Our Projects - Penhale Sands - erosion repairs

Storms had washed out a section of the path leaving a large crevice and making walking the Coast Path down to the northern end of Penhale Sands difficult. To repair this, Cornwall Council with funding from Natural England and the Association undertook drainage improvements  on the track above so that run-off water is in future diverted safely away from the path, and the eroded section filled in.

Luckily the material to fill in the crevice was already on the beach.  But access to site was very difficult logistically.  Cornwall Council had to factor in getting the 2 mini-ex diggers and a dumper across the beach from Perranporth all the way up to the far end of Penhale Sands.  They couldn’t drive them over in a trailer as the wheels would sink in the sand.  So the 3 machines would have to track across the sand, which takes a very long time.  This all had to be done at low tide too because there is a cliff partway along which blocks access across the beach before high tide, and this would result in the machinery being stranded at the northern end of the beach until the next low tide.  Timing was everything for the success of this job!

Photos below: The washed out section of path, before and after the work