tester

the national trust
&
the cornish coast
by sophie uglow

Cornish coast
part one
Trebarwith Strand - Sandymouth Beach

I
do
love
to
be
beside
the
seaside

We are an island nation...
... and therefore have a close relationship
with the sea; or at least we should have.
In Cornwall, having the sea on
its doorstep can often be taken for granted by
its residents. Though we may not have the sea
in our sights at all times we feel that its
presence is always there. It may only be in
times of leaving our quaint villages and
small towns when we catch a quick glimpse
or two of it but at any one time we are
never more than a handful of miles away
and when we get the chance to visit, come
rain or shine we will venture out along vast
stretches of delightful cliff paths and make
our way down to the waters edge. We
have a different kind of lifestyle than
those from the cities, some may say slow paced
and peaceful but the sea makes up
for anything that we lack. It can seem
like being on holiday all year round!

Holidaying in our own country has started
to become more popular for its inhabitants
with Cornwall being recognised as a
highly desired destination with a huge
number of people choosing to visit its coasts
throughout the year and the numbers just
keep rising. But why is Cornwall so sort
after? It is easy to guess when holidaymakers
flood to the seashore. So this begs the
question, would our county be as fortunate
if it weren’t for its breathtaking beaches?
With no other obvious sources of
income it’s safe to say Cornwall relies
on the visitors each new season brings.
If aware or not we owe a lot to our coast.
Whether we are an avid walker, surfer,
beachcomber, coastal runner or simply
out with the family. It’s somewhere we can
find both peace and pleasure with its fresh
air, clean water and spectacular views.

“
This page isn’t finished because I’m
waiting for Izzy (subject in photo) to
write a brief description about her love
of the coast. Perhaps have a quote from
Izzy here, from the description.
”

And then have her
description here...

not always
bright skies...
Thoughts of the coast conjure
picturesque scenes of the utmost
beauty; glorious bays rich with
sand dunes, the waves gently
lapping at the shore and a warm
summer breeze with a cloudless
sky but this is not always the case.
Cornwall sees its fair share of rain
and gales just like everywhere else
in Britain and aside from this
the hard truth is that some parts are
very neglected and do not resemble
the images envisaged by many.
In fact, the coast is not even
public land. Originally it belonged
to The Crown, just like most of it
does today, meaning access to this
cherished land could be revoked
at any moment. However, over the
past century The National Trust has
purchased 775 miles of the coastline
and has since been protecting these
areas. One thing to note is that
upon acquiring such land their
ownership lasts forever. Law prevents
them selling or giving any of it
away but they instead claim full
responsibility for all that they own.
This is a rather large commitment as
unlike the properties owned by The
Trust, which require an entrance
fee, there is no guaranteed income
specifically designated for this cause
as incredibly all areas are free to
access, therefore completely relying
on donations from the public.

celebrating
50 years
the
of
neptunecampaign
It was in 1965 when it was realised that
measures were needed to be taken in order
to help save our coastline and as a result
Enterprise Neptune, a campaign committed
to raising funds for our shores, was formed.
The movement was envisioned to be
temporary however it was so well received
that it continues to this day and is currently
celebrating its 50th anniversary! With
Enterprise Neptune already in place the
Trust have successfully raised an impressive
£65 million and with your help they can start
to look after even more parts of the coast.

s
t
e
p
£65 could build
a metre of wear-resistant
footpath or repair
a storm damaged walkway
r
u
y
o
d
m
i
n

a story from julie burns
Julie had previously lived on a
farm in Surrey for 16 years and was
accustomed to having a lot of space
around her. The shores surrounding
the area were covered in pebbles
with the exception of West
Wittering but this destination took
over an hour to reach. Although
she enjoyed working in Surrey, once
she became a mother she felt she
needed to get away from the busy
lifestyle and give her three young
children a better quality of life.
It turned out that her five year
son suffered from asthma and so
it was thought best to move
elsewhere, away from the pollution.
She originally planned to relocate
to Devon as she loved the rolling
countryside and villages with pretty
thatched roofs. Having been on
countless holidays with family to the
area, she never took the time to cross
the border into Cornwall although
she loves being by the sea. Her
husband was subsequently offered
a job in Bodmin and the timing
could not have been more perfect
as her children were still young enough
to be uprooted without any distress.
At first she was reluctant to
consider Cornwall as a potential
new place of residence but after
visiting Polzeath she knew it was
where she wanted to be and the
family finally settled on Wadebridge
as their new hometown. “Arriving
on the station platform was a great
feeing, it was like a new adventure
was starting for us” says Julie.
The clean air was hugely beneficial
to her son and his health improved
so dramatically that he was no
longer required to take medication.
A few years after the move, she
became a mother for the fourth time,
to a daughter, who grew up adoring
this part of the country and later
became a keen surfer. Now with all
four children having kids of their
own, Julie feels blessed to see her
grandchildren grow up in such
a beautiful county. She has
such a strong connection to this
environment that nothing will ever
compel her to move. Her new partner
commutes to London during the week
for work but still this is no reason
to make the move back upcountry.
The truth is it is not even a problem
as he also shares an attachment to
Cornwall and enjoys coming back
to relax. Moving here was without a
doubt the best decision she ever made.

The headland
barras nose
was the first
english
coastal acquisition
Sadly, there is an immense
difference between the spaces
preserved by the National Trust
and those privately owned. A strong
example of this is the very famous
Land’s End, a place you would hope be
kept in pristine condition. This is the case
for the most part as for miles you can
enjoy luxurious landscapes owned by the
National Trust. Other spots are not as
unspoilt, rather their appearance
resemble that of somewhere tacky
and neglected. It is unpleasant to
imagine what parts of the coastline
would look like today if they
weren’t looked after by this charity.

“
when anything becomes
damaged a team of
volunteers take action
”

And it is not just an issue of development
the Trust are concerned about. They are
also continually fighting against erosion;
a hard battle as it’s occurrence is naturally
inevitable. Every year it costs the National
Trust a staggering £3,000 to maintain a single
mile of coastline. With this money, not
only have bridges and steps been put into
place to create easy and vital access but also
helpful signposts have been appropriately
positioned so you don’t lose your way.
Furthermore, the moment anything
becomes worn or damaged a team of
National Trust volunteers take immediate
action to remedy the problem. But
their accomplishments don’t stop here.
Today many of us may not be aware that
previously many places lacked such things
as the means of a simple path to walk along
or any way to cross rivers. Individuals would
have to bravely navigate the landscape for
themselves, that is of course if they wished to
venture across such dangerous land. Now we
don’t have to give such things a second thought
and it is all thanks to the National Trust.
all
thanks
tothe
national
trust!

no matter where we live in this country we are never more than 75 miles from the sea