Hawker’s Hut

Things to do · Morwenstow

About Hawker’s Hut

Hawker's Hut is a tiny wooden shelter set into the cliff near Higher Sharpnose Point at Morwenstow, in the far north of Cornwall, and it is the smallest property owned by the National Trust. It was built by Robert Stephen Hawker, the eccentric Victorian vicar of Morwenstow, poet and antiquarian, using driftwood and timber salvaged from shipwrecks. Partly dug into the hillside with a turf roof, it was where Hawker spent many hours writing poetry and looking out to sea, and Alfred Tennyson visited him here in 1848, as did Charles Kingsley. You reach it on foot along the South West Coast Path, taking a short set of steps down from the path, about a mile from Morwenstow Church. The hut is Grade II listed and free to visit, but there are no facilities and the cliff paths are exposed, so take care in wind and wet weather. It makes a memorable stop on a coastal walk around Morwenstow, which can be combined with a look inside the church where Hawker served.

Good to know

• Smallest property owned by the National Trust
• Built from driftwood and shipwreck timber
• Reached on foot from the coast path by a short set of steps
• About a mile from Morwenstow Church
• Grade II listed

Address: Coast path near Higher Sharpnose Point, Morwenstow, Bude.