North Cornwall England has its fair share of quaint, beautiful towns that give the county such a good name but Bude may be in fact the most remarkable among them. Sitting right at the edge of the River Neet, Bude has that classic seaside feel while still somehow avoiding the hedonistic stigma that many of England's seaside resort towns, like Blackpool, are often stymied with. Perhaps the best example of Bude's esteemed reputation is the fact that it has long been known as the "Harbour of Holy Men" by many English people. In truth, this name is likely derived from the fact that some of the earliest Christian pilgrims landed upon Bude and made a home out of it but a reputation steeped in purity is something worth holding on to.
Bude isn't only beautiful in its legacy, however: The town is well-known for its geological splendor as well and many people come to Bude not just for the gorgeous coast but also for the fascinating landscape that is permeated with breathtaking reefs and stunning rocky outcroppings. The reefs of Bude have drawn countless divers over the years but they haven't always been so friendly; in the past Bude was a fearful name on the lips of sailors because of the countless shipwrecks that occurred whenever a craft would come too close to these violently sharp reefs. One can even find the remains of one of the most glorious ships ever to wreck in Bude, the Bencaloon, within the towns church. This wreck took place over one hundred and fifty years ago and as such the ship is perfectly in line with the glory days of the Royal Navy's stranglehold on the waters. Anybody interested in nautical history would do well to peruse the flotsam and jetsam of Bude's waters or take a look at the remains of the Bencaloon.
Bude is also home to some downright phenomenal sandstone cliffs that make every photo a stunning one. These cliffs are carboniferous in nature and are in fact over three hundred million years old. It is truly a humbling experience to lay your hands on something that had once been under the Earth's crust and rose up through countless eons as the face of the Earth shifted and underwent countless ice ages, magma storms, and much more. When you stand atop one of these imposing edifices it is like you are standing among a large chunk of our world's history. This sandstone has in fact helped humanity along in its early years as ancient farmers would collect the sand from Bude and use it as fertilizer during the birth of agriculture and beyond. Sand isn't known to be a great fertilizer but the millions of years of carbon that are compacted into the rock makes for a great growth aid. This is the beauty of Bude: It isn't a coastal resort town based on theme parks and pier parties but instead one that celebrates the beauty of the beaches first and foremost. Bude can be seen as a "thinking man's tourist town" and that is hopefully a legacy that will last as long as the sandstone cliffs.
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