You may have swum in the gorgeous tidal pool at Portreath, but have you ever found Lady Bassett’s Baths?
Head onto Portreath beach and you will find the tidal pool to the right, nestled beside the harbour wall. It requires some scrambling over low rocks but is pretty easily accessed – and it’s a lovely, large fairly deep one too.
However, if you head over to the other side of the beach, you will discover six bathing pools carved into the rocks. Created by mason William Harry in 1782, some are more distinctly bath-shaped than others, but four at least are easily recognisable.
The baths were commissioned by Lord de Dustanville of the Tehidy estate who believed the salt water to be beneficial for the health of his daughter, Lady Susannah Bassett.
The very best one – shown in my photos – is large and deep enough to bathe in and has stunning views across the bay. It takes a fair bit of climbing to get into, so make sure you’re wearing a cossie with decent coverage, but wow the reward is more than worth it. On a sunny winter day, with a chill in the air, blue skies and the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, it is hard to beat.
Similar spots: another place steeped in Cornish history ~ Bessy’s Cove
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