark House and the Museum, formerly the Blacksmith's.
Leaving the marshes, the canal meanders across an open expanse of breathtaking countryside between beach and hills. This is inland Cornwall at its best. Pass the first mile marker and press onto Rodd’s Bridge, where the towpath changes to the right-hand side past two cascading locks before you reach Whalesborough wood.
Cross the A39 to Helebridge and the old road arched bridge, whose stonework has been deeply scored by the tow ropes. Turn right onto the Marhamchurch tow path. This would have been the busiest section of the Tug-Boat canal, where barges would have unloaded their cargo onto tug boats until the arrival of the railway in 1898, which was closed in 1966 following the Beeching report. The water is shallow in places and shaded by overhanging trees, bushes and plants, giving rise to a variety of wildlife, and you may see kingfishers and foraging otters along these quiet riverbanks or catch glimpses of rabbits, foxes, pheasants and stoats darting across the ever-changing farmland. Woodpeckers and owls make their home in the trees, and you might even spot the odd kestrel or buzzard swooping through the sky.
Following the canal past the engineer’s house on the left and the workshops on the right you soon reach the Marhamchurch incline, marked by an old pumping station. Leave the canal and turn left down the lane, passing Boxes Foundry, whose owner Thomas Box in the late 1700's, forged the latest range cookers for many a Georgian kitchen.
Cross the river and turn right to Hele Mill, a former flour mill which now sells pedal free bicycles and scooters for pre-school children. Steps just before the mill lead you over the hill and you now follow a circular walk through the gate to a group of houses; turn left into a farm lane, back over the A39 and walk down to the sewage works, following the fence around the old railway line before turning left along the embankment. At the road, Turn left for Rodd’s Bridge, and right for Bude.
The canal is currently undergoing an extensive regeneration programme. This summer, the lock gates, which have been removed for restoration, will replace the concrete blocks and there are plans for tourist boat trips.
Web links
For further information on Bude Canal visit http://www.bude.co.uk/ or
www.bude-canal.co.uk/maps.htm
For a detailed map of the canal visit
www.cornwall.gov.uk
For boat hire and tuition visit
www.northcornwall-live.com/watersports.asp
For information on Bude Marshes visit
www.ncdc.gov.uk
Granary can be linked with Little Barn to accommodate up to 12 people.
Little Barn can be linked with Granary to accommodate up to 12 people.
