DRAMATIC coastal scenery features today as the Voice continues its serialisation of the travel book, Cornwall Favourites For One And All!: A Quick Guide To Good Places To Visit Across The County, with a visit to Crackington Haven on the north coast.

Voice journalist Andrew Townsend, the author of the book, says: “The small coastal village of Crackington Haven can be found near Boscastle.

“In the past, the inlet at Crackington Haven was utilised as a small-scale port, importing coal and limestone for limekiln use and exporting slate mined at quarries in the area. Then, in the 1830s, an ambitious plan was put forward to create a town at Crackington Haven with a large harbour and railway station. Needless to say, the industrial vision never came to fruition.”

Crackington Haven is reached by narrow, steep and winding lanes. The beach, with its shingle and sand, is guarded by imposing cliffs. These and other majestic cliffs in the district are part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that stretches for around 30 miles from Pentire Point, near Polzeath, to Widemouth Bay, south of Bude.

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!, a lovely tour around the county, is available as a book and an ebook on Amazon. (Picture: Andrew Townsend)

The highest cliff in Cornwall is found around a mile to the south of Crackington Haven. High Cliff rises to 735ft (223m) above sea level, providing remarkable views.

The geology around Crackington Haven and along the coast produces interesting sights, including layers of rock folded into zigzags.

The challenging coast paths, south west to Boscastle and north east to Bude, feature some steep climbs.

Next time, we will be on the expansive sands of Widemouth Bay.

Our lovely tour around the county, taking in well-known spots but also lesser-known locations, offers something for everyone, from brilliant beaches, moody and magnificent moorland, storm-beaten cliffs and scenic rivers to historic towns, pretty villages, mining heritage sites and visitor attractions.

*Andrew Townsend is a journalist and writer. More details of Cornwall Favourites For One And All!: A Quick Guide To Good Places To Visit Across The County, which is also available as an ebook, can be found via this link to Andrew’s author page on Amazon - https://bit.ly/AndrewTownsendAuthor