Stepper point | |
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 Stepper Point viewed from the east across the River Camel estuary | |
  Location in Cornwall | |
| Coordinates: 50°34′08″N4°57′00″W / 50.569°N 4.950°W | |
| Location | Cornwall |
Stepper Point (Cornish : Penn Stuppert) [1] is a headland on the Atlantic coast in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at grid reference SW911781 . Stepper Point and Pentire Point stand at either side of the mouth of the River Camel; Stepper to the south-west, Pentire to the north-east.
The headland rises to 242 feet (74 m) at its highest point. The land is used for farming and the remains of several defunct stone quarries can be seen. The coast to the east of Stepper Point is on the estuary of the River Camel. This side of the headland boasts the sandhills of Tregirls beach and St George's cove (which is easily accessed from the coast path). A little further north, Harbour Cove and Hawker's Cove (where the Padstow lifeboat was stationed until 1967) are connected at low water by an extensive sandy beach which forms part of a sandbank at the mouth of the estuary known as Doom Bar. Until the 1920s the deep water channel was located close to the headland as far as Harbour Cove, but this has slowly moved so that, by the 1980s the deep channel was on the opposite side of the river nearer to Trebetherick Point. [2]
To the south-west of the headland, the coastal scenery is more rugged with cliffs rising above a rocky foreshore. A mile south of Stepper point is another small headland called Gunver Head and a further mile on is the small sandy beach at Trevone. Offshore is a rocky outcrop known as Gulland, possibly derived from the cornish word goelann meaning gull. [3] The higher ground at the outer end of Stepper Point is made up of Polzeath Slates, with an igneous intrusion that is also the main constituent of Gulland island. Behind this the main part of the headland is Harbour Cove Slates of 260m thickness. [4] Due to its important geological features Stepper Point was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1990. [5]
The headland above Stepper Point is topped by a 40 ft (12 m) stone tower built in 1830 as a 'day mark' to serve as a navigation beacon for seafarers during daylight, it is visible from over 30 miles offshore and still referred to as the Daymark. [6] The South West Coast Path closely follows the coastline of the headland and the three-mile (5 km) stretch of coast path from Padstow to Stepper Point has fairly easy gradients and is well-surfaced; beyond Stepper towards Trevone the path becomes rougher and is more sharply graded.
The coast path takes walkers directly past both the Daymark and the National Coastwatch Institution lookout which is situated to the north-east of the Daymark. There is no vehicular access to the coastwatch building beyond Lellizzick Farm and the volunteers have to walk the final mile to the watchpoint. [7] The coastwatch station opened in March 2002 and has Declared Facility status meaning that it is part of the official UK Search and Rescue system. All of the staff at the watchpoint are volunteers and keep watch daily from 09.00 until between 15.00 (winter) and 18.00 (summer). [8]
Sightseeing boat tours regularly travel along the coast from the nearby port of Padstow.
One of the most noticeable features of Stepper Point is the quarry on the river side of the headland. The initial quarrying here was carried out by the grandly named Padstow Harbour Association for the Preservation of Life and Property from Shipwreck, who intended to remove a large volume of stone to prevent sailing ships sailing upstream towards Padstow from being becalmed in the lee of the headland. Despite commencing some excavations, the actual amount of stone removed was small compared to the amount intended. [2]
At the end of World War 1 quarrying was recommenced on Stepper by Cornish Road-Metal Ltd who referred to it as Stepper Point Quarry. Some equipment was installed with a crusher to break the stone and a small railway line of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge to convey the stone to a schute which discharged directly into vessels tied up in the channel below the quarry. The railway was operated by a series of small 4-wheeled shunting locomotives, initially second-hand petrol-powered "Simplex" locomotives from Motor Rail, but from 1936 a new diesel-powered locomotive by Ruston & Hornsby was used. [9] During World War 2 stone from here was taken further down the coast and used to construct the runway at RNAS St Merryn, [10] but not long after the war quarrying ceased and in 1948 the diesel locomotive was sold to a quarry in Somerset. Much of the equipment was left to decay until the scrap metal, including one of the petrol locomotives which had been abandoned there, was cut up and removed in 1969. [9] [10]
There have been two active mines on Stepper Point. On the west side of the headland at Gunver Head was a mine variously called Wheal Galway, Trevone Consols, Padstow Consols and Cuddrabridge Mine. Operating for short periods in the 19th century, the mine produced small tonnages of Copper, and also 267 oz (7.6 kg) of Silver. [11] On the east side of the point just upstream of Harbour cove was North Treleaver mine, a small lead mine which followed a lode visible in the cliffs, although the dates of operation are uncertain. [12]
The River Camel is a river in Cornwall, England. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and with its tributaries its catchment area covers much of North Cornwall. The river flows into the eastern Celtic Sea between Stepper Point and Pentire Point having covered about 30 miles, making it the second longest river wholly in Cornwall. The river is tidal upstream to Egloshayle and is popular for sailing, birdwatching and fishing. The name Camel comes from the Cornish language for 'the crooked one', a reference to its winding course. Historically the river was divided into three named stretches. Heyl was the name for the estuary up to Egloshayle, the River Allen was the stretch between Egloshayle and Trecarne, whilst the Camel was reserved for the stretch of river between its source and Trecarne.
Trevone is a seaside village and bay near Padstow in Cornwall, England, UK.
Cape Cornwall is a small headland in West Cornwall, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Land's End near the town of St Just. Until the first Ordnance Survey in the early 19th-century, Cape Cornwall was believed to be the most westerly point in Cornwall.
Par is a village and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par, although West Par and the docks lie in the parish of St Blaise.
Pentire Head is a headland and peninsula on the Atlantic coast in North Cornwall, England, and is about one mile square. The headland projects north-west with Pentire Point at its north-west corner and The Rumps promontory at its north-east corner.
The Rumps is a twin-headland promontory at the north-east corner of Pentire Head in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Port Quin grid reference SW971805 is a small cove and hamlet between Port Isaac and Polzeath in north Cornwall, England.
Port Gaverne is a hamlet on the north coast of Cornwall, England, UK, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Port Isaac and part of St Endellion parish.
Gwennap Head is a headland on the south coast of the Penwith peninsula, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is within the parish of St Levan and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Land's End, and less than 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Porthgwarra, the nearest village. The area of Gwennap Head is designated as part of the Penwith Heritage Coast and also designated as part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The South West Coast Path closely follows the coastline around the headland.
The Treffry Tramways were a group of mineral tramways in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, constructed by Joseph Treffry (1782-1850), a local land owner and entrepreneur. They were constructed to give transport facilities to several mines and pits producing non-ferrous metal, granite and china clay in the area between the Luxulyan Valley and Newquay, and were horse-operated, with the use of water and steam power on inclines, and at first operated in conjunction with the Par Canal and Par Docks, also constructed by Treffry. One of the routes crossed the Luxulyan Valley on a large viaduct, the largest in Cornwall when it was built.
Trevose Head is a headland on the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall, on the south-western coast of Great Britain. It is situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Padstow. The South West Coast Path runs around the whole promontory and is within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Trevose Head Heritage Coast. In clear weather, visitors to Trevose Head can see virtually the whole length of the north Cornwall coast; to the north, the view extends beyond the Cornwall county boundary to Hartland Point, Devon; to the south, it extends beyond St Ives to the headland at Pendeen Watch.
Gribbin Head is a promontory on the south coast of Cornwall, England, UK, owned and managed by the National Trust. It separates St Austell Bay from the estuary of the River Fowey and is marked by a large tower used to aid navigation of ships approaching the local harbours. The nearest town is Fowey. The western point of the headland is called Little Gribbin.
The Doom Bar is a sandbar at the mouth of the estuary of the River Camel, where it meets the Celtic Sea on the north coast of Cornwall, England. Like two other permanent sandbanks further up the estuary, the Doom Bar is composed mainly of marine sand that is continually being carried up from the seabed. More than 60 percent of the sand is derived from marine shells, making it an important source of agricultural lime, which has been collected for hundreds of years; an estimated 10 million tons of sand or more has been removed from the estuary since the early nineteenth century, mainly by dredging.
Fishing in Cornwall, England, UK, has traditionally been one of the main elements of the economy of the county. Pilchard fishing and processing was a thriving industry in Cornwall from around 1750 to around 1880, after which it went into an almost terminal decline. During the 20th century the varieties of fish taken became much more diverse and crustaceans such as crab and lobster are now significant. Much of the catch is exported to France due to the higher prices obtainable there. Though fishing has been significantly damaged by overfishing, the Southwest Handline Fishermen's Association has started to revive the fishing industry. As of 2007, stocks were improving. The Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee is one of 12 committees responsible for managing the corresponding Sea Fisheries District. The Isles of Scilly Sea Fisheries Committee is responsible for the Scilly district.
Trevaunance Cove is a small bay on the north Cornish coast and a residential area of St Agnes, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was a busy harbour despite storms often destroying the quay. The South West Coast Path passes over the coastal slope to the north.
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