Bude

Up the windswept and dramatic coastline of north Cornwall lie the sheltered beaches of Bude. The wide seafront is Bude’s chief attraction, which has been entertaining visitors since Victorian times. The town still retains the charm and atmosphere of a traditional sea side resort, coupled with modern services and facilities to satisfy today’s discerning visitor.

The birthplace of British surfing (often referred to by Australian surfers as the ‘Bondai of Britain’), the area has some of the best surfing beaches in the UK, due to its exposed position on the Atlantic coast, and was the site of the first life-saving club. Bude lifeboat station, operated by the RNLI, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, has been in service for over 125 years and the crews have been presented with twelve Silver Medals and four Framed Letters of Thanks for gallantry. The RNLI is a registered charity dedicated to saving lives at sea. In September 2000 the RNLI introduced a pilot scheme to evaluate the potential expansion into beach lifeguarding around the UK. A pilot service was launched in 2001 to cover 26 beaches in the central south and south west of England, with the aim of providing a ‘joined up service to save more lives’.

The RNLI district of Bude is made up of Blackrock, Widemouth, Summerleaze, Crooklets, Northcott, and Sandymouth on the West Coast with Westward Ho! and Sandymere tucked away further up the coast to the north, over the border in Devon. Recognisable by its dramatic landscape, there’s something magical about this stretch of coast, with dozens of strange and wonderful rock formations and outcrops giving this area masses of character.

There are beaches to suit all tastes - just along the coast to the North is Summerleaze, which is an enormously well loved destination, and it’s easy to see why. Surrounded by sand dunes on one side and a canal on the other, this beach has loads of personality with plenty to look at, including the Bude Lifeboat Station that is based here. Further up the coast is Crooklets, another photogenic beach with impressive rock formations and dramatic cliffs. Crooklets is popular with visitors and locals alike due to its close proximity to the town centre and its reputation for clean waters and great amenities, A recent addition at this beach enables you to ‘walk on water’ in a giant plastic ball. Northcott is a rural beach set in a National Trust area. A pretty low key affair, this beach has a relaxing, tranquil atmosphere, and is great for spotting wildlife as it is relatively undisturbed. Northwards is Sandymouth, another National Trust beach, popular with surfers and beautiful for walking, especially at low tide This beach also has enchanting sunsets. Next is Sandymere, which is renowned for its watersports, but if you’re not feeling quite so active the pebble and sand-covered beach is a charming spot to sit down and spectate. Finally, Westward Ho! This is incredibly popular with families because of its clean waters and outstanding amenities. It also has a lost child centre should one of the little folk wander off, which provides that extra peace of mind for parents.

Add to all this a Designated Area of Outstanding Beauty, local nature reserve, unique sea-lock and canal with easy disabled access, a friendly town with mostly locally owned shops, special events and festivals throughout the year, and you have all the ingredients for a great holiday location.

A few minutes walk from the town centre and you can be exploring the dramatic scenery of the South West Coastal Path or walking in some of the most unspoilt rural areas to be found in the South West. Those more interested in history will find much to explore in Bude’s past geological features, with cliffs laid down 300 million years ago, its maritime connections, canal and unique sea-lock, castle, the battleground at Stratton and the dozens of beautiful churches in the area.

Originally a busy north Cornwall port, Bude developed rapidly after the Bude Canal to Launceston was opened in the 1820s. The canal was an engineering feat of the early 19th century that intended to connect the Atlantic with the English Channel via the River Tamar. The only stretch to be completed was that between Bude and Launceston and it was, in many ways, remarkable as the sea lock at the entrance to the canal was the only lock on the whole length of the canal - although it ran for 35 miles and rose to a height of 350 feet in 6 miles. The canal today has a new use as a resource for fishing, canoeing, kayaking and walking, and the Bude Canal Trail follows this tranquil backwater into the heart of Cornwall. To discover more there is a canal exhibition in Bude Tourist Information Centre. The flat tow-path, which is pushchair and wheelchair friendly, provides a pleasant two-mile walk from Bude to Helebridge.

Close to the entrance to the canal stands Bude Castle, an unusually small fortification designed as his home by the 19th century engineer and prolific inventor, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875), a local man who was probably the greatest inventor Cornwall - a place renowned for its inventors - has ever produced (see also Launcells).  The castle, modest by Tintagel’s standards and decidedly more modern, is renowned for being the first building in the country to be constructed on sand, its foundations resting on a concrete raft - a technique developed by Gurney. The Castle is now Bude Castle Heritage Centre with exhibition galleries, an archive with research facilities, an education room, shop and a restaurant with breathtaking views to the breakwater and Chapel Rock and over Summerleaze Beach to the sea beyond.

Following the exhibitions, you can find out about Sir Goldsworthy Gurney – Cornwall’s Forgotten Genius - and his many inventions which include a steam jet, a musical instrument consisting of glasses played as a piano, and the Bude Light, an intensive light obtained by introducing oxygen into the interior flame and using mirrors. He used this to light his house, in lighthouses and to light the House of Commons, where his invention replaced 280 candles and gave rise to the expression ‘in the limelight’. This earned the inventor his knighthood and the light served the House of Commons for 60 years. At the heritage centre you can also discover about the history, flora, fauna and port development of Bude and its surroundings. You can also measure yourself against the Cornish Giant, Anthony Payne (see also Stratton). The Bude Castle and Marshes won a prestigious Green Flag in 2010, hailing it as one of the best green spaces in the country.

One of the high spots in the Bude calendar is the annual Jazz Festival, which takes place in late August and runs into September each year. This is when ‘New Orleans comes to Cornwall’, and with over 20 different indoor venues in and around the town, it is one of the leading festivals of its kind in Britain. Around the time of this festival is Bude Carnival, which dates from 1920 when it was held on Thursday, 2nd December. There has been a Bude Carnival every year since though it is now held on the third Saturday of August. Money collected on the day, after expenses, is donated to local charities and organisations.