Sunday, December 22, 2024

Seaside town with the ‘best beaches’ that’s been thriving for nearly 200 years

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Nestled in northern Cornwall, Bude‘s dramatic coastline enjoys a prime location of stunning natural beauty and convenient access to a vast range of attractions. 

Its eight beaches and sea pool are the chosen destinations for an estimated half a million tourists per year. From rocky outcrops, tranquil coves and secluded coastal havens to vast stretching sandy landscapes, Bude appeals to all, whether it be tourists or locals. 

Bude’s unique sea pool is a part natural, part man-made swimming pool among the Summerleaze rocks. It has provided nearly 100 years of safe bathing after its installation in 1930, making it one of the few very still open today.

If you fancy making regular trips to Bude, you can rent a stylish beach hut from £20 a day.

The one drawback is that Bude definitely feels remote, transport links are unreliable and the nearest hospital is 33 miles away.

It also holds the record of being the town that is furthest away from a train station in the country and many students travel to Exeter, Plymouth or Truro via a cross-border bus service. 

Yet the sense of isolation has made Bude a strong independent town home to many thriving local businesses. 

Bude has plenty of high quality establishments to wine and dine, including, the hyped up ‘Potters’ fish restaurant serving locally caught seafood. If you fancy a more relaxed setting, ‘The Deck’ on Summerleaze beach can provide you with flip-flop friendly dishes – reviews online say the signature is the hanging skewers.

Bude is now home to nearly 11,000 people and new housing estates have sprung up in recent decades, while the town has also attracted an array of new residents from all across the UK who swapped their city lives for the great outdoors.

The average house price sits at a very affordable £375,293. But flats are even cheaper, selling at an average of £267,287.

Overall, sold prices in Bude over the last year were five down on the previous year and seven per cent up on the 2021 peak of £351,513.

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