THE seaside village of Trebarwith Strand lies in a steep valley to the south of Tintagel in North Cornwall. Its sandy and rocky beach, with Gull Rock offshore, is good for surfing, though care must be taken by beach-goers not to get cut off by incoming tides.

The beach offers a huge sandy expanse at low tide but, at high tide, the sea reaches up to the cliffs and caves.

In the past, vessels landed here to export slate from local quarries. The ships brought in coal to Port William, at the southern end of the beach, where machinery was used to lower slate down the cliff.

The beach at Trebarwith Strand in North Cornwall. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)
The beach at Trebarwith Strand in North Cornwall. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)

South of Trebarwith Strand, which has been used as a film location, the coast is particularly remote and isolated for several miles and the coast path presents demanding climbs and descents. The stretch has heritage coast status and is in an area of outstanding natural beauty, being part of the Cornwall National Landscape.

A section of the coast, including Tregardock beach, lies within the Delabole parish which is centred on the village of Delabole, famous for its huge slate quarry – described as “one of the biggest holes in Europe”.

Slate has been quarried at Delabole in Cornwall for centuries. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)
Slate has been quarried at Delabole in Cornwall for centuries. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)

Delabole slate has been quarried for centuries and is prized as a building material. The quarry is approximately 425 feet deep and more than one-and-a-half miles around.

The National Trust cares for the coast in the Tregardock area. The quiet beach here is sandy and rocky but can disappear when the tide is high.

Looking from the Tregardock area towards Tintagel. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)
Looking from the Tregardock area towards Tintagel. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)

In the past, a silver mine operated in the vicinity of the beach where there is an inlet named Minehousedoor Cove. A steep hill above the beach is known, rather ominously for coastal walkers, as The Mountain.

*Andrew Townsend is a journalist and writer. He further explores the county in the informative and entertaining travel book, Cornwall Favourites For One And All!: A Quick Guide To Good Places To Visit Across The County, which is available in print and as an ebook. More details on Andrew’s books and ebooks can be found via this link to his author page on Amazon - https://bit.ly/AndrewTownsendAuthor

Cornwall Favourites For One And All!, a lovely tour around the county, is available as an ebook on Amazon.
Cornwall Favourites For One And All!, offering a lovely tour around the county, is available as a book and an ebook on Amazon. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)