Harbour
From Discover Newquay
Ken Langmaid, a Newquay-born resident wrote:
The Harbour has a very cosy beach and provides good sheltered swimming. Fishing is almost a thing of the past, although there are one or two old stalwarts who keep up the tradition. A few crab pots are set, a few herrings netted, some mackerel hooked. Apart from this Newquay Harbour is used almost entirely by pleasure boats which desert it in the autumn for the shelter of the Gannel, returning again in the spring with a fresh coat of paint. Trips round the bay, early morning fishing parties, and shark fishing expeditions constitute the main business of the local boatmen.
In former days pilchard was king and the seine nets, spread out to dry covered a large part of the Headland. There was an important export of salted pilchards to Italy for use during Lent. Remnants of the old fish cellars, where the fish were pressed into barrels and the oil extracted, can still be traced but generally speaking these characteristic Cornish store buildings which as far as Newquay is concerned are the chief relics of her colourful past, have been allowed to fall into ruin or completely obliterated in the name of development.
The cliffs behind the harbour are beautifully decorated with wild flowers in summer, especially red and white valerian. A couple of varieties flourish here too, namely Senecio cineraria with its handsome grey foliage and Stock. The wallflower has established itself in the cliffs, making up with these aforementioned a remarkable array of plants.
For more information about Newquay Harbour go to the Newquay Discovery Trail
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