Backways Cove — Attraction in Tintagel

Backways is a rocky cove close to Trebarwith. Looking out from Park Farm it's the V shape to the left of Trebarwith Strand. It's always quiet as few tourists know about it and it's a reasonable walk to get to. It is good for snorkelling on a calm summer day as there are lots of interesting shaped areas of rock in the water created by a combination of quarrying and erosion from the sea which you can either explore with mask and snorkel or just swim between and sunbathe on. There are strong currents if there is a swell so we don't advise swimming unless the sea is very calm. In Spring and Autumn, look out for peregrine falcons swooping over the cliffs which nest nearby. In the winter, Backways is dramatic in a big storm with sea foam and spray from the stream blowing back up the valley and mini tornadoes of foam forming beneath the cliffs.

Backways Cove is a small rocky inlet and beach at the bottom the the valley below Trebarwith Village, just south of Trebarwith Strand. The location features in "The International Directory of Haunted Places":

"Backways Cove, a North Cornwall inlet just up the coast from Trebarwith Strand, is still haunted by many unidentified presences who are thought to be the spirits of shipwrecked sailors whose bodies washed up there after they drowned. Numerous ships were torn apart on the jagged rocks offshore, and the shadowy spirits of their crew are still trying to make it to shore.

Between Tregardock and Backways Cove lie the remains of Treligga Aerodrome (HMS Vulture II). Both the observation/control tower and the reinforced hut near the sea (towards Backways Cove) are still standing, as are the accommodation and service huts near Treligga village. The control tower has quite recently been repaired and converted into accomodation. Before the Second World War, HMS Vulture II was used as a glider site. However the Admiralty requisitioned 260 acres of land in late 1939 for the purposes of constructing an aerial bombing and gunnery range. Unusually, the entire operation at HMS Vulture II was staffed by the Women's Royal Naval Service. On 16 September 1943, an American B-17 Flying Fortress was forced to make an emergency landing at HMS Vulture II. The pilot, Capt Jack Omohundro, had ignored a red flare warning him to keep clear. The plane was chronically short of fuel and running on three engines after a raid on U-boat pens at Nantes in France. The bomber had left its formation to try and preserve what little fuel it had left. Spotting the tiny Treligga airstrip, he skillfully landed 'wheels-down' just 50 yards short of the...

A delightful easy walk on a lovely day, September 2014, after travelling over 10,000 miles to be the first Australian in our family to visit our ancestors farm...

Legend of Backways Cove… Backways Cove is a small dramatic-looking cove whose severely rugged cliffs have been shaped partly by bygone slate quarrying activities. It lies about three miles SSW of Tintagel, Cornwall, UK. Backways Cove features in The International Directory of Haunted Places. It is said to be haunted, but no one really knows by whom. Could it be the ghosts of shipwrecked sailors drowned when their vessels were torn apart on the treacherous rocks nearby? Or it could be the restless spirit of a local man doomed to haunt the scene of his crime - a crime with a curious twist in the tale?

"Many years ago a man with two sons farmed in the valley, and on his death left his entire estate to his eldest son, cutting out the younger one without a penny. The younger son went away wracked with jealousy that fomented over time to be an obsession until, convinced that he had been cheated of his birthright he set out to wreak revenge on his elder brother. One night he crept onto the farm and set fire to the buildings. The blaze took hold and the entire property was razed to the ground. The ruins of this once prosperous farm may still be seen near Backways - a few stones from the farmhouse and outbuildings were all that remained. Only in the morning did he discover that his brother had died the day before - and left the entire estate to him."

The first assumption is that the “once prosperous farm” in the valley of Backways Cove was in fact a Backway farm. If so this legend may be based on fact and it may concern events within the earliest Backway family discovered to date, that of Philipp Backway who died in 1624 in Tintagel Parish. Curiously though the legend tells us the father left his estate to his eldest son. This was the established procedure so how can the youngest son be denied his birthright?

Examination of Phillipp's will suggests that it was written by a frail old man. He bequeaths the farm to his only son from his third marriage. This contradicts the legend but is a more logical explanation of events. The first born son is enraged by the fact his father gave the estate to his youngest son, possibly with a little help from...

Absolutely stunning. We had the cove to ourself all day. Full of tide pools and beautiful views. Be warned, the hike there is VERY steep. I do not recommend the journey there with children. Or anyone opposed to heights or anyone with...