At the head of the Valency Valley,
the beautiful village of Boscastle can justifiably be considered the jew=
el in
the crown of North Cornwall. The harbour
itself is very old – it was rebuilt in 1584 – and was once a bu=
sy
trading port exporting Cornish Slate and importing a variety of goods inclu=
ding
Welsh Coal. The village boasts two churches; The=
church of St. Juliot or Minster nestles in s=
leepy
woodland at the top of the valley and was worked on by the novelist Thomas
Hardy when he was still a practicing architect. In contrast, the clifftop
church at Forrabury stands on a headland south of the village defying the
elements. The village hit the news headlines when it was struck by a
flash-flood in August 2004 during which entire buildings were swept away and
more than fifty vehicles had to be recovered from the silt and mud that fil=
led
the inner harbour. Cliff walkers will be rewarded with spectacular views in
both directions. <=
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