Widemouth Bay
{{Short description|Village and beach in Cornwall, England}}
{{For|the ship|HMS Widemouth Bay (K615)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2018}}
File:WidemouthBay2009North.jpg
File:WidemouthBay2009South.jpg
File:Church of Our Lady and St Anne - geograph.org.uk - 415745.jpg
Widemouth Bay ({{langx|kw|Porth an Men}})[http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=520 Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515091028/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=520 |date=2013-05-15 }} : [http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=79ba408d-7c02-499e-8cd6-b18dd48de58d&version=-1 List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515071635/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=79ba408d-7c02-499e-8cd6-b18dd48de58d&version=-1 |date=2013-05-15 }}. Cornish Language Partnership. is a bay, beach and small village on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Bude. This stretch of coast is steeped in the smuggling history of times before, and not far south of Widemouth Bay can be found many little inlets and coves.{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisnorthcornwall.com/widemouth-bay.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040818052731/http://www.thisisnorthcornwall.com/widemouth-bay.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=18 August 2004|title=Widemouth Bay - Cornwall|website=Thisisnorthcornwall.com|accessdate=8 September 2018}}
Village
The village of Widemouth Bay itself is a much more recent development, consisting mainly of bungalows built during the twentieth century. As well as a number of hotels, there are several cafes on and around the beach as well as a pub and shops on the hill above the bay.{{cite web|title=Information Britain|url=http://www.information-britain.co.uk/county31/townguideWidemouth%20Bay/|website=Information-britain.co.uk |accessdate=9 November 2017}} Widemouth Bay has a small church, Our Lady and St Anne's, located on the landward side of the village.{{cite book|last1=Wills|first1=D|title=Tiny Churches|date=October 2016|publisher=AA|location=Dubai|isbn=9780749577681|pages=16–20}}
Activities
The beach is popular for surfing and swimming and is patrolled in the summer by RNLI lifeguards. Several surfing schools operate on the beach because it has relatively gentle, easy to ride waves but on the other hand there can be big waves.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2005/06/15/bg_widemouthbay_feature.shtml|title=Widemouth Bay|website=Bbc.co.uk|accessdate=8 September 2018}}
The area is also very popular for tourists, and a number of holiday parks and campsites operate in the area.
Geography
Widemouth Bay is visually very similar to Southerndown and Ogmore-by-Sea across the Bristol Channel in Wales; it has the same (gently sloping) hill-top location; wide, sandy beach; pounding Atlantic surf; and significantly the same carboniferous sandstone cliffs. Another significant connection is that sloops from Wales would use Widemouth as a port (in the most basic sense), unloading coal and limestone; sloops would take back to Wales Cornish wares such as granite, slate, tin, copper and even Cornish pasties.
Telecommunications
=Submarine communications cables=
The gentle beaches in the bay are also the landing points for many submarine cables that link the UK with other parts of the world. The proximity to the GCHQ Bude installation allows data sent on these cables to be intercepted by GCHQ.{{cite news|last1=Poitras, Rosenbach & Stark|title=Friendly Fire: How GCHQ Monitors Germany, Israel and the EU|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/snowden-documents-show-gchq-targeted-european-and-german-politicians-a-940135.html|accessdate=18 June 2014|work=Spiegel Online|date=December 20, 2013}} These cables include:{{cite web| url=https://omnisperience.com/2021/01/21/how-a-cornish-seaside-resort-keeps-digital-britain-connected/ | title=How a Cornish Seaside Resort Keeps Digital Britain Connected | work=Omnisperience | author=Teresa Cottam | date=21 January 2021}}
=Repeater station=
The repeater station is a cable landing station. Construction was begun in 1962 and finished during 1963.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-220000-102000/page/2 |title=BBC - Domesday Reloaded: B.T.REPEATER STATION |access-date=2013-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313222013/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-220000-102000/page/2 |archive-date=2012-03-13 |url-status=dead }} The building was specifically constructed to withstand nuclear attack,{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-220000-102000/page/3 |title=BBC - Domesday Reloaded: B.T.REPEATER STATION CONT |access-date=2013-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313222018/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-220000-102000/page/3 |archive-date=2012-03-13 |url-status=dead }} having numerous specialised features including an air filtration system, five-ton blast doors, and backup power supply systems allowing it to operate as an autonomous building. The majority of the building is constructed below ground, as is common with many blast-resistant bunkers.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
{{Commons category|Widemouth Bay}}
- [http://www.surfchecklive.com/surfcheck-widemouth.html Widemouth Bay surf information and live cam]
- [http://blogs.channel4.com/tom-clarke-on-science/nsa-spying-bude-gchq-edward-snowden-prism-seaside-rudyard-kipling/598 Channel 4 News: "Spying, the seaside, sub-sea cables - and Rudyard Kipling" - which includes a report from Widemouth Bay]
- [http://vimeo.com/70627517 Artistic video essay on Widemouth Bay by Richard Broomhall entitled "Scribbling between protons". It reflects on the submarine cables which make landfall at Widemouth]
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Category:Seaside resorts in Cornwall