River Camel - Estuary

Estuary

The River Camel's estuary (Cornish: Heyl, meaning estuary) stretches from Wadebridge downstream to the open sea at Padstow Bay. The quays at Wadebridge are now developed with apartments and retail space on the west bank. North of the quays, the river passes under a new concrete bridge carrying the A39 bypass and past the disused Vitriol Quay. Downstream of Burniere Point the valley widens on the right with acres of salt marsh where the River Amble flows in. Here the Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society have hides on both sides of the river; those on the Camel Trail being open to the public. The main river follows the western side of the valley, while on the eastern side a barrage prevents the rising tide from entering the River Amble.

Downstream from the Amble. a small test bore into Dinham Hill is only accessible from the foreshore at low tide. Cant Cove lies on the east bank below Cant Hill and the rotting ribs of a ship project from the mud. Almost opposite Cant Hill on the west bank is Camel Quarry, the piles of waste rock clearly visible above the river with the remains of a quay visible at low water. From here the mud gives way to sand and Gentle Jane, named after a legendary lady who treated the ills of all comers.

From Porthilly Cove on the east bank, the estuary widens and swings to the north. On the east bank, the Camel Trail crosses the triple-span “Iron Bridge” over Little Petherick Creek then passes below Dennis Hill with its obelisk.

The fishing port of Padstow stands on the west bank. At this point, the Black Tor Ferry (officially owned by the Duchy of Cornwall) carries people across the river to Rock.

The mouth of the River Camel lies between Stepper Point on the west and Pentire Point on the east, and each headland shelters sandy beaches. On the west side of the eastuary, Tregirls beach is protected by Stepper Point. At the northern end of Tregirls beach is Harbour Cove and between here and Hawker's Cove evidence has been found of occupation during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods, and use of Harbour Cove for trading vessels.

In 1827, Padstow Harbour Association chose Hawker's Cove as the location for the Padstow lifeboat. Operations were taken over by the RNLI in 1856. A new lifeboat station and slipway were built in 1931 and a second lifeboat stationed at Hawker's Cove. The station closed in 1962 because silting rendered the channel too shallow. The building is now converted to residential use.

Beyond Hawkers Cove, the Doom Bar extends across the estuary. This notorious sandbank has been the graveyard of many ships over the years. As with many things in Cornwall, there is a legend as to how the Doom Bar came about; a local fisherman is reputed to have shot a mermaid with an arrow, with the result that she cursed Padstow by putting this sandbar between the harbour and the sea.

On the east side of the estuary, the village of Rock is popular centre for sailing, dinghy racing and marine leisure. From Rock, dunes and intertidal sands extend north as far as Brea Hill. Beyond Brea Hill is Daymer Bay with a popular beach north of which is the settlement of Trebetherick. A stretch of rocky foreshore swings east to the bay and beach at Polzeath, a popular location for surfing. North of Polzeath, Pentire Point marks the northeast extremity of the estuary.