Bread and Cheese Cove is a remote bay on the northeast corner of St Martin’s Isle, Scilly. It offers an anchorage in a remote and sequestered location.
The deep, horseshoe-shaped cove provides good shelter from east round through south to west. Attentive daylight navigation with good visibility is necessary to make any approach, as outlying ledges need to be circumvented. It can be accessed at any stage of the tide, but the ideal time to enter is at half-tide or lower, when its primary hazard is visible.
Keyfacts for Bread & Cheese Cove
Last modified
May 14th 2020 Summary
A good location with attentive navigation required for access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
49° 57.927' N, 006° 16.226' WThis is in the middle of the bay in about 5 metres.
What is the initial fix?
The following Bread and Cheese Cove Initial Fix will set up a final approach:
49° 58.626' N, 006° 16.409' W
This is on the charted alignment of Round Island Lighthouse with Chad Carn (24 metres high on White Island) on 273.5° to safely pass Deep Ledge. It is ½ mile northward of the bay. What are the key points of the approach?
Offshore details are available in southwestern England’s coastal overview from Land’s End to Isles of Scilly .
- Round Island Lighthouse with Chad Carn on 273.5° clears Deep Ledge.
- Steer south towards the small 12-metre-high Murr Rock, off the Burnt Hill promontory, which forms the western point of the cove, to clear Tearing Ledge.
- At 400 metres north of Murr Rocks, steer for the centre of the bay.
Not what you need?
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Below are the ten nearest havens to Bread & Cheese Cove for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Bull's Porth - 0.2 nautical miles W
- Perpitch - 0.4 nautical miles SSE
- Higher Town Bay - 0.6 nautical miles SW
- Tean Sound - 1.4 nautical miles W
- Watermill Cove - 2.1 nautical miles SSW
- St Helen's Pool - 2.1 nautical miles W
- Old Grimsby - 2.3 nautical miles W
- New Grimsby - 3.1 nautical miles W
- Green Bay - 3.2 nautical miles WSW
- St Mary's Pool - 3.3 nautical miles SSW
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Bull's Porth - 0.2 miles W
- Perpitch - 0.4 miles SSE
- Higher Town Bay - 0.6 miles SW
- Tean Sound - 1.4 miles W
- Watermill Cove - 2.1 miles SSW
- St Helen's Pool - 2.1 miles W
- Old Grimsby - 2.3 miles W
- New Grimsby - 3.1 miles W
- Green Bay - 3.2 miles WSW
- St Mary's Pool - 3.3 miles SSW
What's the story here?
Bread and Cheese Cove
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
Bread and Cheese Cove is a small beach set into a beautiful north-facing bay beneath Chapel Down, the high, easternmost hump of St Martin’s. It is overlooked by the large red and white daymark set on the summit of the down. The coastal path to the daymark passes around the cove. There are two points to land in the bay, Stony Porth and Bread and Cheese Cove, the latter of which benefits from a small white-sand beach.
The bay offers a well-protected deepwater anchorage over a bottom of sand, rock and weed. A visiting boat will most likely have the cove to itself, as this is very much off the beaten path in a remote and undeveloped part of the island.
How to get in?
St Martin’s Day Mark tower overlooking the bay
Image: Scilly Aerial Photography
Image: Scilly Aerial Photography
Use southwestern England’s coastal overview from Land’s End to Isles of Scilly for local approaches.
The location of the bay can be positively identified from seaward by the red and white banded St Martin’s Day Mark tower. It is situated on the 56-metre-high summit of Chapel Down, which is the bay’s eastern head and the highest point of the island. At 4.8 metres in diameter and with a conical termination 11 metres high, the unlit historic tower is an important point of reference for the island group as a whole. From sea level, it normally begins to show about 12 miles out and is usually the first object to be seen when approaching the islands from the mainland.
For vessels approaching from the west, attaining a latitude of 49 59.000 N clears Round Island, the always covered Deep Ledges (0.6 metres over at LAT), Lion Rock (1.4 metres high) and the ledges north of White Island. When White Island is aft of the beam it is safe to steer for the initial fix.
Vessels approaching from the east should use the charted alignment of Round Island Lighthouse with Chad Carn (24 metres high on White Island) on 273.5° to pass Deep Ledge (0.9 metres LAT), which lies off of St Martin’s Bay.
The view north from Bread and Cheese Cove
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
The first danger from the north is Deep Ledge, with 0.9 metres over at LAT, located ½ mile northward of the bay’s eastern extremity. Thereafter, Tearing Ledge (dries to 3.5 metres) lies 400 metres and just east of the centre of the mouth of the cove, and Fleming ledge (dries to 1.4 metres) off its eastern entrance. These may sound daunting, but there is ample sea room between the isolated patches and the key danger, Tearing Ledge, should be visible.
Murr Rock, as seen from the bay’s western extremity, with Tearing Ledge just breaking offshore
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
From the initial fix, steer south towards Murr Rock, which is a small, 12-metre-high islet ½ mile southward and lying off Burnt Hill, the western promontory of the bay.
If not already visible, Tearing Ledge will be abeam when 400 metres north of Murr Rock. It is safe to steer for the centre of the cove from this point onward.
Continue for ⅓ mile, steering a central path into the bay between Murr Rock and the opposite headland. This clears foul ground that extends out about 120 metres from Murr Rock on the west side, and the Flemming Ledge, which lies about 150 metres off the eastern head.
Stony Porth, in the southwest corner, with Bread and Cheese Cove opposite, to the southeast
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
Anchor according to draught and conditions. Land by tender on the sandy beach of Bread and Cheese Cove, in the southeast corner of the bay. Stony Porth, in the southwest corner, is another possibility, but it is full of boulders.
Why visit here?
The origins of the quirkily named Bread and Cheese Cove are unsure, but the name certainly reflects the fact that it is a lovely spot upon which to have a picnic and the ideal location to watch the sunset over the island. The north coast of St Martin’s is protected from the prevailing winds and has remained wild and natural, scarcely touched by development.View over the cove from the coastal path
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
The only break with nature is the colossal bullet-shaped Day Mark, which overlooks the bay from Chapel Down. The coastal path out to it passes the head of the beach, leading upwards and then out across Chapel Down. It is a short but highly rewarding walk. Rendered in granite, the Day Mark was erected by Thomas Ekins as an aid to navigation in 1683. He was the first steward of the Godophin family to live on the islands and encouraged the resettlement of St Martins by Cornish people from the 1680s. He also built, and probably managed, the Church of St Martin’s, near Higher Town, in 1683.
Improvised bench alongside the coastal path at the head of the cove
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
Early historical descriptions of the Day Mark indicate that it was originally open inside, with stairs leading to some form of viewing facility: “On a rocky promontory called St Martin’s Head, at the east end of the island, is a conspicuous Day-mark, built by the above-mentioned Mr Ekins. It is a circular tower, about forty feet high, hollow within, and plastered on the outside with lime, so that its whiteness renders it an excellent mark for seamen, being visible a distance of many leagues. On the inside is a stone staircase, winding to the summit, from which there is an extensive prospect, and in clear weather the western parts of Cornwall as well as all the Scilly Islands may be easily distinguished.”
The Day Mark, St Martin’s
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
Its bright white limewash gave way to red from 1833 and now, as a compromise, it has its distinctive red and white ‘candy’ bands. The daymark became less of a necessity in 1887, when the northwestern Round Island lighthouse was completed. Nevertheless, it remains the first identifiable object of the group when crossing from the mainland and provided good service to seamen for 200 years before Round Island lighthouse. It continues to do so to this day and stands as the earliest surviving example of a beacon in the British Isles.
Land’s End, as seen over St Martin’s Head
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
The ruins immediately beneath the Day Mark are of a later signal station. This was established in 1804, and the bleak, isolated location meant that provisions for some modest accommodation had to be made for the men who staffed the station. The signal station was used to relay messages to ships offshore by semaphore during the Napoleonic wars.
Ruins of the signal station’s accommodation, close to the daymark
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
It was to be a very short-lived station and was abandoned in 1814, when the tower on Newford Down, now known as Telegraph Tower, was built to serve as an Admiralty telegraph station. What remains today are the ruins of the houses occupied by soldiers. If the vegetation is not too high, it may also be possible to see the wall footings of a medieval chapel that possibly also served as an early lighthouse.
The pathway to the centre of the island
Image: Roantrum via CC BY-SA 2.0
Image: Roantrum via CC BY-SA 2.0
From a sailing point of view, Bread and Cheese Cove is an important anchorage. Should an Atlantic gale blow in from the southwest, the north side of St Martin’s is the ideal place to find shelter, and this is one of the best anchorages it has to offer – but it is just as lovely in fine weather. A scarcely visited small pocket of golden sand and crystal-clear waters, it offers complete relaxation to body and mind. It is a bit of a hike from the wilderness to acquire resources, largely concentrated in the centre of the island, but if the weather is good, this could be a wonderful experience in itself, where the journey may very well be the best reward.
Similar to the cove, the ascent to the cliffy northeastern end of the island by the Day Mark is another great place to stop and have a picnic. On a clear day, it provides 360° views of all the islands. The westward view over the north shore shows some of St Martin’s most perfect beaches. Beyond the headlands of Bread and Cheese Cove and Little Bay is the long and sparkling sweep of white sand fronting Great Bay. The eastern isles look magnificent from here and, on a clear day, Land’s End may be seen through the haze, as this is the nearest point in the group to the mainland of Cornwall.
What facilities are available?
There are no facilities at this remote location.With thanks to:
Michael Harpur, eOceanic.Aerial Views of St Martins Daymark
About Bread & Cheese Cove
The origins of the quirkily named Bread and Cheese Cove are unsure, but the name certainly reflects the fact that it is a lovely spot upon which to have a picnic and the ideal location to watch the sunset over the island. The north coast of St Martin’s is protected from the prevailing winds and has remained wild and natural, scarcely touched by development.
View over the cove from the coastal path
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
The only break with nature is the colossal bullet-shaped Day Mark, which overlooks the bay from Chapel Down. The coastal path out to it passes the head of the beach, leading upwards and then out across Chapel Down. It is a short but highly rewarding walk. Rendered in granite, the Day Mark was erected by Thomas Ekins as an aid to navigation in 1683. He was the first steward of the Godophin family to live on the islands and encouraged the resettlement of St Martins by Cornish people from the 1680s. He also built, and probably managed, the Church of St Martin’s, near Higher Town, in 1683.
Improvised bench alongside the coastal path at the head of the cove
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
Early historical descriptions of the Day Mark indicate that it was originally open inside, with stairs leading to some form of viewing facility: “On a rocky promontory called St Martin’s Head, at the east end of the island, is a conspicuous Day-mark, built by the above-mentioned Mr Ekins. It is a circular tower, about forty feet high, hollow within, and plastered on the outside with lime, so that its whiteness renders it an excellent mark for seamen, being visible a distance of many leagues. On the inside is a stone staircase, winding to the summit, from which there is an extensive prospect, and in clear weather the western parts of Cornwall as well as all the Scilly Islands may be easily distinguished.”
The Day Mark, St Martin’s
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
Its bright white limewash gave way to red from 1833 and now, as a compromise, it has its distinctive red and white ‘candy’ bands. The daymark became less of a necessity in 1887, when the northwestern Round Island lighthouse was completed. Nevertheless, it remains the first identifiable object of the group when crossing from the mainland and provided good service to seamen for 200 years before Round Island lighthouse. It continues to do so to this day and stands as the earliest surviving example of a beacon in the British Isles.
Land’s End, as seen over St Martin’s Head
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
The ruins immediately beneath the Day Mark are of a later signal station. This was established in 1804, and the bleak, isolated location meant that provisions for some modest accommodation had to be made for the men who staffed the station. The signal station was used to relay messages to ships offshore by semaphore during the Napoleonic wars.
Ruins of the signal station’s accommodation, close to the daymark
Image: Michael Harpur
Image: Michael Harpur
It was to be a very short-lived station and was abandoned in 1814, when the tower on Newford Down, now known as Telegraph Tower, was built to serve as an Admiralty telegraph station. What remains today are the ruins of the houses occupied by soldiers. If the vegetation is not too high, it may also be possible to see the wall footings of a medieval chapel that possibly also served as an early lighthouse.
The pathway to the centre of the island
Image: Roantrum via CC BY-SA 2.0
Image: Roantrum via CC BY-SA 2.0
From a sailing point of view, Bread and Cheese Cove is an important anchorage. Should an Atlantic gale blow in from the southwest, the north side of St Martin’s is the ideal place to find shelter, and this is one of the best anchorages it has to offer – but it is just as lovely in fine weather. A scarcely visited small pocket of golden sand and crystal-clear waters, it offers complete relaxation to body and mind. It is a bit of a hike from the wilderness to acquire resources, largely concentrated in the centre of the island, but if the weather is good, this could be a wonderful experience in itself, where the journey may very well be the best reward.
Similar to the cove, the ascent to the cliffy northeastern end of the island by the Day Mark is another great place to stop and have a picnic. On a clear day, it provides 360° views of all the islands. The westward view over the north shore shows some of St Martin’s most perfect beaches. Beyond the headlands of Bread and Cheese Cove and Little Bay is the long and sparkling sweep of white sand fronting Great Bay. The eastern isles look magnificent from here and, on a clear day, Land’s End may be seen through the haze, as this is the nearest point in the group to the mainland of Cornwall.
Other options in this area
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Alternatively here are the ten nearest havens available in picture view:
Coastal clockwise:
Bude Haven - 51.9 miles NERamsgate - 188.4 miles ENE
Dover - 184.7 miles ENE
Folkestone - 181.4 miles ENE
Rye Harbour - 170.7 miles ENE
Coastal anti-clockwise:
Bull's Porth - 0.1 miles WTean Sound - 0.9 miles W
St Helen's Pool - 1.3 miles W
Old Grimsby - 1.4 miles W
New Grimsby - 1.9 miles W
Navigational pictures
These additional images feature in the 'How to get in' section of our detailed view for Bread & Cheese Cove.
Detail view | Off |
Picture view | On |
Aerial Views of St Martins Daymark
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