EDITORS NOTE
Daymer is in an estuary so watch out for outgoing tides which are best avoided if possible. I witnessed an experienced sailor get airlifted out of the Doom Bar after getting caught out on a outgoing tide and dropping wind. There is a decent sized car park with toilets and a shop.
DOOM BAR
The Doom Bar is the sandbar at the mouth of the estuary of the River Camel, composed mainly of marine sand that is continually being carried up from the seabed. According to tradition, the Doom Bar formed in the reign of Henry VIII, damaging the prosperity of the port of Padstow a mile up the estuary. A Cornish folklore legend however relates that a mermaid created the bar as a dying curse on the harbour after she was shot by a local man. Many ships have been wrecked on the Doom Bar and in 1848 Padstow Harbour Association cut down a small piece of Stepper Point to give ships extra “fair wind” into the harbour. Modern dredging techniques have widened the channel to reduce the hazard to Navigation but accidents have still occurred as recently as 1997. Nowadays its name is most famous as the flagship ale from Sharp’s Brewery just outside Rock. From surf dudes and city slickers to royalty and semi alcoholic windsurfing photographers, this mild 4% bitter has become the bestselling cask ale in the UK.
OTHER THINGS TO DO
The hidden gems on the Cornish Coast and a wonderful place to take the family in the summer. Maybe not quite so nice in a force 9 SW gale in the middle of January! The walk round to Polzeath is stunning and the beach at Daymer has beautiful white sand that stretches for miles. In the summer the traffic can be pretty hectic in and out of the narrow lane and without many passing points can be a bit of a nightmare. Polzeath nearby is a popular surf beach with one of the biggest surf shops in the UK and a well known hangout for holidaying celebrities – David Cameron normally hits the waves there every summer !