Synopsis: A trip out with Mum. Stopped at the National Trust car park at Lydford Gorge to have a picnic lunch. Then drove on to Bude, where we took a leisurely stroll. Sun was out and the surf up. Delightful.
(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)
The weather was set fair for the day so I suggested to Mum we go on a little outing. Whilst Mum waited at home for her Tesco grocery shop to be delivered, I popped over to this same store to pick up provisions for a trip out. We drove out of Exeter heading towards Okehampton, not quite sure where we’d end up. I contemplated driving up to Dartmoor later. In the meantime, we needed a picnic stop. I recalled the car park at the upper end of Lydford Gorge (NT) had picnic tables, and headed there for lunch.
This picnic site at Lydford Gorge car park was a perfect setting for us to eat lunch. I put the kettle on and we were soon tucking into sandwiches and tea. I’d noticed, as we drove up, a road sign indicating the way to Bude, a place I’d contemplated making an excursion to some time back. It was enough to sway us; we decided to make Bude our destination after lunch.
On arriving in Bude, we found it looking lovely in the sun. We parked up in the car park, which is virtually down on the beach. It was evidently a popular spot with beach goers and surfers. Mum and I followed a path which took us up a slight incline to the cliffs just above the sea water swimming pool. The surf was up and waves were crashing against rocks at the outer wall of the pool. Youngsters were running the gauntlet along this wall, dodging between the breaking waves, and then jumping from the wall into the pool. It looked like great fun.
These sea water pools, like this one at Bude, seem to be having something of a renaissance. It was as popular with swimmers today, as it had been in 1933, as can be seen in this photo from the Francis Frith collection. The only significant difference being the lack of changing facilities today, which I presume is what can be seen on the right of this photo. Today, you simply have to maintain a firm grasp on your towel.
From the hilltop we looked out across Summerleaze Beach, which is the main beach at Bude. It’s a picturesque beach location, especially on a beautiful day like today. In the panoramic photo below the entire beach can be seen, with the breakwater visible in the distance. To the right, there is a small café and beach shop providing all the essentials of the seaside, such as buckets, spades, rubber dinghies, etc.
If you look very closely at the headland in the distance, you will note a small tower can just be seen. This is known as the Storm Tower at Compass Point. It also has the nickname Temple of Winds, after the temple to be found in Athens, Greece. We didn’t walk out to the headland today, because Mum struggles to walk far. For that reason, I’ve nabbed this historic image from the Francis Frith collection, which is a fine close-up photo of this tower.
It’s my guess that the tower experiences more than its fair share of winds where it is situated.
From Summleaze Beach, we walked back towards town. The walk up the main street looked rather steep, so we settled on just taking the merest glimpse at Blanchminster Square. I’ve compared my photograph below with one from the Francis Frith collection. My view is actually in the opposite direction. To view Blanchminster Square from the direction of the Francis Frith Photo, take a look at this view from Google Street View. The road looks to be in somewhat better condition today.
We then backtracked from Blanchminster Square, crossed The River Neet or Strat (seems to be some confusion here), and walked towards Bude Canal. Mum found a quiet place to sit and watch people feeding the ducks on the canal. I, in the meantime, wandered off along the canal banks in the direction of the sea lock.
The Sea Lock, Lock Gates and Hand Winches are Grade II* Listed.
It can be difficult to imagine these places in their old, as originally intentioned, working days. That is why I think this is an excellent historic photo, since it shows ships waiting at the sea dock, for the next high tide.
Not very much of the Bude Canal exists today, but it’s good to see that this section has been preserved, as it makes it possible to reimagine the old working life of Bude, in the town’s pre-resort days.
That only left one final thing to be done, obtain an ice cream for Mum and myself. Well, one can hardly visit the seaside and not have an ice cream, can one? We sat on the canal-side, eating our ice creams, watching people in paddle boats messing about on the water. I then left Mum where she sat whilst I returned to the car park to collect our car for the journey home.
I was so pleased we had come to Bude. We both enjoyed our visit, and came away thinking how nice Bude is. I can’t think why it has taken me so long to return to this place. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a trek from Exeter, but it has a lot to offer, making the effort well worthwhile.
Read more about Bude on WikiWand.
A photographic history of Bude can be viewed at Bude Past and Present.
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