"Bude and Widemouth Bay" Bude by Geoff_Wright

My first memmory of Bude was in 1957, when my mother and father booked a holiday caravan at Widemouth Bay, not for from Bude. I remember reading about Bude in the Railway Holiday Guide, issued by the Western Regin of British Railways. There was a picture of the Bude canal, as it reaches the beach, and I remember the huge wooden piles that were used to mark the channel, and to which the fishing boats moored.
I will always remember, too, standing on that golden, sandy beach the day after we arrived, and thinking the place looked just the same as in that picture. I wish I still had the book.

Our 1950's caravan was lighted by Calor Gas, which in those days, was very smelly. and when it rained, which it always does on Summer Holidays, the roof leaked!
I remember my uncle and auntie meeting us at Bude station, and driving us along the cliff road, and how thick the sea fog was, even in August. They lived not far from Widemouth Bay, and were farmers.

Mum and Dad at Bude 1959

The following year, and the next, we stayed in caravans in Bude itself, on working farms, not like the caravan parks of today, which are purely commercial undertakings. and that was to be the last holiday with mum and dad. Mum was ill, and that was to be her last holiday.

• Pros:My closest beach
• Cons:Sometimes very crowded
• In a nutshell:Nice for an afternoon'd relaxation