Today is the day after King Charles’ coronation. It is Sunday. We watched the ceremony live yesterday from our Devon holiday cottage in Puddleduck valley. It appears that the heavens had opened yesterday to bless the King. It rained and rained and rained nonstop! We wake up this morning and see that the highlights are shown on all the channels. We decide that we had to get some fresh air.
Finally, it had stopped raining and the sun was out, we just had to get out. We could not spend time watching these repeats any longer! We head to Bude beach which was only a 20-minute drive from Puddleduck Valley.
We locate a convenient parking lot close to the beach in the adorable little town of Bude. In comparison to some other locations in Dorset, I thought the £7.50 we paid for 24-hour parking was quite reasonable. Bude is in North Cornwall and heard it has one of the mildest winters in the UK and was recorded as the sunniest place in 2013. Wish I had known this before. My ideal resort!
It is ideal for water sports and surfers because it faces the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t belong with them! I don’t think I will even venture swimming today…May is still cold for the UK. The coast is very rocky and rugged. The atmosphere along the coast was very different today, in a moment you would think you were in Spain. There was music, people were dancing, and the environment was very welcoming maybe because of the warm sun and probably because people were celebrating their new king. Street parties were going on.
We cross the singers and the band and the view from the top of the hill is lovely. Blue sky, blue ocean, and wide brown sandy beach. There were dogs, kids, and people everywhere! Perfect. Our dogs take off like little loons when we let them loose! Up to the water, we stroll. The surfers and surfboarders are having a whale of a time despite the enormous waves!
The best part is the Bude Canal! Built-in 1823, it has a series of innovative locks also known as ‘incline planes. You can see the canal and the sea waters mixing and churning as you move closer to the waves. It creates tiny puddles that dogs adore. Stepping into one and feeling the water flow beneath your feet was so lovely. And the water WAS NOT cold!
We spent some time with the dogs and walked toward the rocks and rock pools. I could not stop watching the waves crashing against the enormous rocks. It was an afternoon well spent! I was very tempted to climb those rocks, but my younger dog Lumi wanted to follow me, so I ditched the idea.
After some wandering, I picked a few flat, eye-catching pebbles from the rockpools. I check out if they are fossils… but I guess this isn’t the beach for this. These you would find in Dorset! But you never know what you may find. I always bring home a stone or rock from my travels. I now have an interesting collection! Some are dated, others I just remember. I often think I should frame them. My next project maybe! I see children and grownups with nets trying to find some interesting objects/ creatures in the rock pools. Wonder what they will find?
We had packed some lunch from home and realised we were hungry. We were glad we had eaten because shortly after, we started walking away from the beach and along the canal.
The stroll along the canal is charming. There were a lot of ducks, ducklings, and a swan among the many water birds present. I kept an eye out for a kingfisher but was unsuccessful. They all seemed very used to humans and dogs and were least bothered when we were close. We covered about 3 miles of the 35-mile-long canal. To finish this stretch, you will require many more days.
If you are staying in Bude, this is a great beach to explore and play in the surf in the summer if you are adventurous. It is a lovely and safe place to spend the day here. Will surely come back here during the summer.
