The Unbelievable and Unexpected: A Journey Through Cornwall’s Most Extraordinary Beach Finds

Cornwall, known for its breathtaking beaches and scenic beauty, has recently been the stage for an unusual variety of items washing up on its shores.

From the remains of a polar bear mistaken for a cow to motorbikes and wine from a distressed vessel, these oddities have sparked both amusement and concern among locals and environmentalists alike. Amidst these bewildering discoveries, Parkdean Resorts has played a pivotal role in organising beach clean-ups, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to preserving the natural beauty of the UK’s coastline.

A Legacy of Surprising Shoreline Discoveries

Cornwall’s beaches, some of the most stunning in the UK, are not just known for their beauty but also for the peculiar objects that occasionally grace their sands.

In past years, a number of unexpected items have washed up on these shores. Parkdean Resorts has revealed a list of the wildest things to ever show up on Cornish beaches.

1. Crisp packet from the 90s

In 2009, A 20-year-old student from Trevone Bay discovered a crisp packet with a best-before date in 1997, the year she was born. She found the packet when she was spending her summer holidays at the beach with her dad collecting rubbish.

2. Loggerhead Turtle

Across the UK, more than 200 loggerhead turtles have been washed up on UK shores. Back in 2012, a dead loggerhead turtle was found by walkers on a beach near Bude, shocking local residents,  as these turtles are usually found in warmer waters and presumably had got lost on its travels.

3. 300-year-old sailor’s leg 

A family got the shock of their lives when they found a cricket bat ‘substitute’ on the beach, only for a family friend who was a doctor to reveal it was actually a bone from a human leg they were using. Experts believe it’s the 300-year-old remains of a sailor who lost his life in a shipwreck, his lower spine, femur and pelvis were all later found in the surrounding area of Polzeath.

4. Timber

In February 2002, thousands of tonnes of timber washed up on Whitsand Bay. The Kodima, a cargo ship bound for Libya, ran aground off the Cornwall coast, causing the masses of wood to fall overboard and float towards the shore.

Hundreds of scavengers swarmed the beach to retrieve the timber, ignoring warnings to leave it alone.

5. A tree from the Everglades 

When reports of a ‘barnacled sea monster’ hit residents of Bude, many flocked to the coast to see the mass that had washed ashore. When inspected the ‘monster’ was actually found to be a 40ft tree thought to have been ripped down by hurricane Katia in Florida’s Everglades, drifting thousands of miles across the Atlantic to Cornwall.

6. Venomous jellyfish

Usually found in more tropical locations, venomous jellyfish aren’t often found in British waters. But over the years deadly jellyfish have been found across Cornish beaches. In 2019, one of the most feared jellyfish, the Portuguese Man O’War, was spotted in Penzance, Widemouth Bay near Bude and Praa Sands.

Normally only found in subtropical regions of the Pacific, they pack a powerful sting which can be life-threatening in extremely rare cases.

7. Motorbikes and wine

When a storm hit in January 2007, a vessel carrying 2,300 containers was severely damaged off the coast of England’s southern shores.

A variety of items washed up on Branscombe Beach in Devon including pet food, anti-wrinkle cream, wine barrels and even motorbikes! The ship sent out a distress single and its crew had to be saved by UK coastguards.

8. Dead polar bear

One of the most surprising finds on the beaches of Bude was the remains of a Polar bear. A slouched corpse was discovered and it quickly became headline news. However the arctic creature hadn’t made it to UK shores, it was in fact a dead cow that had been bleached white by the sea, causing a lot of chaos for a seemingly smaller story.

9. Rice cakes

Another strange item to wash up on Cornish beaches is a huge amount of rice cakes. In February 2017, thousands of the snacks were spilt onto Perranporth Beach after a cargo ship lost four containers off the Cornish coast.

10. 100-tonne whale

In 2010, a 100-tonne, 56-foot fin whale washed up on Portowan Beach. One of the fastest whales in the ocean, this poor animal was the victim of a ship strike and its corpse landed on Cornish shores alongside a repellent odour.

Parkdean Resorts: Guardians of the Shoreline

Amidst these unusual finds, Parkdean Resorts has emerged as a custodian of the coastline, actively engaging in the preservation and cleanliness of the UK’s beaches. Their participation in the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean and their own organised beach cleans have mobilised volunteers and resources towards maintaining the pristine condition of these natural wonders. Last year’s record-breaking collection of 622kg of litter by 392 volunteers from 59 Parkdean sites is a testament to their dedication and impact.

Conclusion

The Cornish coastline continues to unveil mysteries from the deep, ranging from whimsical to the bewildering, each telling its own story of the sea’s hidden depths and the journeys it encompasses. As Parkdean Resorts and the local community come together to safeguard these shores, the tales of these unusual findings serve as a reminder of the need to preserve the natural beauty and integrity of our environment for future generations to explore and cherish.