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One of the most spectacular engineering features were the incline planes which carried Tub-Boats to a height of 430 feet above sea level within the comparatively short distance of just six miles of the coast and the large sea entrance lock at Bude. The construction work, including embankments, aqueducts and the wheel pits for the inclined planes were all constructed by manual labour using picks and shovels. Further information on the incline planes, of which the most famous at Hobbacot Down is the highest in England, may be found in the Bude and Stratton Museum. The coming of the railways ended the commercial operation of the Bude Canal, which finally closed in 1891. The port of Bude remained in commercial use until the 1930’s, but the canal was neglected and without regular maintenance it very quickly deteriorated.
The Sea Lock, Bude The sea
lock was constructed to allow coastal merchant ships to have access to
the canal and the upper and lower wharf in Bude. The lock opened in
1823 and is still in operation today, though again in need of major
maintenance, the breakwater was built to
protect the entrance to the lock which faced the full might of the
open sea. The Bude Canal Today
Walks and further information are detailed on the leaflet "The Bude Canal" available from the Tourist Information Centre in Bude |
The
Bude Canal was built in the early 1820’s to carry calcium rich sea
sand used by farmers as fertiliser for the poor soil to be found
further inland. Water was fed into the canal system from the Tamar
Lakes, the project was a magnificent engineering feat of its day
stretching some 35 miles from Bude to Holsworthy and on to Launceston.
The
first two miles of the canal from Bude to Helebridge remain in water
and are used by residents and visitors for fishing, walking and
boating. Much of the remainder of the canal is neglected and
overgrown, though local interest groups are making excellent headway
in opening up pathways along the route of the old canal. These walks
pass through some of the most unspoilt countryside in all of North
Tamar and provide a haven for wildlife, well worth a visit.