Coast and Canal.

A half and half sort of walk in more ways than one. Half coast and half canal: half dry and half wet. But still good to get out even though the tragic events at Westminster were on everybody's mind.

Our route started and ended at the 'top' car park at Widemouth Bay just sou th of Bude. We followed the coast for roughly half the walk and then along the Bude canal for most of the rest. 

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, I do like to be beside the sea! A blowy day and the surf was up along Widemouth Bay. Here, we are looking south along what is one of the most popular surfing beaches in Cornwall.

A little further up the coast and the geology becomes more apparent.

Strange things by the wayside Part XXV: a barrowload of books. For a small donation to a local charity, coastal footpath walkers have the opportunity to laden themselves down with a few hardback tomes. I wonder how many succumb to the temptation?

Yet another seascape. Can't get enough of them.

The Coastguard Tower on the cliffs just outside of Bude. Known locally as the Pepper Pot, it was built c 1810 as a refuge for the coastguard, it was also an ornamental feature on the Efford Estate and part of Bude’s ambitious development plans. The octagonal tower, with the points of the compass carved as a frieze, was re-sited c. 1900 due to the eroding cliffs.  It was dismantled and rebuilt further inland but unfortunately seven degrees out of alignment. And it is, because I checked against the compass on my GPS.

A very early show of anemones in a sheltered spot by the harbour in Bude. They haven't even started showing above the ground in our garden

I didn't even know that there were elvers around this part of the world. Elver pasties anyone? What an awful thought but it might go down well with unsuspecting tourists.

The sea lock gates of the Bude Canal.

He was keeping a beady eye on our lunch and we were keeping an equally beady eye on his beak. He seemed to be in a passive/aggressive mood.

Lots of the male flowers of the pussy willow around.

A Grey Heron stalking fish or frogs or anything edible.

Heron in flight

Ditto. I've got a fast shot sequence of about 200 like this but I'll spare you them all.

Beware! Red rabbits? Not really, it's just warning walkers that there may be hares around. Apparently there is a scheme to reintroduce them on some pasture land nearby.

One last seascape at the end of the walk. Just over 6 miles and a good stretch.