A Bedruthan View - a photo on Flickriver

A Bedruthan View

            Carnewas and Bedruthan Steps is one of the most popular places to visit on the North Cornish coast and is an absolute must-see. The landscape is synonymous with shipwrecks and smugglers and spectacular clifftop views look out over Bedruthan Steps, where a rank of colossal, pointed stacks march out of the atlantic waves against a dramatic backdrop.

Enjoy magnificent walks meandering past a succession of picture-postcard coves, windswept headlands and old-fashioned holiday resorts, this stretch of the coast path running north of Bedruthan ranks among the prettiest in the south west.

The National Trust has rebuilt the steep cliff staircase to the beach, but visitors need to be aware of the risk of being cut off by the tide.

Bedruthan became a popular destination when Newquay developed as a holiday resort more than 100 years ago. Victorians visiting in their carriages found it a convenient attraction, and the local farmer responded to this interest by providing stalls for the horses on payment of a toll.
The dramatic views rarely fail to provide a breathtaking experience. The geology of the cliffs and stacks themselves is intriguing and it's easy to visit without realising that there's a history of mining in the area dating back to the 19th century.
 
There's something very majestic about the view across the famous wave-swept stacks with the low, unspoilt plateau of Park Head beyond. The power of the earth’s natural forces is uppermost in the onlooker's mind and it is worth remembering that the outline of the stacks has changed in living memory.
 
Carnewas mine
Carnewas was a hive of industrial activity in the 19th century although not much is known of the mining that took place there. It is supposed that miners tunnelled into the cliffs from the beach in search of iron, copper and lead. Mining stopped many years ago, but the buildings are a reminder of this industry. The National Trust shop was once the count house or mine office and the café was also converted from mine buildings.
 
The legend of Bedruthan
The legend of a giant called Bedruthan using the beach stacks as stepping stones to achieve a short cut across the bay seems to be a late 19th-century invention.  No early reference to the story has been found and the truth is probably more prosaic.
 
The first recorded name of ‘Bedruthan Steps’ is in The West Briton of February 1847 and is likely to refer to the original cliff staircase.  It has been suggested that the place name ‘Bedruthan Steps’ was originally given to the staircase but has since been applied to the whole beach, and especially the distinctive stacks.
 
Changing coastline
The effect of the constant pounding of the sea upon the coastline means that the rocks are ever-changing, the softer rock eroding to leave the harder rocks in forms of islets or stacks. The rock known as Queen Bess Rock was named in Victorian times because of the likeness to Elizabeth I. Erosion in the years since has caused it to lose the head into the sea.
 
Providing access to the beach via a steep staircase has proved challenging over the years and since the 1960s there have been times when the stairs were closed as no safe route was possible.
 
In 1973 a generous benefactor gifted us £25,000 to rebuild the old cliff staircase. However, by 1990 further fragmentation of the cliff made it necessary to close the staircase again. In 1995 it was re-opened following stabilisation work and the rebuilding of the 20ft of the staircase which had been washed away.
 
Following a major rock fall over the winter of 2019 the cliff steps leading down to Bedruthan beach were damaged, deemed too dangerous to be used and are closed until further notice.

Taken in: UK / England / Mawgan-in-Pydar / Mawgan Porth (show map)

Taken on: September 10, 2019

Tags:

north-cornwall-coast

sea

sw-coast-path

thrift

rocks

waves

bedruthan-steps

national-trust

fence

kernow

beach « less

Sets appears in: • Views • National Trust more » • Coast • On The Water • FlowerPower • history • Nature & Landscape • Kernow « less

Groups appears in: • National Trust • GORGEOUS: commented with gorgeous more » • [][][]100%PERFECT[][][] • Cornwall, UK • Exquisite Sceneries • I love Britain! • New Ipernity Survivors • ♣My Hat's Off to You!! • Canon EF-S 10-18mm F/4.5-5.6 IS STM • Amateur Photographer Magazine • flickr world wide • Impressive captures - world wide • Images including a geotag or location • CAFE TIME FOR FRIENDS • #1 Images that caught my eye • Ipernity Survivors • The Little Pond • ! * British seascapes and coastal views • Canon EOS 77D User • A LONG WALK IN THE WORLD. VINTAGE • Interesting Views • Water Galore • Interesting Nature • A BRITISH TRUST PROPERTY • Flickr Photo Album Unlimited & Instant Posting • Clouds, World Wide • Canon EOS 77D Unlimited (no 30/60 limit) • Paint a Picture • Images of the National Trust • Beaches world wide • Fences, railings & walls, world wide « less

Camera: Canon EOS 77D, f/8.0, 1/60 sec, 18mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 77D
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Show full info

Stats: 3,399 views / 23 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: