Bude

Bude, town, Cornwall, south-western England. Bude is a seaside resort, on the north Cornish coast, overlooking Bude Bay and flanked by spectacular cliffs. It is a popular resort, with long sandy beaches, pounded by Atlantic waves which make it attractive to surfers. The South West Coast Path passes along the cliffs at Bude, a scenic and popular walk to Hartland Point and then to Minehead. In the 19th century, this part of the coastline was notorious for its wreckers, who plundered ships that foundered off the coast. The town developed when a canal, built in 1819 to 1823 and now used for recreational boating and fishing, was opened to transport fertilizers inland. Population (1994 estimate) 6,900.