Our recent trips in search of tidal pools has reminded us of our favourite: the mermaid pool at Porthtowan which is C20th. This is located on the east side of the beach, requiring some scrambling over rocks at anything higher than half tide.

A friend recently shared a wonderful letter with us:

Inspired by our discovery of the Stackhouse baths a couple of weeks ago, we continued reading Michael Tangye’s article on Rock-cut baths in Cornwall and headed for Portreath to find ‘Lady Basset’s pool’ – or more correctly pools. The Bassets – Lord and Lady – were not people to do things by half for there are seven of the things at Portreath, the nearest large beach to the family home of Tehidy. They are thought to date from the early 1780s ‘for the pleasure of Susannah, Lady Basset, and her young daughter Frances’ (b 1781)’.

Imagine: it is the late C18 century, you are a rich gentleman with estates in Camborne and a passion for seaweeds and algae some of the rarest of which are found in a small inaccessible cove on the edge of Mount’s Bay. You want to spend time on your hobby but, at the same time, you fall in love with and marry (1773), a young lady from Shropshire called Susannah Acton. What could be more natural than to build (1775) a castellated mansion for her, just above your favourite cove, and name it after her – Acton Castle – so that she feels at home. You install seawater tanks in the basement so that you can observe your special seaweeds. But how to entertain your new wife?