Category Archives: Perranporth

Basking sharks

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Saw my first basking shark of the season on Saturday.

In the sea, within a mile of Silver Spray, swimming along under our stand up paddle boards.
It was about 11 foot long.

A second flat water trip on Sunday, saw another one. So it looks like their annual drift up the Cornish coast has begun.

We also saw either plenty of seals or the same one kept following us (which is what it looked like).

Both were heading north, so they will have gone past Perranporth beach within an hour of going past us.

 

 

A seal just in front of the board as we went through a tunnel.

 

People really do like to be beside the seaside !

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17743980

The songs and postcards appear to be right – a study suggests we really do like to be beside the seaside.

The study of 2,750 people presented to the British Psychological Society examined the effects of different types of outdoor environments on people.

Researchers found the bracing seaside air had a more positive effect than the countryside or an urban park.

Researcher Mathew White said it could reflect an “innate preference” for the sights and sounds of water.

 

St Piran’s Day :: 5th of March

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It doesn’t take long for any Perranporth resident to learn about St Piran’s landing on Perranporth beach, on a mill stone, from Ireland.

The 5th of March has a feast of celebrations with great stories of the saint and other aspects of Cornish culture such as the flag.

“Legend tells us how Piran, who came from Ireland and was known there as Ciran’ (the Cornish language naturally mutates the first letter to a softer P’), was cast to sea tied to a millstone on the order of the Irish King who was suspicious of Piran’s miraculous powers.

The stormy seas calmed for the would-be martyr as he floated on the millstone to Perranporth beach.”

Perranporth beach at low and high tide

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Some great photos of Perranporth beach at low and high tide by Michael Marten in the Guardian on Saturday.

Perranporth, Cornwall. 29 and 30 August 2007. Low water 12 noon, high water 8pm

Perranporth, Cornwall. 28 and 29 August 2007. High water 6pm, low water 11.20am

Development behind Silver Spray is progressing

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Despite the parish council voting against the proposal for 31 houses on the land behind Silver Spray, Cornwall Council have voted 10-3 in favour of the development – with conditions.

Tescan Ltd has been granted outline planning permission for a mix of private and affordable homes, including an eco-style subterranean luxury house built into the side of the cliff, that campaigners claimed would be worth more than £2 million.

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Experts-forced-abandon-plan-wildlife-park/story-15108977-detail/story.html

 

Perranporth Beach Clean

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As reported in the local newspaper, the West Britton:

Following comments by many Perranporth residents and visitors that the beach was getting in a state, a number of locals used the “Please listen Perranporth Parish Council” Facebook group to short circuit officialdom and self organise a beach clean last Saturday.

With less than 48 hours notice a Facebook event was created and over a dozen people turned up, with their own gloves and bin bags. The participants included Councillor Dave Webster, the local vet, several dogs, children and adults who walking the length of the main beach at high and low tide marks, rapidly filled over a dozen large rubbish bags. One of the ‘finds’ was an enormous fishing net which was pulled, virtually hidden, from the sand.

We popped into the Watering Hole to ask if they were OK for us to put the collected rubbish in their big bins. To which we had a fantastic “Yes, no problem and let me get you guys a drink as a thank you”.

A fun and a fantastic example of the local community solving local problems. Hopefully by keeping the beach clean (the rubbish was mostly items brought in by the sea), it encourages visitors to enjoy the beach and keep it in a good state for others to enjoy.

Perranporth Low Carbon Limited ?

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Wouldn’t it be great to set-up Perranporth Low Carbon Limited ?

Attending some eco-build talks at the Eden Project, one of the speakers is involved with Hook Norton Low Carbon Limited.

It is an Industrial Provident Society, set up by Low Carbon Hook Norton members to help the community reduce its energy consumption, carbon emissions and save money, with a range of community-based schemes and individual household projects based on interest-free loans.

http://www.hn-lc.org.uk/

From the talk, it seems they coordinated getting funding and then the residents and suppliers to slowly help everybody (residents, the school, local firms ….) benefit (lower fuel bills, jobs to implement the projects …..) and move to a lower carbon / more sustainable village.

In relation to this, it’d probably make sense to chat with http://sustaincornwall.co.uk/ and the linked Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust

Killer whales spotted off Cornish coast

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Widely reported (Daily Mail, Telegraph, Western Morning News …..) has been the spotting by quite a few people, including those in the know, of some killer whales off the Cornish coast.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8937921/Killer-whales-spotted-off-Cornish-coast.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/12/06/killer-whales-spotted-yards-from-cornwall-coast-115875-23614451/

The sighting comes as experts reveal more predators like sperm and killer whales – also known as orcas – are flocking to British shores due to warmer sea temperatures.

Perranporth Low Carbon Limited ?

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Wouldn’t it be great to set-up Perranporth Low Carbon Limited ?

Attending some eco-build talks at the Eden Project, one of the speakers is involved with Hook Norton Low Carbon Limited.

It is an Industrial Provident Society, set up by Low Carbon Hook Norton members to help the community reduce its energy consumption, carbon emissions and save money, with a range of community-based schemes and individual household projects based on interest-free loans.

http://www.hn-lc.org.uk/

From the talk, it seems they coordinated getting funding and then the residents and suppliers to slowly help everybody (residents, the school, local firms ….) benefit (lower fuel bills, jobs to implement the projects …..) and move to a lower carbon / more sustainable village.

Dolphins ahoy !

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Mike & Ash, who are staying at Silver Spray at the moment have twice looked out the window, to see dolphins playing in the waves.

It seems this was in the morning when there are less people in the sea.

They managed to take some pictures 🙂

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