UKC

I'm thinking of driving down to Cornwall tomorrow to have a look at the waves. It's a long way for one day, but on the other hand we don't often get waves this big - last forecast I looked at said possibly as high as 40 feet (just over 12 m). Thinking of checking out Rinsey/Trewavas/Porthleven area; then maybe heading down to Land's End/Sennen. Anywhere else particularly worth checking out? Looking for maximum splash-up

In reply to bpmclimb:
They sound like the best places Brian.

The south coast got it bad the other day, but that was a bit more easterly.

Crown Mines Cliff could be good, Portreath always seems to take a battering too. A bit more off of the beaten track, Hartland gets some good waves, but you're committed once you're up there.

If you get any good shots of Rinsey that you're happy for us to use, could you let me know? Cheers.

Tom (From Lizard guide with D.Hope)

In reply to Tom Last:

Yep will load up the camera

In reply to bpmclimb:
Wind's got up pretty strong here now. High tide tomorrow near here at Mevagissey at 11.30am, don't know about elsewhere along the coast. I'd make an early start if you want high tide, there were a hell of a lot of trees down the other day, with the accompanying delays. Good luck!

In reply to bpmclimb:


Bloody rubberneckers, i may go and have alook at all the flooded villages on Somerset levels.

In reply to bpmclimb:
The swell is quite westerly on Saturday so the south coast will be less dramatic than earlier in the week, Sennen will be putting on quite a show late Saturday, 35' ground swell will cause quite a splash over demo route. Have a look at Cape Cornwall and Botallack as well.

In reply to bpmclimb:
Might also be worth stopping by Gwithian to see the red bull storm riders playing in the surf.

In reply to bpmclimb:

Later you can leave it the better, sennen is forecast 37 feet by about 2pm. I live about 15 minutes from perranporth so will most likely be heading out there at some point but it will be nowhere near as big. Can't be arsed with the drive to sennen.

In reply to The Pylon King:


That's unfair. There is no comparison whatsoever in going to view nature in all it's glory and going to look at others' misery

In reply to The Pylon King:


Fixed

In reply to bpmclimb:

Do it. Stormy seas look awesome.

I happened to be back home (Sunderland) in the middle of some really bad winds ages ago.

There wasn't any waves as such, just really choppy seas and a load of surface spray, and every now and again the sun would catch the spray and you'd see hundreds of mini rainbows and light spectrums on the surface.

Never saw it before or since but it was a really cool effect.

In reply to bpmclimb:

This is the one to beat!

youtube.com/watch?v=J9d-_DKTSSM&

In reply to stroppygob:

Yes - that's what it looked like at Sennen

Best wave set I saw come in all day was at Trewavas Head at about noon. That high projecting rock between Rinsey Cove and Camel Rock was taking a real battering - and I was able to get fairly close, too (after watching for some time to check out the safer areas).

All in all, well worth the drive; the only down side of the trip was that I couldn't get many photos, since much of the sea was in the air most of the time!

In reply to bpmclimb:

That's actually a great idea. I might pop down on Friday if swell is still up! Is South Devon catching the big uns too?

In reply to Trangia:

Fair enough but apparently there were traffics jams around Porthleven that were actually making life more challenging for the locals who were attempting to secure and maintain their property as well as requiring the diversion of Police resources to help on the roads and advise some people they were putting themselves and their potential rescuers in danger.

It's a natural instinct to want to view what is an impressive spectacle but please can people put the needs of the local community and the agencies trying to help them first.

There was some depressing stuff about flood tourists blocking roads and access whilst filming other people's misery in Somerset.
https://tinyurl.com/p2qnaly
https://tinyurl.com/ol9qmu8

In reply to bpmclimb:

check out the final installment of the windsurfing red bull storm chase from Cornwall yesterday.

http://www.redbullstormchase.com/mission-3

In reply to TMM:






The problems were mainly caused by people attempting to drive down narrow (single track) roads right to the sea, to save themselves a 5 minute walk. On arrival, I parked easily in the main car park - there were lots of spaces at that time.

The crowds were no worse than on a busy day in August, and just like in August, crowds bring money to the town.

Also, were locals really trying to secure and maintain their property on the very day of the second batch of biggest waves (forecast well in advance for Saturday), in ways that needed them to get cars in and out in a hurry? FWIW that wasn't the impression I got, walking around the town.

In reply to bpmclimb:

Oh well, that's fair enough then.

In reply to TMM:

TBF thats just life.. Cornwall is a spot of natural beauty, the sea makes it that and so at times like this people will want to see it. Thats what gives the area so much money. Its also money coming into the area which will help areas re-build.

Going to see flooding in somerset is incomparable to watching huge waves in cornwall.

In reply to IainRUK:



Thanks for explaining that to me.

Cornwall is indeed blessed at the moment to have such an outstanding income opportunity as result of these damaging storms.

In reply to IainRUK:



Unless you are getting in the way and hindering those trying to clean up or distracting the emergency services in which case I would say that it might be comparable.

In reply to TMM:


Agreed!

In reply to TMM:

Ha! I like the sarcasm

Seriously though, it was very clear to me that Porthleven was "open for business". After all, they could have closed the narrower roads to everyone but residents. Or even closed the whole town to all but locals. This would have solved many of the problems at a stroke, and required far less personnel to enforce. Even the dangerous sea-washed part of the harbour path didn't have a "path closed" sign up, the emergency services preferring to use a vehicle and up to six officers, presumably so that they could talk to everyone individually.

The image you paint (and the media paints) - of a town's valiant struggle against the elements being sabotaged by selfish invading hordes - may have an element of truth, but what I saw, in equal measure at least, was a town's response to both a commercial and a PR opportunity.

In reply to TMM:



Dont be an arse. Of course it is. Why is the cornish coast so spectacular? gentle waves? a stiff breeze.. no a huge ruddy fetch that results in huge ways that shape it so dramatically. But the businesses still need people in.

I have heard that there are folk out there who travel to areas that suffer heavy snowfall to climb icicles or slide down snowy slopes. Sometimes even when Nanny says wrap up warm and stay indoors.

In reply to Kemics:



Not quite up to the heights achieved in Cornwall recently, but Wed 12th and Saturday 15th are the biggest forecast waves for S Devon this week (Bantham 11-17 feet both days).

In reply to bpmclimb:

Its not been massive in Devon since the railway went awol. I surfed the south coast sunday morning and it wasnt that big,

loads of burly security guards around to keep joe public from doing silly stuff. They were friendly to us, I expect they were waiting for the nutjobs with cameras to dangle off the prom at high tide?

Biggest hazard for surfers wasnt wave size it was the amount of debris floating around...nets, ropes, railway sleepers, diesel locos....it was hell!

In reply to bpmclimb:

Will you be putting them up on UKC?

In reply to stroppygob:

Haven't viewed them on big screen yet. If there's any decent ones I'll put one or two up.

In reply to bpmclimb:

Cheers mate.

In reply to bpmclimb:


Not as big as down there, but the waves are forecast to get up to 26 foot on Anglesey tomorrow afternoon, thats fairly big.