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Coordinates: 50°41′02″N 4°41′34″W / 50.6840°N 4.6929°W / 50.6840; -4.6929

Boscastle
Cornish: Kastell Boterel
Boscastle harbour and landscape
Boscastle  Boscastle shown within Cornwall
Population	888 (Parish, 2001)
OS grid reference	SX098906
Parish	Forrabury and Minster
Shire county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BOSCASTLE
Postcode district	PL35
Dialling code	01840
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	North Cornwall
List of places: UK • England • Cornwall

View from Boscastle harbour path leading to headland

Boscastle Harbour

View from the path leading to the harbour

Boscastle (Cornish: Kastell Boterel) is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster. It is situated 14 miles (23 km) south of Bude and 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Tintagel.

The name of the village derives from Bottreaux Castle, a 12th century motte-and-bailey fortress, of which few remains survive.

Boscastle harbour is a natural inlet protected by two stone harbour walls built in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville (of HMS Revenge). It is the only significant harbour for 20 miles (32 km) along the coast. As well as being a fishing harbour, Boscastle was once a small port (similar to many others on the north coast of Cornwall) importing limestone and coal and exporting slate and other local produce.

The oldest part of Boscastle surrounds the harbour; more modern residential building extends up the valleys of the River Valency and River Jordan.

Tourism

The village with its picturesque harbour is a very popular tourist destination. Among the attractions are the Museum of Witchcraft and the Boscastle pottery shop. Much of the land in and around Boscastle is owned by the National Trust, including both sides of the harbour, Forrabury Stitches, high above the Boscastle and divided into ancient "stitchmeal" cultivation plots, and large areas of the Valency Valley, known for its connections to Thomas Hardy. The former harbour stables (part of the National Trust estate) are now a youth hostel run by YHA, popular with walkers on the South West Coast Path. The National Trust runs a shop at the harbour,^[1] and a visitor centre in the Old Smithy.

A Seaside Parish

In 2004 British television channel BBC 2 began broadcasting A Seaside Parish, a weekly series focusing on the life of the newly-appointed Rector of Boscastle, Christine Musser.^[2]

The Rector of Boscastle is responsible for seven churches in the district: Forrabury (St Symphorian), Minster (St Merthiana), St Juliot, Lesnewth (St Michael and All Angels), Trevalga (St Petroc), Otterham (St Denis) and Davidstow (St David).^[3]

St Juliot is of particular interest to devotees of the works of Thomas Hardy since he acted as the architect for the church's restoration in March 1870 and this is where he met his first wife, Emma Gifford, who was the Rector's sister-in-law. Their love affair was the inspiration for his novel A Pair of Blue Eyes and later in life, some of his poetry.

Boscastle floods

A flash flood on 16 August 2004, caused extensive damage to the village. Residents were trapped in houses as the roads turned into rivers: people were trapped on roofs, in cars, in buildings and on the rivers' banks.^[4][5] Two Royal Air Force Sea King rescue helicopters from Chivenor, three Royal Navy Sea Kings from Culdrose, one RAF Sea King from St Mawgan and one Coastguard S61 helicopter from Portland searched for, and assisted casualties in and around the village. The operation was coordinated by the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland. A total of 91 people were rescued and there were no fatalities.

Boscastle was flooded again on 21 June 2007 although the scale of devastation was not nearly as bad as in 2004.

Folk music

In October 1943, one of the oldest examples of English folk dance music was recorded - "Boscastle Breakdown" (a hornpipe). It is easy to hear a similarity between this and American square dancing, and even through to line dancing, with an infectious swing to it. The musicians were from Boscastle and Tintagel accustomed to accompanying at local dances and much later Topic Records issued a selection of the 1943 sessions in this LP: Various Artists Boscastle Breakdown Topic 12TS240 1974.

References

External links

• Boscastle at the Open Directory Project
• Village website
• Boscastle information at the National Trust
• Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Boscastle
• Free pictures of Boscastle Harbour at Geograph.org.uk
• Music for a dance known as the Boscastle breakdown

From Wikitravel

Boscastle is a spectacularly located fishing village and tourist attraction on the north coast of Cornwall, in the southwest of England. The oldest and most attractive parts of the village surround the cliff-bound harbor and extend up the river valley. The more modern part of the village rises up the steep valley sides surrounding the harbor and valley.

Most of the village has now (May 2005) been reopened following the devastating flash flood of August 2004.

See

The main things to see in and around Boscastle are the village and harbor, nestling in a spectacularly steep sided narrow valley, together with the surrounding cliffs and coastal scenery, most of which is accessible via the Cornish Coastal Path (see below). Specific attractions are:

• The Lookout. This vantage point gives unrivalled views of the harbour entrance and some of the most rugged coastline in England. To get there, follow the harbor quayside and then walk up the footpath to the left.

• Museum of Witchcraft [1], telephone 01840-250111 from within the UK or +44-1840-250111 from outside. Located alongside the harbor, the Museum of Witchcraft houses the world's largest collection of witchcraft related artefacts and regalia. The museum is 50 years old and has been in Boscastle since 1960. Open Apr-Oct M-Sa 10:30AM-6PM; Su 11:30AM-6PM.

• Walk the Cornish Coastal Path

• Boscastle Pottery [2], telephone 01840-250291 from within the UK or +44-1840-250291 from outside. A family pottery producing original Mochaware.

• Boscastle Youth Hostel [3], Palace Stables, tel 01629-592700 from within the UK or +44-1629-592700. Run by the Youth Hostels Association of England & Wales. £7-£11.
• Boscastle House, Tintagel Road, ☎ 01840250654, [4]. checkin: 1600; checkout: 1030. Boutique b&b in Boscastle Great bed and breakfast £50-£60.  edit
• The Old Parsonage B&B, Forrabury, Boscastle PL35 0DJ, ☎ 01840 250339, [5]. checkin: 16.00; checkout: 10.30. Beautiful Georgian house, 5 star B&B, 5 minute walk across flower strewn ancient farming 'stitches' to the south west coast path and close to Boscastle harbour. 5 spacious, stylish and comfortable rooms with luxury en-suite. Definitely the place to stay in Boscastle. £38-£51.  edit

• Tintagel, with its ruined castle and reputed connections to King Arthur, is about 5 miles away, either by foot along the coastal path or by road.

From LoveToKnow 1911

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