Watermouth Harbour is my favourite place. My go to place. It is a beautiful picturesque harbour traversed by the South West Coastal Path with amazing views and depending on the tides, the chance to see dolphins, porpoise and seals. I was lucky enough to grow up, close by, in the nearby village of Berrynarbor and this was our nearest beach. I loved looking down on the harbour from the school bus and often cycled down to sit quietly and watch the waves when I needed some thinking time. These days I take every opportunity to walk my geohound on the beach when I am ‘home’ visiting my family.
Watermouth Harbour circa 1919
To claim this virtual cache you will need to visit the Grade II listed Round Tower on the headland overlooking the harbour. Not much is known about the tower but it would appear to be the oldest surviving building/structure in the harbour. It was certainly connected to Watermouth House and then latterly Watermouth Castle which replaced the Georgian house and was built between 1820-40. The Tower was used during World War II as a look out and the harbour was involved in project PLUTO, Pipeline Under the Ocean. Subsequently it has been used by the coastguards but not any longer
Watermouth House 1796
The Reverend John Swete, [1752-1821], producer of The Illustrated Journals: Travel in Georgian Devon between 1789 and 1800, refers to the structure as follows: The retrospective view of Watermouth as I ascended the northern side of a steep hill was extremely pleasing - the Cove, and the rocky headland were beheld in high perfection, and the little Edifice about midway on the latter [now seen sideaway], exhibited its Portico more conspicuously than it had done when viewed from the House. I had conceived this Building which wore the semblance of a Grecian temple, to have been erected for the purpose of recreation, imagining that it had a room which commanded the whole extent of Sea, and all the Beauties which were comprised within the little circle of Watermouth; in this however I was wholly mistaken, for I learnt from the Servant, that it was a Dove house and had been erected as an object merely from the House.
At the Round Tower you need to take a photo through the window that overlooks the harbour. Please post your photo on your log. It will become a fascinating record of the passage of time.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.