Boscastle Webcam – Watch the Harbour and River Valency

The Boscastle Webcam looks down the valley of the River Valency to Boscastle Harbour on the north coast of Cornwall. From a cottage window above the village, the view runs over a slate roof to the footbridge across the river, a stone building and a whitewashed one with pointed windows beside the car park, and then along the river channel to the harbour walls and the narrow mouth of the inlet between two steep headlands. White cottages sit on the hillside to the right, and the slopes above them turn from green to rust brown in autumn. The tide changes the picture through the day, filling the channel with water or leaving it as a stony stream. This camera streams from dawn until dusk, so the player is empty overnight, and the feed returns the next morning without anything needing to be reloaded.

About Boscastle

Boscastle lies 8 kilometers (5 miles) northeast of Tintagel and 23 kilometers (14 miles) south of Bude, and the village spreads up the valleys of the River Valency and the River Jordan. Its harbour is a natural inlet protected by two stone walls built in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville, and it is the only significant harbour along 32 kilometers (20 miles) of this coast. Much of the harbour area now belongs to the National Trust.

The village is also known for the flood of August 16, 2004, when more than 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) of rain fell in two hours and the Valency burst through the valley. Around 50 cars were swept into the harbour and 91 people were rescued, with no lives lost.

The camera belongs to Harbour Light, a holiday cottage with a window overlooking the harbour, and its owner shares the feed through Classic Cottages. In March 1870 the novelist Thomas Hardy came to the parish to work on the restoration of St Juliot church, where he met his future wife.

Weather and Climate in Boscastle

Boscastle has a mild, wet Atlantic climate. At Bude, the nearest long-term weather station, January averages a high of 9 C (49 F) and a low of 4 C (40 F). April reaches 13 C (55 F) by day, July averages 19 C (67 F) with nights around 13 C (56 F), and October still reaches 15 C (59 F). The station records about 906 millimeters (35.7 inches) of rain and 1,679 hours of sunshine a year.

On the Boscastle Webcam the seasons show most clearly on the hillsides. Summer brings green slopes and can bring a steady stream of walkers over the footbridge. In autumn the bracken turns copper and the river can run high and brown after heavy rain. Winter days are short, which also shortens the hours the dawn-to-dusk camera is on air, and Atlantic gales can push big seas against the harbour walls.

Things to Do Near Boscastle

The South West Coast Path runs through the village. Beside the harbour mouth, the path climbs to Willapark, a headland 96 meters (315 feet) high topped by a whitewashed tower that began as a 19th century folly and is now a coastguard lookout. At Penally Point, the blowhole known as the Devil’s Bellows can fire a spout of water halfway across the harbour entrance for about an hour either side of low tide when conditions are right.

In the village, the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, founded in the 1960s, holds what it describes as the world’s largest collection of witchcraft artefacts. Heading south along the coast path, the route climbs toward Tintagel and its castle, 8 kilometers (5 miles) away.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More live cameras from the Cornish coast:

• St Ives Webcam
• Porth Beach Webcam
• St Anthony Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Boscastle Webcam?

The camera looks down the River Valency past the footbridge, the riverside buildings and the car park to Boscastle Harbour and the narrow harbour mouth between the headlands, with cottages on the hillside to the right.

Why is the Boscastle Webcam not showing anything right now?

The camera only streams in daylight, from dawn until dusk, so the player is empty overnight. It comes back on its own the next morning, and in winter its daily hours are shorter.

Does the Boscastle webcam have sound?

No. The camera is shared with audio switched off, so the player on this page is silent.

Is this the Classic Cottages Boscastle webcam?

Yes. This is the Harbour Light camera that Classic Cottages shares on its website. The Riverside hotel in Boscastle runs a separate webcam of its own.

What is Boscastle famous for?

Its 16th century harbour, built by Sir Richard Grenville in 1584, the flood of 2004, the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, and Thomas Hardy, who met his future wife while restoring the church at St Juliot.

What happened in the Boscastle flood?

On August 16, 2004, more than 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) of rain fell in two hours and a flash flood tore down the valley. Around 50 cars were swept into the harbour and 91 people were rescued, and nobody died.

Where is Boscastle?

Boscastle is on the north coast of Cornwall in southwest England, 8 kilometers (5 miles) northeast of Tintagel and 23 kilometers (14 miles) south of Bude.

What is the weather like in Boscastle?

Mild and changeable, with average highs from about 9 C (49 F) in January to 19 C (67 F) in July and around 906 millimeters (35.7 inches) of rain a year. The weather bar under the player shows the current conditions.

Source: Classic Cottages