6/21: A DAY SPENT IN THE HAVEN OF CRACKINGTON

Life here is so not-Florida….the tourists are saner, and polite and say no problem and Brilliant and the British ones have dogs and the other ones (mainly German for some reason in Tintagel—I’m gonna have to research why that is) don’t…..I meet a rare Canadian and an even less common Yank but besides Brits and Germans there more Aussies than people from the Americas. This not being unusual for me as I rarely fit in where I should belong.

I still love the staff and they haven’t come to hate me yet…..give them time……but only have like 7 days…..I have not felt lonely here and have not had any homesickness, but getting back to some type of my normal life while not exactly my goal must eventually be my reality….darn it.

Today I was on the bus again wandering northward again, this time to a place where the big thing is beach combing and eating in cafes (or a pub) with fantastic views…..so shall we get on the bus again

I have no idea what it is—but it’s at the bus stop and I get bored waiting—they’re usually late….which is understandable as it’s a country bus so it stops to pick up and drop off people at all manner of unusual stops.

So today I’m heading to Crackington Haven. Crackington Haven is a small coastal village on the North coast just West of Bude. Once a small harbour importing coal and limestone from Wales, which narrowly escaped industrial development in the 1800s, it is now a small unspoiled, almost secret, cove. https://www.visitcornwall.com/places/crackington-haven

I don’t know about you but that definitely is inviting to me. Come on where’s your adventure?

Of course Cornwall if full of marvelous places to see and enjoy….look at this great place—that’s a vacation site—with homes and caravans (read RVs and campers)….You could just stay there and be happy—or at least I could.

From the car park you can follow dramatic coastal walks to the north and south or take a wooded valley walk inland. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery and wildlife whilst benefiting from the fresh air and health promoting physical activity.

Now that’s from the Crackington Haven site—but this whole coast is outlined with walking trails…A lot of people take the bus to some place (like Boscastle which we’ve been to a couple times before–or further up depending on their stamina—me I’m so clumsy they’d just have to fish me out of the ocean after I stumbled over the edge–and then they walk back to where ever they’re staying (i.e. Tintagel)

speaking of Boscastle, we’re just passing it on the bus…and if you look from the side walk (above the bay which is pretty empty–low tide again) on the right side, you will see where one of the cliff side paths comes down from the Crackington direction and into the town…..where you can skip to the other side of the harbor and head on down to Tintagel…or places south….

The bus trip is pretty much like local bus trips anyway—at least in the US and Britain—I haven’t been on buses in exotic Caribbean countries—though I’ve been to several of them—or the continent but…..here’s hoping they’re as well managed.

But look we’re here so let’s get off the bus before we miss our stop.

Crackington Haven is popular with campers, walkers and geology students. The surrounding cliffs are well known for their visible folded sedimentary rock formations. The village gives its name to the Crackington formation, a sequence of Carboniferous sandstones and grey shales.

Wow I bet you didn’t know that—I didn’t but hey what ya wanta do first?

Now to be honest this places isn’t a hot be of the tourist industry…

Crackington Haven has a stony foreshore but a sandy beach is revealed at low water. There are toilet facilities near the beach and lifeguard cover in the summer.

That’s it’s main draw…but the shop above does have some beach related items that we might check out.

The scenery here is great inland and out to sea….like most of tCornwall it’s history runs deep, with a lot of the written coming from the Norman invaders, but things I see would seem to indicate that long before those more than half Vikings from France invaded there were people and burgs and much more….you have only to look into the dark shaded glens to see the magic that shimmers below the surface of this enchanted land but…..

The manor of Crackington was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) when it was one of several manors held by Berner from Robert, Count of Mortain. There was half a hide of land and land for 3 ploughs. There were 1 plough, 2 serfs, 6 smallholders, 4 acres of underwood, 20 acres of pasture, 4 cattle, 3 pigs and 25 sheep. The value of the manor was 10 shillings though it had formerly been worth £1 sterling

But only a look at the land about us and you can see it long out dates any invasion that is recorded in our history books….or theirs if you a Yank like me.

After the railways reached the district in 1893 the village could be reached more easily (from the North Cornwall Railway station at Otterham) so holidaymaking became more common.

In other words that shipping in and out gave way to the people in and out….I wander about smuggling…I know it happened along these coast but have no idea who did it—-keep an eye out just in case.

But let’s head over to the beach and take a look there —-past these very necessary places—not that this Florida girl is getting in the water but in case you wanta take a dip.

As you will see: Crackington Haven has a stony foreshore but a sandy beach is revealed at low water and obviously there lifeguard cover in the summer.

and there you are m’dears…some stone, some sand and I do believe that’s salt water…you’re welcome to drink some to check out my theory.

Crackington Haven (Cornish: Porthkragen, meaning “cove of the little crag”) is a small place along a big ocean, but it has impressed me—how about you?

and while this part isn’t great for sunbathing it does impress a girl from Florida who is use to really big, but with little of note except fast cars on Daytona Beach, to mark it’s depths.

Immediately north of the beach is Pencarrow Point and a few hundred yards south is Cambeak headland (between Tremoutha Haven and Cam Strand); the clifftop here is 328 ft

and there’s one of those shoreline paths along it…..I told you they were everywhere now didn’t I?

and then there’s the water flowing down from the small place—I guess its large enough for a village…I have no idea what the definition of village is…do you?

One mile south of Crackington Haven, High Cliff rises to 735 feet (224 m) with a sheer drop to the rocky foreshore.^[2] It is Cornwall’s highest cliff and is also classified as southern Britain’s highest sheer-drop cliff (Great Hangman in Devon has a cliff face of 820 feet (250 m).

No thanks, you’re welcome to wander down to it on one of THOSE paths but I’ll explore this small place.

Ok some shots of the village:

and I we won’t forget our dog of the moment: Crackington style:

and I fancy we’ll do lunch here:

The village has a small shop, two tea rooms and a pub called the Coombe Barton Inn in a building which was originally the house of the manager of a local slate quarry.

Must be nice to have such a posh place to have our lunch at…..nice how for this small valley—wanta kick back a couple pints with me?

and a ploughman’s lunch for me I think…best cheddar cheese and it’s made locally—You’re buying how nice.

A ploughman’s lunch is an English cold meal which consists of cheese, pickle, and bread. Additional items such as apple, boiled eggs, ham, and pickled onions may be added. As its name suggests, it is more commonly consumed at midday