TrebetherickSt. Minver Lowlands

Trebetherick at a glance

Trebetherick and Daymer Bay: a north coast village and sheltered sandy bay beside the Camel estuary

This guide covers Trebetherick, a village on Cornwall's north coast, and Daymer Bay, the sandy bay to its west. The village lies on the east side of the Camel estuary, about 6 miles north of Wadebridge and half a mile south of Polzeath. Its Cornish name is Trebedrek, and it is in the civil parish of St Minver Lowlands. The 2001 census counted 1,449 people for Trebetherick and Polzeath together.

Daymer Bay is a sandy beach sheltered from the Atlantic, with safe bathing for families, and it is popular with windsurfers. Brea Hill at the south end of the bay rises to 62 metres and has several tumuli on its summit. To the north west, Trebetherick Point is a rocky estuary headland where the remains of shipwrecks can be seen on the foreshore. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geology, and the National Trust owns land next to it.

St Enodoc Church stands among the fairways of the St Enodoc golf course, behind the dunes of Daymer Bay. It has a bent steeple and sits well below the present ground level, because it was completely buried by drifting sand and was dug out in 1863. Legend says that St Petroc first landed at Trebetherick before crossing the Camel to Hawkers Cove.

The poet John Betjeman holidayed in Trebetherick as a child and returned often as an adult. His poems Greenaway, Trebetherick and Sunday Afternoon Service draw on the coast and churches of the area. He bought a house in Daymer Lane, died there on 19 May 1984 aged 77, and is buried in St Enodoc's churchyard, on the right just inside the entrance gate. A coastal walk between Daymer Bay and Polzeath was one he often took.