Bude Sea Pool ... a haven for safe swimming

Created in the 1930's The Sea Pool at Bude provides a haven for safe swimming for the towns-people of Bude and the thousands of people who visit there each year.

Very few similar tidal pools still exist now in the UK and the sea pool at Bude is not a man-made lido. It is a semi-natural pool created under the curve of the cliffs which fills twice a day at high tide. Access to the pool is unrestricted and free of any admission charge.

The pool nestles under the cliffs on the north Cornwall coast and is topped up twice a day by the waves of the Atlantic. On a summer’s day the sprawling, sparkling expanse of the Sea Pool offers a blissful opportunity to escape from modern life and to laze, splash or bathe in calm sea water. It is a rare kind of construction: partially man-made and in harmony with the natural environment.  Bude Sea Pool provides a precious opportunity to enjoy a unique experience, close to the ferocity of the natural environment but sheltered from its extreme effects.

Following funding cutbacks, the Sea Pool faces an uncertain future. The Friends of Bude Sea Pool was formed in early 2011 to secure the Pool’s future under local management.

The Sea Pool is relevant to many aspects of our modern lives. It provides an incentive for activity at a time when obesity is a national concern. Open water swimming and wild swimming are becoming increasingly popular. The Sea Pool is also a vital tourist attraction for Bude, drawing people to the town during the summer months.

Pictures and partial text taken from http://www.budeseapool.net/

Join here and support this worthy cause http://www.budeseapool.net/join/ or simply donate funds http://www.budeseapool.net/donate/

Please visit http://www.budeseapool.net/ for more information on Bude’s Sea Pool, and to find out how you can help to keep it open for future generations to enjoy.

The Legend of St Piran

The 5th March is St Piran's Day ... the national day for Cornwall.  St Piran is generally regarded as the patron saint for the county, the people of Cornwall and for tin-miners.

Legend has it that St Piran who was of Irish descent, crossed the sea from Ireland and landed at Perranporth sometime during the 6th Century.  The cornish people flocked to see him at his chapel in the sand dunes from where he begana to spread the word of Christianity.

Picture source http://www.ukflagshop.com/

It is said that he accidentally discovered tin when a black stone on his fireplace became so hot that white liquid leaked out from it ... the very first occurance of tin smelting and hence his title of Patron Saint for Tinners.  Tin mining was to become hugely important within Cornwall.  We're often asked by our visitors about the Black & White flag of Cornwall, proudly flown as a recognised symbol across the county.  It is believed that the two colours within the flag recognise this legend.

St Piran's Day is celebrated in several Cornish towns.   Each year the story of St Piran is retold in a drama on the sand dunes in Perranporth on the Sunday nearest to March 5 and on the same day here in Bude we have our very own St Piran's Day Walk where locals follow a piper out across Summerleaze Downs.

The date is even celebrated in Grass Valley California to honor the Cornish miners who helped in the mines there in the mid 19th century.

In 2006, Cornish MP Dan Rogerson asked the government to make the 5th March a public holiday in Cornwall to recognise celebrations for St Piran's Day and more recently there has been a petition for the holiday.  In 2011 Cornwall Council voted in favour of asking the government to make St Piran's Day a bank holiday in Cornwall should they decide to move the May Day Bank Holiday.

We're still waiting for that one but Mr Rogerson is calling again this year on the Government to make St Piran’s Day a public holiday to allow people to celebrate Cornwall’s national day.

http://budeandbeyond.co.uk/dan-rogerson-calls-for-st-pirans-day-holiday/

A very Happy St Piran's Day to the People of Cornwall and to all those who love this most unique and beautiful county.