It may seem too early in the year for rock pooling, but this is an exciting time of year on the shore. Spring has arrived in the Cornish rock pools and the huge clutch of eggs under the tail of a female green shore crab proves it.
Eggs come in all sorts of forms in the rock pools. Why not get out for your own ‘egg hunt’ on the shore this Easter?
Here’s my quick guide to some of the common types of egg you might see. (more…)
Rockpooling in stormy winter weather can be a risky business here in Cornwall, so my advice is … don’t. At best you get blown over on the slippery rocks and soaked by rain that seems to come in horizontally and go right up your nose. At worst you could end up in the path of the fierce waves and currents. It’s not worth it.
When there’s a calm moment and a good tide (I’m hoping tomorrow will be such a day), there’s plenty to see in the rockpools. Between times, stick to the strandline, where the sea throws up all sorts of treasures and unexpected visitors.
One of my favourites this year was the swarm of mauve stinger jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca). They look small and inoffensive, measuring up to 10cm across their bell. The spotted pattern that gives them their name is distinctive and rather pretty. They can also glow in the dark – noctiluca means night light. (more…)
We’ve been planning this trip since our visitors first came to Cornwall a year ago. They’re determined to try rock pooling having missed out last time. This week the tides are perfect. They live near the sea back home in Essex, but they tell me it’s not the same and I can well believe it.
They’ve never seen a starfish in the wild before. My mission is clear.
With picnic and buckets in hand, we set out, treading gingerly over seaweed and searching among the rocks. Within minutes, our friends are putting yesterday’s hasty tutorial on crabs into practice as they try picking them up safely. They score top marks on this and on working out whether the crabs are male or female from the shape of their tails. We find several species of crustacean, including this large squat lobster.
While our visitors search the shallow pools, finding anemones, fish, prawns and hermit crabs, Other Half and I walk out through slippery gullies towards the sea with Junior, taking photos and collecting interesting creatures for our visitors to see. I find a small rock with a beautiful covering of star ascidian. (more…)
The summer holidays are a great time to explore the Cornish rock pools. What better way to discover the crabs, fish, starfish, anemones and a host of other animals found around our shores than to join a guided event? You’ll have the experts on hand to tell you all about the animals and how they live and as part of a group, you’ll get to see everyone’s finds.
Here’s a summary of rockpooling and marine events this summer, which are all listed on the Cornwall Wildlife Trust events pages.
If you can’t make it to a group event, my pages on how to rockpool will help you make the most of your trip. Just click on beaches tab above to find a great rockpooling location near you.
Please check the organiser’s site for full details, any booking requirements and changes before attending. In all cases, children must be accompanied by an adult and wear suitable weather protection and footwear.
JULY
24 July – Family Rock Pool Explore at Kingsand. 11.00. Booking essential for this fun rockpooling event for 5-11 year olds with Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Cost: £1 donation to Fox Club.
26 July – Seaweeds and Seaweed Pressing with Angie Gall at Trebah Garden, Helford. 10.00 – 12.30. Booking essential. Suitable for all ages, this workshop is a great chance to meet an expert and learn about seaweeds. Organised by Helford Voluntary Marine Conservation Association.
28 July – Helford Snorkel Safari. Details available on booking – booking essential. A chance for experienced snorkelers and confident swimmers age 8+ to enjoy a guided one-hour snorkel with local experts from Cornwall Wildlife Trust. £5.
29 July – Get Crafty at Polzeath. 10.30 – 12.30. Marine themed arts and crafts with the Polzeath Marine Conservation Group at the Marine Centre in Polzeath. £2 per person (free for members).
31 July – Rockpool Ramble at Cape Cornwall. 11.00 – 13.00 with the experts from Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
31 July – Carnival Rockpool Ramble at Hannafore Beach, West Looe. 11.30 – 13.00. Join the Looe Marine Conservation Group experts to explore the shore during Looe’s Carnival week.
31 July – Rockpool Ramble at Spit Beach, Par. 11.30 – 13.30. Join the experts from the Friends of the Fowey Estuary to explore the shore. £2.50 for non-members.
31 July – Rockpool Ramble at Polzeath. 11.30 – 13.30. Booking essential. Join the Polzeath Marine Conservation experts to explore the shore. £2 for non-members.
AUGUST
2 August – Rockpool Photography at Durgan on the Helford 14.00 – 16.00. Booking essential. Suitable for families. Find out how to get great shots using your basic camera including phone cameras.
3 August – Beach Treasure Trail near Newquay. 13.00 – 15.00. Booking essential. A fun trail using a treasure map for primary aged children – collect natural materials along the way.
3 August – Beach Treasure Trail near Crantock. 13.00 – 15.00. Booking essential. A fun trail using a treasure map for primary aged children – collect natural materials along the way.
4 August – Rockpool Ramble at Swanpool, Falmouth. 14.30 – 16.30. Explore the shore with experts from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
5th August – Wild Wednesdays Seashore Shenanigans nr The Lizard – 14.00 – 16.00. Rockpooling for primary aged children with the Wild Lizard Ranger. Contact claire.scott@nationaltrust.org.uk for further details.
5 August – Beach Art fun with Frugi on The Lizard at Kennack Sands. 14.00 – 16.00. Beach art for all the family with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Team and with Prizes from Frugi children’s clothes.
12 August – Wild Wednesdays Seashore Shenanigans nr The Lizard. 10.00 -12.00. Rockpooling for primary aged children with the Wild Lizard Ranger. Contact claire.scott@nationaltrust.org.uk for further details.
14 August – Mad About Mud at West Looe. 11.00 – 14.00. Booking essential. Join experts from Looe Marine Conservation Group and the Friends of Kilminorth Wood to discover the marine life of the Looe estuary. Suitable for all ages.
16 August – Public Sea Watch near Tintagel. 11.00 – 14.00. Look out for seals, basking sharks, sunfish, dolphins and other marine life with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust experts.
17 August – Beach Games near Newquay. 12.00 – 14.00. Booking essential. Learn about sea creatures then become them as you complete fun games and activities. For primary age children.
17 August – Newquay evening boat safari. 18.00 – 20.00. Booking essential. Discover the coastal and marine wildlife of Newquay with local expert Dave Thomas – birds, seals and more.
18 August – Fowey Marine Day at Fowey Town Quay. 10.00 – 16.00. A day of fun activities including meeting huge crabs with Friends of Fowey Estuary and Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
19 August – Wild Wednesdays Seashore Shenanigans nr The Lizard – 14.00 – 16.00. Rockpooling for primary aged children with the Wild Lizard Ranger. Contact claire.scott@nationaltrust.org.uk for further details.
24-28 August – Seaquest South West Road Show – at various locations. The Seaquest Southwest team will be touring the county, providing nformation, games and activities to teach people about whales, dolphins, sunfish, seals and basking sharks. Details available on request from seaquest@cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk
26 August – Wild Wednesdays Seashore Shenanigans nr The Lizard. 14.00 -16.00. Rockpooling for primary aged children with the Wild Lizard Ranger. Contact claire.scott@nationaltrust.org.uk for further details.
29 August – Seashore Forage and Feast at Poltesco nr The Lizard. 10.30 – 14.30. Booking essential. Suitable for children aged 7+. Explore the shore, learn what’s edible and join the rangers to cook over a fire. £5 per child, £10 per adult – includes foraged lunch. http://www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson/events_pages/Seashore_forage_and_feast_near_The_Lizard
29 August – Rummage in a rockpool nr Penzance. 11.30 – 13.30. Booking essential. Join Cornwall Wildlife Trust experts to explore the shore. Suitable for primary aged children.
Have fun! If you know of other events please contact me and I’ll add them – and don’t forget to let me know what wildlife you find this summer.
Cornish Rock Pools Junior has signed up for the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild project. Here’s a video of his first challenge – a walk to Millendreath beach in a raging gale.
He loved it and wasn’t at all fazed by the rain and wind. He scored 100% in the online ‘test of wildness’ which was no surprise to anyone.
If you haven’t already done so, get involved and commit to doing something wild every day in June.
I’m not cut out for rockpooling in a northerly wind in February. My hands are too frozen to hold my battered old camera steady, but nothing is going to make me miss this tide. It’s so low that the seagrass at Hannafore is high and dry and a shark is lurking in shin-deep water, but I haven’t seen that yet.
There are fish, crabs, worms and brittle stars in droves (more…)
Fish often become trapped in the shallows during exceptionally low tides, even big fish like mullet and wrasse, but it’s the first time I’ve met an adult shark on a rockpooling trip.
It’s been a cold but productive afternoon and I’m about to head home to defrost my painfully frozen fingers when a movement in the kelp around ten metres away grabs my attention. (more…)
It’s exciting, healthy, educational and cheap. So, why not take the kids rock pooling with the experts this half-term or join a beach clean? (more…)
The leaves are turning, the swallows are no longer dipping over the rock pools, but this long, warm Cornish summer never seems to end. We set sail from Hannafore over a barely rippling sea in the good ship Red Canoe to seek secret beaches, pirate caves and, of course, photos of interesting marine creatures. (more…)
My mum will be seventy this year, but she cuts a sprightly figure as she steps across the rocks at Castle Beach. In a rare, precious moment we have time together, surrounded by glittering pools and a wide open bay.
These are the moments we hoped for not so many years ago when Mum was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a blood transfusion to give her the strength to make it through her cancer operation. (more…)
Cornish Rock Pools 