Our research into the rock-cut pools of Cornwall took us (on a distinctly damp day) to the large pool at Trevone. This was made famous recently when it featured in the BBC series of Enid Blyton’s Mallory Towers when some young actresses had to pretend that a distinctly stormy Cornish day was just the time to go swimming in cold water. They carried it off splendidly despite the usual Blytonesque bullying of another girl.

This is one of the larger sea pools around the coast.

It is large: about 25m x 15m and boasts a shallow paddling pool end and some deeper areas which go down to around 3m.

Known locally as Tinker Bunny’s Bathing Pool, it even boasts its own Facebook page.

Its origin is not clear although there is a Francis Frith photograph from 1955 (showing a ‘gentleman’ dressed in beach clothes of the time – white shirt and hands on hips of course). In 2013 it seems that the local community clubbed together to repair the sea wall which was decaying. We hope that the income from the filming (if any) will be used to fund any future repairs. We have not yet managed to find out quite who the wonderfully-named Tinker Bunny actually was.

The tide was just beginning to wash over the seawall when we visited. The level in the pool (see picture) was well below the very obvious ‘normal’ level, marked by a strong white line. Curious. Does the water leak out slowly at low tide, taking some hidden route which means that it does not fill up by the same route as the tide floods?

Finding the pool: the pool is a five minute walk just west of the village car park, and easily reached from the cliff path. Approaching it on a wet day was slightly hazardous as the wonderful slabs of slate were slippery.