Bucks Mills is a rocky secluded cove at
the bottom end of the picturesque village. It is quite popular for fishing but limited access means it is quiet most of the time.
Bucks Mill Cove
Bucks Mills is a former fishing village which grew up along the stream leading down the valley to the cliffs. The nucleus of the village is a cluster of about a dozen houses around a small square close to the cliff-top. Beyond this, the stream turns and drops sharply, where it has been diverted to cross a ridge and cascade over the cliff to the beach. There have been numerous rockfalls and landslides here, including several in the 1990s.
A steep pathway leads down from the square to the pebble beach where there are masonry platforms for mooring, one of which, the Old Quay, is near the older, western limekiln. The eastern limekiln is said to have operated from 1760 to i860. It contains two kiln pots, which are shaped internally like cylinders, which then narrow towards the base. It was built in a striking position, standing on a rock projecting out from the main cliff face. Part of the limekiln has collapsed and the structure should not be entered.
The 'gut' or slipway on the foreshore was cut to allow bigger boats to beach at high tide. Limestone and coal were imported from South Wales, and a local fuel called Culm (a sooty soft local coal) was also brought in this way. The material was ferried from the beach by carts to the kiln and the boat would leave at the next high tide. The limestone and fuel were layered alternately into the kilns from above and fired. When the firing was complete, the burnt lime was taken out of the bottom of the kiln and taken by truck to the top of the cliff. The lime was spread on the fields to "sweeten" the local acid soil, or used in mortar and lime wash for buildings.
Most of the villagers were engaged in the lime industry, when not fishing, until the end of the 19th century when chemical fertilisers and industrially produced lime became more easily available.
Bucks Mills Cove
Unlike Peppercombe, you can drive most of the way down a long and winding road through the valley to the visitor’s car park.
The path then takes you to the sea passed old limekilns to a pebbly beach with lovely rock pools. From the beach there are spectacular views of Bideford Bay and Lundy Island
Beach Type: Shingle/Rock |
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