Bude Canal and Compass Point Loop

North Coast · Trail · Loop · Moderate

1 hr 5 min – 1 hr 40 min · Bude, Lower Wharf → Bude, Lower Wharf

Desk-researched

Desk-researched — not yet run on the ground

Elevation profile

176 m gain · high 46 m

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0 m – 46 m

Line mapped on a filtered walking graph that keeps to paths and quiet lanes and treats fast or classified roads as cross-only (scripts/walk-graph.mjs); elevation from EU-DEM 25 m. Not from a recorded run.

Mapped from OpenStreetMap footpaths on the OpenTopoMap contour map — a planning line, not a recorded run.

Distance: 11.1 km
Climb: 176 m
Per km: 16 m
On foot: 1 hr 5 min – 1 hr 40 min
Line: Mapped

A loop from Bude wharf along the canal towpath to Helebridge, crossing to Widemouth Bay and returning north along the cliffs past Efford Down to the Storm Tower on Compass Point. Flat water out, Atlantic drama back.

Getting there and back

Buses reach Bude from Holsworthy and along the coast; the wharf is minutes from the stops.

Parking

Big car parks by the wharf and Summerleaze; even these fill on wet-day-in-August afternoons.

Conditions

Level compacted towpath, one road crossing at Helebridge, then grass and worn cliff path with a few honest rises.

Navigation

Towpath to its end, cross signed for Widemouth, then keep the sea on your left until the octagonal tower — realigned twice as this cliff retreats — points you back into town.

Season

The canal half runs in any weather and makes a fine short out-and-back when winter closes the cliffs.

Dogs

Popular with dogs at both speeds; leads on the cliff tops where the fencing is a suggestion rather than a barrier.

Good for

A structured session: flat effort out, rolling effort home
Runners based in Bude wanting one loop that has everything
Storm-watching from Compass Point at a respectful distance

Watch for

Shared towpath with bikes and buggies in season
Cliff edges above Widemouth are crumbly and repeatedly re-fenced
Spray and shifted shingle at the breakwater after big swells

On the ground

Wharf-side cafes, shops and toilets in Bude
Seasonal facilities at Widemouth Bay

GPX download

The line on this page is mapped from OpenStreetMap paths, not a recorded run. Treat the file as a planning aid and check it against conditions on the ground.

Download GPX