River Camel
The River Camel is a river in Cornwall, England. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and with its tributaries its catchment area covers much of North Cornwall. The river flows into the eastern Celtic Sea between Stepper Point and Pentire Point having covered about making it the second longest river wholly in Cornwall. The river is tidal upstream to Egloshayle and is popular for sailing, birdwatching and fishing. The name Camel comes from the Cornish language for 'the crooked one', a reference to its winding course. Historically the river was divided into three named stretches. Heyl was the name for the estuary up to Egloshayle, the River Allen was the stretch between Egloshayle and Trecarne, whilst the Camel was reserved for the stretch of river between its source and Trecarne.
Geology and hydrology
The River Camel rises on Hendraburnick Down on the edge of Bodmin Moor, an area which forms part of the granite spine of Cornwall. The river's course is through sedimentary upper and middle Devonian rocks, predominantly the Upper Delabole Slates, Trevose Slates and Polzeath Slates that stretch to the coast, making a land which has shallow acidic soils. Other than sedimentary rocks, Igneous rocks can be found at Brea Hill and at Pentire Point which is composed mainly of pillow lavas. Across the mouth of the River Camel Stepper Point is composed of greenstone as is The Rumps, a promontory on the north side of Pentire point facing Port Quin Bay.Mining slate for building purposes has been carried out at various locations along the river, often with small quarries being created near to where the stone was to be used. Today the only active quarry in the whole River Camel catchment area is at Delabole but there has previously been mining for lead and silver on Pentire Head and around Pinkson Creek and a copper mine at Credis above Little Petherick, Further inland the Camel and its tributaries border the St Austell mining lodes near Lanivet, and mines in this area produced tin, lead, silver, and copper. Iron ore in the form of haematite and associated manganese oxides were also mined in the area. Although not considered a great producer, Mulberry Mine near Ruthernbridge produced in the region of 1300 tons of tin between 1859 and 1916. Records show that copper ore was shipped from Padstow to Neath for smelting, and tin and copper ores were the main commodity carried from Guineaport in 1830. Several small China Clay pits also operated in the 19th century around Blisland and St Breward.
File:RiverCamelAtSlaughterbridgeCornwallUK.jpg|thumb|left|The young River Camel at Slaughterbridge upstream of Camelford
The source of the Camel is at above sea level and it has an average incline of 7m/km. The upper reaches of the Camel and its tributaries are mainly moorland giving way to woodland and farmland, predominantly livestock. This means that 64.8% of the catchment is grassland, with a further 14.8% arable land and 12.9% woodland. Of the remaining 7.4%, 4.5% is through urban or built-up areas, 2.7% is mountain, heath and bog and the remainder is inland waters.
The Camel's catchment area covers 413 km2 on the western side of Bodmin Moor, and is mainly Devonian slates and granite, with some shales and sandstones. Water volumes are affected by the reservoir at Crowdy Marsh, by abstraction of water for public supply, and by effluent from the sewage system around Bodmin. Data collected by the National River Flow Archive shows that water flow in the River Camel for 2006 was considerably below average. This correlates with reduced rainfall, particularly between the months of June and September. Data from 2013 and 2014 also shows below average annual flow but with points of higher than average flow during Winter.
In a river which runs for much of its length in a steep-sided valley, sudden downpours can cause water levels to rise rapidly and while floods are not unusual on the Camel, the flood of 16 July 1847 was exceptional. Caused by a waterspout and deluge on Davidstow Moor, a wall of water swept away six bridges but Hellandbridge withstood the force of the water, which flowed over the structure leaving debris visible in nearby trees up to above the normal river level. Today the tidal parts of the River Camel are subject to flood risk, especially during spring tides after periods of high rainfall when the catchment is already saturated. The area around Wadebridge has been identified by the Environment Agency as a Critical Drainage Area and due to the tidal element the risk is expected to increase due to climate change. This means that all development in the CDA has to take flooding into account including rainfall runoff.
In 2023 the Environment Agency measured water levels on the River Camel at Sladesbridge, Dunmere and Camelford, and also on the rivers Allen and De Lank which are tributaries of the River Camel.
Estuary
The Camel Estuary stretches from Wadebridge downstream to the open sea at Padstow Bay. The quays at Wadebridge are now developed with apartments and retail space on the west bank. North of the quays, the river passes under a concrete bridge carrying the A39 bypass and past the disused Vitriol Quay. Downstream of Burniere Point the valley widens on the right with acres of salt marsh where the River Amble flows in. Here the has hides on both sides of the river; those on the Camel Trail are open to the public. The main river follows the western side of the valley, while on the eastern side a barrage prevents the rising tide from entering the River Amble.Downstream from the Amble an adit can be found on the foreshore below Dinham Hill, part of Wheal Sisters copper mine. The adit is only accessible from the foreshore at low tide, and is situated near to the location of a tide mill that is recorded at the point where Dinham Creek meets the main river. This mill is shown on a map of the location from the 1830s although no sign of it now remains. Cant Cove lies on the east bank below Cant Hill where the rotting ribs of two ship project from the mud, these being discernable on Google Maps in 2019, and almost opposite Cant Hill on the west bank is Camel Quarry with the piles of waste rock clearly visible above the river and the remains of a quay visible at low water. From here the mud gives way to sand and Gentle Jane, named after a legendary lady who treated the ills of all comers.
From Porthilly Cove on the east bank, the estuary widens and swings to the north. On the west bank, the Camel Trail crosses the triple-span “Iron Bridge” over Little Petherick Creek then passes below Dennis Hill and its obelisk.
The fishing port of Padstow stands on the west bank from where the Black Tor Ferry carries people across the river to Rock.
The mouth of the Camel lies between Stepper Point on the west and Pentire Point on the east, and each headland shelters sandy beaches. On the west side of the estuary, Tregirls beach is protected by Stepper Point. At the northern end of Tregirls beach is Harbour Cove and between here and Hawker's Cove evidence has been found of occupation during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods, and use of Harbour Cove for trading vessels.
In 1827, Padstow Harbour Association chose Hawker's Cove as the location for the Padstow lifeboat. Operations were taken over by the RNLI in 1856. A new lifeboat station and slipway were built in 1931 and a second lifeboat stationed at Hawker's Cove. The station closed in 1962 because silting rendered the channel too shallow and the building used to house the lifeboat has been converted to residential use. Movement of sand in various parts of the estuary has affected the ability of vessels to access Padstow harbour for many years, and even in May 2020 a navigation warning was issued relating to an increase in size of a spit of sand between Gun Point and St Saviours Point which is considered to have become a serious hazard to navigation.
Beyond Hawkers Cove a sand bar known as the Doom Bar extends across the estuary. This restricts access to Padstow harbour and has been the graveyard of many ships over the years. In the past there was a proposal to build a pier on the doom bar to funnel the tide and thus scour the main channel and keep it navigable, but nothing was ever constructed. A legend as to how the Doom Bar came about describes how a local fisherman is reputed to have shot a mermaid with an arrow, with the result that she cursed Padstow by putting the sandbar between the harbour and the sea.
On the east side of the estuary, the village of Rock is centre for sailing, dinghy racing and marine leisure. From Rock, dunes and intertidal sands extend north as far as Brea Hill. Beyond Brea Hill is Daymer Bay with a beach north of which is the settlement of Trebetherick. The river then flows past Trebetherick Point and swings east over a rocky stretch of foreshore punctuated by sand at Greenaway before reaching the beach at Polzeath, a location for surfing. North of Polzeath, Pentire Point marks the northeast extremity of the estuary.
Recreation
The Camel Estuary has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, covering the area between Padstow/Rock and Wadebridge. The estuary comprises part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Angling
In the 1920s Trout fishing was listed as one of the attractions of the river and today it is known for both Trout and Salmon fishing, and particularly for Sea trout with the fishing season running from 1 May to 15 December. Fishing techniques used include spinning, worm bait and Fly fishing. Fishing from the end of August is covered by a voluntary catch-and-release agreement, and the upper reaches are designated as a fish sanctuary and fishing here is prohibited.For fishing purposes, the River Camel is considered to be tidal from the mouth up to Egloshayle church.
Although not often mentioned when discussing Bass fishing on the River Camel, the whole of the river is a Bass conservation area with a ban on fishing from boats and an increased minimum size for fish caught from the shore. Sea fishing for Flounder is also a feature of the River Camel, particularly in the sandy parts between Padstow and Cant Hill