Porthleven and The Loe Bar
Porthleven is a charming unspoiled fishing village 3 miles to the southwest of Helston.
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The harbour at Porthleven unusually faces southwest into the prevailing wind. This has resulted in the harbour construction and sea walls being massive in size. In winter when it is stormy many people visit the town to watch the waves crashing into and over the sea defences. When the weather is fine however I can think of no prettier place to sit than outside The Harbour Inn with a cool drink. The harbour was once the home port of a fleet of over 100 drifter boats engaged in the pilchard and mackerel fisheries. When the tide is out it is possible to walk along the beach to the Loe Bar although care must be taken not to get stranded by the incoming tide. |
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The Loe Bar. This great barrier of sand and flint has been formed over centuries by the winter gales and fierce under currents piling it up at the mouth of the Cober estuary. The lake behind it is fresh water and forms the biggest stretch of natural fresh water in Cornwall. In earlier times to prevent flooding in Helston the locals would cut a channel into the bar to release the water. When this was done the force of the water carrying the silt out to sea was so much that it could be seen in the scilly Isles, forty miles away. Bathing can be very dangerous on this part of the beach especially at low tide due to strong currents and freak waves that can appear from nowhere. Click on the photo to enlarge. |
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The bar has been the scene of many shipwrecks over the years including the Tripolotania (right) which was forced onto the bar on Boxing Day 1912 where it remained for two years. Despite repeated efforts to refloat it over that period, it was eventually broken up where it lay. The wrecking of HMS Anson with the loss of over 100 lives inspired local man Henry Trengrouse to invent a rocket firing device to send a line to a stricken ship. |
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The bar has been declared an area of special scientific interest because of its unique construction and rare plants. One of these is the Yellow Horned Poppy seen on the left. |
