Neil Williams warned other beachgoers of the ‘damage or injury’ risk (Image: Neil Williams)
A historic railway has reemerged from the sea on a tourist hotspot beach in .
The rusted metal tracks appeared on the stretch of the North after a spell of bad weather washed away the sand covering the line on Summerleaze Beach in Bude.
Neil Williams, who lives in the seaside town, warned other of the risks posed by the “jagged” structure, reports.
“For those of you who regularly surf [at] Summerleaze Beach, be aware that the recent strong river flow has uncovered a section of the old train tracks that run across the beach,” he wrote on Facebook.
“They are jagged in places and could cause damage to equipment or injury.”
Bude’s Summerleaze Beach is popular with tourists and surfers (Image: Getty)
The line is thought to be a remnant of a tramway that ferried sand from Bude’s shores to nearby Launceston in the mid-20th century.
Local history buffs believe the rails, which date back to around 1924, enabled the transport of sand for use as a fertiliser or ship ballast.
The practice ceased in the early 1940s amid a rise in motorised vehicles and the often-hidden tracks and granite sets below the beach’s canal embankment are the only remaining signs of the once-prominent operation.
Strong winds brought on by storms on the Cornish coasts have revealed the tracks twice before in the last decade, first emerging in 2018 and again in 2022.
They were spotted three years ago by Bude resident Lisa Vincent, who told CornwallLive: “I have lived in the area for 20 years and have never seen them before!”
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A lesser-known Cornish coastal town, nestled on the county’s northern most edge, Bude was voted the best place to live in Cornwall by the lifestyle brand Muddy Stilettos last year.
It owed an initial tourism boom in the 1900s to Victorian holidaymakers venturing further afield on new rail links and has since become a less crowded alternative to Newquay, though has not been exempt from rising house prices – with properties going for an average of £400,000 in 2024.
Detached homes sold for a slightly higher price mark and semi-detached houses and flats hovered between £200,000 and £300,000, around the average for the county as a whole.
Bude has plenty going for it alongside its historic railway line – with a thriving food and culture scene including popular music venue The Wyldes, Michelin Guide-featured restaurant Temple and the nearby award-winning Norton Barton Artisan Food Village.
Tourists also continue to flock to Summerleaze Beach, undeterred by the risks of stumbling upon a concealed railway. One described it as a “fantastic little beach with clean sea, lots of big waves, plenty of amenities and a sea pool” while others praised its “soft sand, beautiful waters and wonderful panoramic views”.