Author Archives: manonabeach

About manonabeach

On a beach…welcome to manonabeach.com, where I’ll regularly add video of my beach visits, so you can enjoy a flavour of the beach, even when you’re not there.

Beer

Season: winter

Beer is an East Devon village with a rich cultural history. Stone from Beer Quarry featured in the construction of Westminster Abbey and there was once a proud lace making tradition. Beer is also traditionally associated with smuggling, like several of the East Devon fishing villages. Nowadays, Beer is a magnet for visitors, with all of the facilities and natural beauty that holidaymakers are looking for. There is a cultured atmosphere in the village, but the coast path and natural coastal beauty are the main draw to this area.

Alan (Abbott) takes us back in time.

The peace and tranquility of the beach for Tony and Jan.

A bright morning at the beach in Beer.

The importance of this beach to Kim.

An inshore fishing boat returns with its catch to Beer.

Jim’s catch of the day, fresh from the sea.

Holywell Bay

Season: spring

The extreme low tide on this visit enabled me to see the Holy Well, as in Holywell Bay. The photo below is a still from deep inside the cave, showing the calcareous deposits that form the white well itself. A couple of thanks are due – to Alex Davies for pointing me at the cave and to Theresa at The Well Cafe and Crafts in Cubert, for putting me onto Quiller-Couch’s guide to Cornish Holy Wells. If you go to the Holy Well at low tide, please don’t be so seduced by its beauty that you forget the tide.

The Holy Well at Holywell Bay in North Cornwall.

What the beach means to a local girl, Sharon, who, like so many, had to leave but has returned to live in Cornwall.

The friend Sharon mentions, Don, kindly sent me the photo in question. Here it is:

A pristine beach at low tide.

Under storm clouds at low tide.

Season: spring

This is a magnificent North Cornwall beach at any time, but it was a particular pleasure to catch the scene just after low tide on this early spring day, with the beach largely deserted and the rocks exposed. Holywell Bay is known for its dune system, separating the village from the beach and creating an unspoilt, natural feel next to the Atlantic breakers.

Jamie’s testimony to this beach.

A view of the beach at low tide from the high dunes behind.

Season: summer

The colours were from a silver grey palette this evening at Holywell Bay. On a rising tide the expansive, flat beach shone silver as each waves receded after breaking. There was a wistful, reflective atmosphere in the early evening light, with couples having a last look at the day’s sea before going for a drink or back home.

With Simon, fishing from the beach in the early evening.

Holywell Bay’s beach, as seen from the water’s edge.

Season: winter

This was a cold and still morning at the start of February. The sand crunched under my feet as I walked down to the beach among the first frost of this otherwise mild winter. The sea shone silver against a pale sky, mirroring the fragile beauty of the sand dunes next to the beach.

On the beach at Holywell Bay with Carol and Tony, who explain changes in the structure of the dunes over time.

Season: autumn

Located between Newquay and Perranporth, this beach has a less trippy feel than some of its neighbours. It takes a walk through the dunes to get to the sea. On the beach there’s an unspoilt feel, with the Atlantic breakers crashing in.

Here is Jenny at the National Trust car park near to the beach. The organisation have protected so much of the coastline for us from unscrupulous development, so this was a chance to say thank you.

Padstow

Season: winter

A bright winter day at Padstow showcased the harbour and its sheltering fishing boats. A barrier which opens onto the inner harbour provides enough tidal water to float the boats inside, even at low tide. The town looked a picture, quiet and characterful, a reminder that fishing and Padstow’s relationship with the sea is still very important around these parts.

The pull of the beach for Steve.

A look around Padstow’s inner harbour.

Season: autumn

Looking back up the River Camel towards Padstow from Stepper Point gives a different perspective. It reminded me of Padstow’s sheltered geographical context in this part of North Cornwall. There’s such outstanding natural beauty to be seen from this headland that it’s well worth the walk up from the town via Hawker’s Cove. There was a high spring tide in Padstow on this occasion.

With Julie in Padstow on a high tide.

Season: winter

Padstow harbour looked breathtaking for this visit on a mild January morning. The tide was in. This well-known tourist town has a strong fishing tradition and I learned more about it from the harbour master, Rob Atkinson. Everywhere is walkable, basically grouped around the attractive inner harbour. There are excellent independent shops, restaurants, hotels and pubs to hand. There’s also a ferry across the Camel estuary to beautiful Rock and Porthilly.

With Padstow harbour master, Rob Atkinson.

Chatting to Philip, leading sand from the quayside at Padstow.

Padstow in the morning.