Marhamchurch

Marhamchurch is a village about 1.5 miles south of Bude, set back from the coast off the A39. The Norman church of St Marwenne sits at the centre of the village, surrounded by a churchyard with mature trees. The Bullers Arms pub serves as the village local. Marhamchurch holds an annual revel week each August, a tradition dating back centuries, which includes a procession, stalls, and the crowning of a Revel Queen.

The village is close enough to Bude to use its beaches, shops, and facilities while offering a quieter, more rural setting. Bude’s main beaches - Summerleaze and Crooklets - are about a 5-minute drive, and the Bude Canal towpath provides a flat walking and cycling route from the town into the countryside. Widemouth Bay is about 3 miles south. The area has a good supply of holiday cottages and converted farm buildings.

Bude’s sea pool at Summerleaze Beach - a large semi-natural tidal swimming pool - is one of the best in Cornwall and free to use. The town also has the Castle Heritage Centre, independent shops, and several surf hire outlets. Marhamchurch sits at a practical junction where the A39 meets the road south towards Widemouth Bay and Crackington Haven, making it a useful base for the north Cornwall coast near the Devon border.