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Category Sand Rails Access Work Update Show all

Sand rails access way update - 22 September 2025

The sand rails access way project is now complete, with the official opening talking place on Friday 19 September 2025. The opening event was attended by around twenty five representatives from organisations who have been involved in the deign and delivery of the project. This included Cornwall Council staff and councillors, Cormac, Bude-Stratton Town Council staff and councillors, Active8, Bude Canal and Harbour Society, the Environment Agency and Future Coast Bude.
	The access way was officially opened with a ribbon cutting by MP for North Cornwall, Ben Maguire, and Cornwall Councillor, Peter LaBroy. Cllr LaBroy spoke to the group, drawing attention to the large amount of funding that had been spent in recent times to manage and maintain local flood and coastal erosion risk assets. He also thanked local stakeholders for their invaluable input in to the project, which required a careful balance of heritage and accessibility needs.
The project was made possible through £308,000 of Future Coast Bude funding. Future Coast Bude is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, which is managed by the Environment Agency. An additional £300,000 of Cornwall Council funding was used to stabilise the embankment. Ben Maguire, also attended and made a speech. He said, “…Projects such as Future Coast Bude are national exemplars of forward thinking and innovation. This also represents a significant investment by DEFRA and Bude is only one of only two communities chosen in the Southwest to be allocated funding. Well done Bude – you have done Cornwall proud.”
	Peter Daniel, Secretary of the Bude Canal and Harbour Society talked to those gathered about the significant historical importance of the sand rails. A new information board is being produced to reflect this and will be installed in the near future. The production of this is being supported by the Heritage Centre at Bude Castle. The information board will also explain what will be done with the additional concrete setts which were not able to be set in to the access way. Having received feedback from the community, the more complete setts will be used to make a bench, which will be sited in close proximity to the sand rails. Another sett will be on display, alongside part of the track which was removed, at the Bude Barge Workshop in Helebridge.
Thank you to all who have been involved in this project, which has taken nearly eight years, from start to finish, to complete. We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback we have received from the community and those on holiday. This is a much-treasured asset to Bude, and by providing this walk way on to the beach at Summerleaze, it is hoped we can allow continued access for those requiring step free access, long in to the future.

Sand rails access way update - 4 September 2025

Work has continued on the walkway with various sections now completed at the seaward and landward canal path ends.

The final walkway section left to complete is located in the middle of the tramway walkway close to the dwarf wall and tramway siding. This last section to be completed will incorporate the historic granite setts into the final surface which used to support the sand tramway siding rails.

Before work started, the positions of all the granite setts were surveyed. Before the new surfacing was laid, the setts were put back in their existing positions, and were set to the new walkway finished level.

The final concrete bay has now been excavated. In this area, the new walkway is wider than it was originally, requiring the bank to be dug out. During this work, approximately ten of the historic granite setts were uncovered. It is likely that over time, these setts have come loose from the section of the walkway that is regularly under water at high tide. It is thought that to prevent these loose setts being washed out to sea, they had been moved to an area that is not submerged by the high tide, and over time, these have become buried by soil. As the work to the walkway where these setts have come from is already complete, unfortunately they will not be able to be reinstated. They are being safely stored, and we would welcome thoughts from the community as to how best they should be used or displayed in the future.

Past the seaward end of the tramway walkway the surface defects in the existing concrete walkway have been cleaned and repaired to ensure a smooth and accessible walkway surface is provided all the way down to the beach.

Preparation of tramway siding area foundation and
replacement rails before concrete walkway pouring.

Finished section of concrete walkway with granite setts freshly finished exposed aggregate finish.

Concrete repairs to historic surface defects in lower
section of tramway
walkway underway.

Sand rails access work update - 27 August 2025

Works have been progressing at speed on the sand tramway surfacing now the revetment works are complete. Sections of walkway surfacing have now been completed at the top of the sand tramway and at the seaward end. Preparation works on the middle sections now underway.

In the section adjacent to the dwarf retaining wall, the historic cobbles have been relocated in their original historic positions, however raised in their height, to be incorporated in the finished walkway surface.

As walkway sections are completed, movement joints are filled with a flexible mastic. This will prevent future cracking when the sections of concrete slabs expand and contract with temperature changes.

The footprints in the concrete at the beach end of the walkway are starting to be filled, to ensure that the walkway is accessible all the way down to the beach. This work will continue this week.

Health and safety challenges due to high spring tides had to be managed over the weekend, but with the tide falling to neaps, this should not be a problem in the coming weeks.


Preparation of historic granite setts for inclusion into final concrete surface.	Freshly finished walkway surface after pressure washing top layer of cement off to expose concrete aggregate.	Finished aggregate foundation for walkway with replacement rails relocated along original alignment.	Holes being filled at the beach end of the walkway.

Sand rails access work update - 18 August 2025

Works on site have been proceeding at speed now the block work revetment has been completed.

The historic tram rails have been preserved where possible at the top of the walkway, however where their condition was too poor in the lower part of the walkway, they have been replace in their original locations with like for like replacement rails.

The concrete walkway is being poured in short sections starting from the top and bottom of the walkway. The rails and historic setts have been included in the finished surface.

The final walkway surface has been given an exposed aggregate finish to allow it to blend in with the local setting and to provide additional friction.

The next week’s works will involve the preparation, pouring and finishing of more sections of walkway.


Placement of compacted aggregate foundation for concrete walkway.	Replacement tram rails being set in place and historic granite setts relocated to original locations, prior to pouring of concrete slab.	Finished exposed aggregate surface on top of walkway. with original rails inlayed into new concrete slab.

Sand rails access way update - 11 August 2025

Works on the walkway are now fully underway, following the completion of the work to the revetment. The historic tramway surfacing has been removed, along with the granite setts being placed to one side, to be reinstalled in the final finished surface later.

Where possible the existing historic rails are being retained, however, where they are too damaged or corroded, they are being replaced with a like for like copy in the same position.

Towards the bottom of the walkway the blocks along the top edge of the tramway sea wall have been raised locally in low spots in order to make a consistent gradient for the final walkway surface.

Works for the next week will focus on preparation of the lower walkway for the installation of the concrete surfacing, by replacing the damaged sections of rail and replacing the historic granite setts in their original locations but at the finished walkway level.


Stripping off of the old surfacing and building up of the seaward walkway edge, to provide a continuous gradient for the finished walkway.	Raised edging of the wall in preparation for pouring of concrete walkway behind.	Freshly poured concrete walkway surface with historic rails incorporated and exposed aggregate surface.

Sand rails access way update - 8 August 2025

Restoration work on the historic Sand Rails walkway continues to move forward, with recent cooler weather helping the team make good progress.

The sloping revetment and dwarf retaining wall are now complete and fully pointed. Attention has now shifted to the walkway itself, where work is underway to carefully restore the original surface.

Contractors have begun clearing the old cobbled surface at the seaward end of the walkway and removing any badly corroded sections of the original tramway rail. The historic granite setts have been surveyed and set aside. These will be reinstated in their original locations but at a slightly higher level when the new concrete surfacing is laid.

Since their installation, the temporary steps have been well used by visitors heading to Summerleaze beach, helping to ease pressure on the main access route during the busy summer season.

Completed revetment to dwarf wall transition.

Finished revetment and seeded top bank looking seaward.

Removal process of old walkway surfacing and corroded rails – historic granite setts removed and stored for reuse.

Newly installed temporary staircase reported to be well utilised by summer visitors to Bude.

Sand rails access way update - 31 July 2025


Sloping revetment almost completed to its full height.	Sloping revetment almost completed to its full height	Revetment and dwarf wall interface awaiting pointing	New temporary access staircase installed for increased summer holiday foot traffic

Works have been progressing well on site with the revetment and dwarf retaining wall almost complete. The final pointing works are left to undertake.

Works are now progressing onto the sand rail walkway, where efforts will be made to preserve the historic granite setts of the old railway siding. Works will be undertaken to provide new walkway surfacing, incorporating the historic sand rails. Where the condition of the rails is too poor to allow their incorporation into the new surfacing, they will be replaced with replica narrow gauge train rails.

The new temporary set of stairs has now been installed to ease the expected increased summer holiday foot traffic visiting Summerleaze beach. The temporary stairs will remain in place until the works on the walkway are complete.

Sand rails access work update - 25 July 2025

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The final layer of scaffolding deck has been installed to allow the completion of the top part of the sloping revetment. The first five metres of the seaward end of the revetment are now complete.
Whilst high temperatures have been slowing progress with large concrete pours, teams have been working on re-pointing the gaps between the block to create a solid outer layer of the revetment. It is planned that works on the sloping revetment will be completed by the end of this week.
Now the revetment is nearing completion work will begin on the upper section of the walkway. This will involve removing the existing surfacing and preservation works on the existing sand rails.
The walkway works were originally planned to be completed before the summer holiday to allow inclusive access to Summerleaze beach, however with the programme delays Cornwall Council have chosen to install an additional set of temporary stairs to ease congestion on the existing access steps until the works are complete. The steps will be installed this week and will remain in place until the walkway works are completed.

Works on the final top section of revetment.
Re-pointing works to the completed sloping revetment face.
Re-pointing works on top of the to the completed dwarf wall.
Sand rails access work update - 17 July 2025

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We previously said that the Sand Rails walkway would be ready in time for the summer holidays, and we are sorry that this won't now be the case.
The contractors have been working hard to complete the project, carefully balancing the need for accessible beach access with the importance of preserving this historic part of Bude.
Unfortunately, due to unexpectedly high spring tides at the beginning of the programme, challenges with the supply of concrete, and issues associated with the concrete setting quickly in hot weather, the work has been delayed.
We understand this delay is disappointing, but it is important that the work is completed to a high standard - one that provides safe, long-lasting access for those with mobility needs, while protecting the integrity of the heritage structure.
Cornwall Council are working with the contractors to explore all options available to mitigate the impact of any over-run on the local community and summer tourist season. It is hoped that an additional set of temporary steps will be installed, parallel to the existing steps, to help take the pressure off the main steps during peak season. We appreciate that this won't help if you aren't able to use the steps, and the contractors are working hard to compete this work as soon as possible. It is hoped that this will be by the end of the Summer holidays.
Works continue on site with on the sloping revetment which has almost reached its full height. The dwarf wall is now complete, with the cobbled upper surface now being worked on.

Three layers of scaffolding platforms installed for working
on the revetment
Cobblestones on top of dwarf wall looking seaward
Dwarf wall and cobblestones looking landward
Sand Rails Access Work Update - 30 June 2025

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Progress on the access way has been progressing well and another level of scaffolding has been installed to give access to higher up the revetment. This section of revetment has now been completed and pointed with Marine mortar. Progress has also been made on the dwarf wall.

Second level of scaffolding Pointing of the wall. Progress on dwarf wall The rails have been painted with galvanised paint.